Croatia's U20 water polo team wins European gold

Croatia’s men’s U20 water polo team are European champions after a superb 17–14 victory over Spain in the final in Varna, Bulgaria.

In a thrilling contest, Croatia showed tremendous character to come from two goals down after the opening quarter and fight their way back into the game. The score was level at halftime, but the young Croatians came out firing in the third quarter, scoring twice early on to seize control.

From there, Croatia never looked back. They held their nerve, extended their advantage and finished the job in style to secure the European title.

Gabrijel Burburan led the way with five goals, while captain Maro Šušić delivered an outstanding performance with four. Spain’s Alber Sabadell was their leading scorer with four goals.

The triumph caps a remarkable display of Croatian fighting spirit and resilience. After weathering Spain’s early pressure, the young Croatian side took charge when it mattered most and held on to claim gold.

Italy took the bronze medal after beating Montenegro 15–13 in a match decided by a better conversion of five-metre penalties.