Italy's hero against Croatia to B92.sport: "I'm not a hero – a full Arena won't affect us"

The Italian water polo team, fighting for the last spot among Europe’s top four, defeated Croatia 13-10.

In an extremely tense match, full of exclusions (Italy 25, Croatia 21), the Italians showed greater composure, despite being a young team.

The key figure of the match was Italian goalkeeper Marco Del Lungo, especially in the second quarter, when he completely “locked down” the goal and prevented Croatia from finding a rhythm in their attack.

His saves gave Italy confidence and allowed his teammates to build a 5-3 lead by halftime.

“This is a big victory for Italy and for the whole team. A month ago, we started a new era, and this is a real indicator of what to expect from the new generation. The key in matches like this is concentration and the motivation to win – that’s the most important thing,” Del Lungo told B92.sport.

In the final moments of the game, Del Lungo once again proved why he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. When Croatia played without a goalkeeper, 30 seconds before the end, he stopped a shot from Rino Burić in a 7-on-6 situation – a save that effectively decided the match.

Srdjan Stevanovic/Starsport

“Our mentality against Croatia played a key role, but so did our aggression and solid defense. We achieved a very important victory. This season marks a new beginning for the Italian team, and we want to start it the right way,” emphasized Italy’s captain.

The experienced 35-year-old veteran finished the match with 15 saves, and thanks to the energy coming from the goal, Italy secured the final spot in the semifinals.

“No, I’m not a hero. This is my role, I’m a goalkeeper. I always want to give 100%, every single moment. I want to stop every ball, every shot. Right now, the most important thing is this victory for us as a team,” added the Italian, who moved to Savona this summer after five seasons with Pro Recco.

“The previous match against Greece was very important for the maturation of our team. The Greek players have been together for years, while we only started preparations for the European Championship in mid-December. Every player has worked extremely hard in every training session. After a good match against Greece, with the win over Croatia we’ve taken another step forward in the team’s development,” Del Lungo explained.

Italy will now face Serbia on Friday at 20:30, while the first semifinal will feature Greece against Hungary at 17:00.

“I don’t know exactly how we will stop Serbia, but we want to stay grounded. We need to refocus and start fresh before the semifinal against Serbia. The next match is even more important – we need maximum concentration because we’re playing against a strong team and in front of their home crowd. I expect an excellent match against Serbia, but I don’t believe the atmosphere will negatively affect our young players,” concluded Marco Del Lungo.