XXXI. Summer Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro - Day 15, 20th August, 2016

THE WATER POLO TEAM IS THE OLYMPIC CHAMPION!!!

They won!!!

They are the best!!!

What a game it was.
They splashed into the water and sank the Croatian team. It was no question even for a moment who'll win.
The Croatians could keep the pace only in the very beginning. They equalized after 0:1, but then they couldn't. Not once.
Serbia was leading to 2:3 at the end of the first quarter. Goalkeeper Mitrović made amazing tricks and saves. He saved everything. Every possible and impossible shot. I’m sure he allowed those 7 scores into the box by fraternal sympathy. To keep those poor neighbours away from complete destruction. He saved 12 from 19 (!!!) shots.
In the half-time it was 3:6 for Serbia.
The other hero of the day was Dušan Mandić. Partizan’s former team captain was more wicked than all the devils of hell. He scored such goals that made the pool dry. Both from distance and from nearby. All you could see was the water started to boil as if you’d threw a piece of raw meat among piranhas. Then a mighty left hand raised, swung the ball, shot and scored a giant goal. Then Dušan Mandić appeared, too (belonging to the left hand mentioned above) to celebrate.

(photo: mozzartsport.com)

For the third half the standing was 5:9, even though Croats substituted their goalkeeper in the meantime. Josip Pavić arrived and the totally done Marko Bijač could have a rest.
Filip Filipović nevertheless had a nice welcome gift for Pavić (4:8).

It was already sure even at this point that the Croatian team needs a smaller miracle to be able even just to equalize.
For the last quarter the Croatians fell apart. The most typical moment was when the Croatian coach asked for timeout at 6:10, then when the teams returned to the pool Mandić scored just another goal. Serbs started to celebrate in the very last minute of the game already, and then when the end buzz came...

ŠAMPIONI!!!
Posted by Partizane naš si ponos on Saturday, August 20, 2016

Champions.
They totally deserve to celebrate and to be celebrated.

Živko Gocić, one of the toughest players of Team Serbia could not keep his tears back on the podium. Next to him there is Dušan Mandić celebrating

And big big congratulations to the Serbian female volleyball team for their silver medal...

...and to the Serbian female basketball team for the bronze!

Predrag Danilović was there to support the basketball team...

...as well as Saša Đorđević

(unmarked photos: Facebook/Olimpijski komitet Srbije)

XXXI. Summer Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro - Day 13, 18th August, 2016

Another silver medal for Serbia!!!
Congratulations and salutations to Marko Tomičević and Milenko Zorić for their silver medal in men's 1000 m kayak double!

Asmir Kolašinac could not qualify to the men’s shot put final. He finished 8th in Group B at the qualifications with 20.16 m.

Ono što je trebao biti san,pretvorilo se u košmar...jedan veoma loš dan,odnosno veoma loša sezona. Povreda je nažalost ostavila predubok trag...uključujući ovo takmičenje samo 8 sam ih imao ove godine a to je za mene malo da udjem u pravu formu i da rutinski bacam blizu 21m i preko. Ovu prvu dvojicu Amera ne zelim da komentarišem ali bronza sa 21.36m i da sam onaj od prošle godine...možda je moglo sve biti drugačije. Ali tako je bilo sudjeno,takmičenja i šansi će uvek biti Treba samo biti spreman i strpljiv. Hvala svima na porukama podrske koje ste mi slali i svima koji ste uz mene i kada gubim...slavicemo mi akoBogda jos puno puta!

A photo posted by Kolasinac Asmir (@asko_kolasinac) on Aug 19, 2016 at 5:04am PDT

The Serbian water polo team had a sweeping victory against Italy to 8:10, and they qualified to the final!!!
The truth is that it was a totally smooth game, the reason the difference is "just" 2 goals is that Serbs practically joked the end off. The first quarter finished with 0:3, the half time was 2:6 (it was 0:6 in the middle of the second quarter, Italians scored their first goal less than two minutes before the end). The third quarter brought just one single goal (2:7), in the fourth it grew to 5:10, Italians scored three goals in the last 4 minutes, while Serbs were just chilling on the waves with a big smile, knowing well, that whatever Italians try, they won’t be able even just to equalize.
The finall will be tomorrow against Croatia. It will be a real, true derby, the best kind.

(photos: Facebook/Olimpijski komitet Srbije)

XXXI. Summer Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro - Day 11, 16th August, 2016

Serbia won its first medal at the Olympic Games!!! And it's a gold!!!
Big big congratulations and salutation to Davor Štefanek, who is the Olympic champion of Greco-Roman wrestling in 66 kg!!!
He won over Migran Arutyunyan from Armenia in the final. First the Armenian was leading to 0:1 after pushing Štefanek off the mat, but then he got a caution that brought one point for the Serbian. According to regulations in case of draw the winner will be the one who earned a point the latest and the Armenian didn't have enough time to gain any more points.

Davor Štefanek with his gold medal

During the national anthem

Yes, that’s the Serbian flag on the top... above all...

Posing for the photographers. Only Bokvadze from Georgia was willing to pose with Štefanek. The Armenian was so down by the end result that he was not willing even to shake hands. (The Azeri medalist doesn’t seem to be too happy either.)

But the gold medalist is Serbia and no one can take it away from them

As for Partizan’s athletes, the water polo team clashed with Spain in the quarterfinal and washed them off. It was an easy game, the Serbian team was leading to 7:3 in the half-time. In the third quarter Spain could reduce it to 7:5, but in the final part they capitulated, and Serbia won to 10:7.

Filipović celebrating

Mandić (on the right) supports his teammates

Unity is strength

Question of the day: how did that Yugoslav flag get there?

(photos: Facebook/Olimpijski komitet Srbije)

XXXI. Summer Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro - Day 7, 12th August, 2016

Friday brought two games at the Olympic Games with Partizan-players. The first one was a basketball game, where the Serbian team got definitely the best team from which everyone (or almost everyone...) expects gold medal: the United States.
The fact these hamburger-fed yankees Americans could score only 3 (THREE) more points than Serbia, that's really something to be proud of. Team USA won 94:91, at a surely very heavily struggling game and I'm sure if any of their players might see again the clenching teeth and sweaty face of Bogdanović and Mačvan in their nightmares, they wake up crying, chewing on their pillows. Compared to the half time score (50:41) and to Americans still leading with 10 points in the third quarter (72:62), Serbia could make such a final that is written in the Big Book of Basketball.

Bogdan Bogdanović

...when Bogdan Bogdanović gets the grip...

Nenad Beđik and Miloš Vasić were there to support the basketball team

The basketball team is now 4th in their group - keep this place, boys, because then you will qualify to the next round!
At the evening game (early Saturday dawn CET) the Serbian and the Australian water polo teams clashed with Serbia gaining their first victory. The first quarter finished with 2:2, Serbia took the lead, then Australian equalized just 6 seconds before the end. The second quarter was tough. A lot. Australians were leading, sometimes with 2 goals (2:4) and even the half time result was for them (4:5). Then came the third quarter and a more or less square water wrestling (6:6).
Then the last quarter.
It started with 7:7.
Then it was 10:7, for Serbia. 3 minutes before the end they performed an amazing water polo show. Australians could pressure out only one single goal from themselves. The end result was 10:8 for Serbia.

Filip Filipović is teaching: see, children, this is the ball, that is. And that’s how you score a goal with it... (BOOOM!!!)

Players celebrate after the victory

The entire basketball team was there to support them

Serbia is now 4th in their group, they have only one game left, against Japan.

(photos: Facebook/Olimpijski komitet Srbije)

XXXI. Summer Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro - Day 5, 10th August, 2016

This day should rather be forgotten.
The rowing events had to be cancelled again for bad weather. It means, the Beđik-Vasić as well as the Šljukić-Marjanović duos will race for the 7-12th place on Thursday early afternoon CET.
Update: or not. The weather is again very bad in Rio, so the events are postponed to 17:40 CET.

The basketball team was defeated by France to 75:76. After a very tough first half (first quarter: 17:26, second: 36:40) Serbs took the lead in the third part (60:57), but finally the French team won with one point.

Bogdan Bogdanović’s facial expression tells it all

Bogdanović vs. Tony Parker

Saša Đorđević cannot believe his eyes

Simonović comforting Bogdanović after the game

Viktor Troicki was there to support the basketball team. Next to him stands Vlade Divac, former player of KK Partizan, currently the vice president of Sacramento Kings

Viktor Troicki in the company of Vlade Divac and Novak Đoković

The basketball team is 4th in their group. They have two games left, one against the US, and one against China, both will be more than though.

The water polo team surprisingly got defeated from Brazil to 6:5. Looking at the statistics of the game, it could be a real struggle. The first quarter seemed to be smooth (0:2 to Serbia), then the half time turned to be 3:3 from 1:3. In the third quarter the Brazilians took the lead (5:3), Serbs equalized in the last part (5:5), but then, when only 46 seconds were left, the referees gave a penalty to Brazil which decided Serbia’s fate (Duško Pijetlović had an attempt though afterwards, but the Brazilian goalkeeper, who is that Slobodan Soro, who used to be Partizan’s goalkeeper, but in the meantime was naturalized by Brazil, so, this Slobodan Soro saved Pijetlović’s shot.)

Filip Filipović is blocked, Soro is watching from the background

Dušan Mandić with the ball

And well, the truth is, that the Serbian team is very much behind in their group. They are second last, they have only 2 points. Only Japan is behind them. They have one game left against Australia, then one more against Japan, they must win both, if they want to qualfiy to the quarterfinals.

(photos: Facebook/Olimpijski komitet Srbije)

VK Partizan - Pro Recco 7:18 (Champions League, Round 9)

Mea culpa: I was fully convinced that the game against Galatasaray was the last one in the Champions League and we have only the Serbian domestic league to focus on. Well, that’s what they call epic fail.
This one was really the last one though.
On this video you can watch the introducing of both teams. You can see what a great applause the former Partizan-players, Dušan Mandić and Filip Filipović receive.

Pro Recco kept the game under control from the face-off. (Duško Pijetlović told after the match, he had expected a bit more resistance from the home team.) The Italian team was in a fantastic shape, they have already qualified to the Final 6, they have good chances to win the title, and this difference was visible on both teams.
Pro Recco immediately took the lead. Jakšić equalized (1:1).
Then nobody knows what happened. Maybe it’s better not to know what happened. Nevertheless the first half ended with 2:8. The Italians were scoring, one after the other, we could earn only one at the very end of the half, by Lukas Gilen.

In the third quarter Pro Recco quickly scored two more (2:10). Gilen threw one more for us (3:10) from power play. We could score a 4th goal as well, yet the guests were leading to 4:12 for the end of the third part. It was one hell of a struggle and there was one more quarter left.

In the fourth quarter we scored three goals, Pro Recco had 6. I think it was high time to end this match as well as this ordeal in Champions League this season.

Gilen and Jakšić scored 2-2 goals, the others (Subotić, Drašović, Asanović) earned 1-1.

A message to Dušan Mandić & co.: after all these please, be kind enough to smash everyone in the F6 down and bring home the silverware. Thanks.

End result of Group B (this time it's really the end result):
1. Pro Recco 22 points
2. Szolnok 21 points
3. Dubrovnik 19 points
4. OSC 9 points
5. Partizan 7 points
6. Galatasaray 1 point