(27 July 1996; Day 8)
Josko KREKOVIC scored four goals, including the game winner in overtime to lead Croatia to a stunning upset over Italy, 7-6, in semifinal water polo action at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center Saturday afternoon. Croatia will play for its first-ever medal, which happens to be the gold, against Spain at 16:30 on 28 July. Croatia is playing in its very first Olympic Games since it gained nation status at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
KREKOVIC tallied twice in regulation on consecutive goals that gave Croatia its first lead of the game at 3-2. He then scored the only two goals in the second of two overtime periods, both on penalty shots in the final minute.
"In a game like this," said KREKOVIC, "the team must play a fantastic game and one or two individuals must be great. Today it was me, but the Croatian team won this game, not me. It was a fight for the finals in this game and Italy gave everything they could."
"We lost to Italy earlier this week, but I was hoping it would be difficult for Italy to beat Croatia two times in a row," said the Croatian head coach, Bruno SILIC. Italy had defeated Croatia 10-8 in preliminary competition, but it just goes to show "this victory shows that players with heart and motivation can win any game."
Croatia, after posting a 3-2 preliminary round record, entered the semi-final game by virtue of an emotional 8-6 triumph over its predecessor, Yugoslavia, on Friday, 26 July. Playing against several former teammates, Croatia's team captain Perica BUKIC and Dubravko SIMENC scored three and two times, respectively.
Croatia is led by SIMENC, who has scored 14 goals through seven games, ranking second in tournament action.
Spain, the 1992 Olympic Games silver medalist, advanced to the gold medal game, also by upset. The Spaniards downed previously undefeated Hungary, 7-6, for the second straight semifinal upset.
Salvador GOMEZ scored a game-high four goals to lead his team to the victory. His two consecutive goals, ending the third quarter and beginning the fourth, ignited a 4-0 scoring run for Spain. Ivan MORO gave his team its first lead since 1-0 and Sergi PEDREROL scored an insurance goal with 90 seconds left.
"Sure I scored a lot of goals, but it has always been a team game," said GOMEZ after his four goal effort. "Our defense was excellent. Sunday's final is the opportunity to get the gold we didn't get in Barcelona."
Spain is led by five-time Olympian Manuel ESTIARTE, the leading scorer in the past four Olympic Games. He has scored 10 goals in 1996, a team high, but trails tri-leaders Tibor BENEDEK (HUN), Harry VAN DER MEER (NED) and Vlad HAGIU (ROM) by five.
"If we win tomorrow, it will be better than anything we've ever done," said ESTIARTE following Spain's victory. "Sure, we've thought about the silver we won in Barcelona, and we're going to go and win the gold tomorrow."
Hungary, the winner of more Olympic medals than any other nation with 12 (including six gold), has not medaled since winning the bronze in 1980. The Hungarian team was the 1995 World Cup champion by defeating Italy in the gold medal contest.
Italy, the heavy gold medal favorite entering the Games, was the defending Olympic Games champion. Italy's coach Ratko RUDIC was looking for his fourth consecutive gold medal as he had guided the Yugoslavian team to gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.
Both Italy and Hungary were riding six-game tournament winning streaks prior to being upset in the semifinals. Italy and Hungary will square off in the bronze medal game at 15:00.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Susan Fumagalli.
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| More tickets were sold to the competitions of the 1996 Games than to any other Olympic Games or sports event in history. The 8.6 million ticket sales figures topped sales to the Los Angeles and Barcelona Games combined. |