The French water polo team hosted the Montenegro team, the European vice-champions, last night at the Jean Bouin pool. After a well-contested match, the French were narrowly defeated with an honorable score of 10-12.
Following a successful European campaign last January, where they reached the quarter-finals, the French team donned their caps and swim trunks again to face Montenegro at the Jean Bouin pool.
This World League match was part of the preparations for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Trieste in April. Only losing by two goals last night against the European vice-champions, qualifying for Rio is a realistic goal.
A sluggish start
In a pool fully supporting the French team, the match kicked off. The Balkan players quickly overwhelmed Florian Bruzzo’s men. The Montenegrins scored five goals in the first five minutes of play. Despite this, the French managed to score two goals in the first quarter but conceded a sixth one. 6-2 to Montenegro at the end of the first period.
The French came back with much better intentions in the second quarter. Rémi Garsau, the French goalkeeper, stood firm, and Enzo Khasz, a player from the Marseille Swimming Club, scored multiple goals. The French closed the gap on the Montenegrins by halftime. 8-6 in favor of the latter.
A lack of consistency proves fatal
Back in the pool, the Montenegrins, apparently wounded in their pride, accelerated once more. They scored three goals in four minutes. The French seemed knocked out on their feet and couldn’t respond, failing to score at all in the period. 11-6 to Montenegro when entering the final act.
In the last quarter, the French managed to react by coming within two goals of their opponents. 11-9 for Montenegro with three minutes left to play. The Nice crowd was on fire, cheering for their team. However, the Montenegrins dashed their hopes by scoring a goal in the last minute of play. Final score: 12-10 in favor of the Balkan players.
With a bit more steadiness and consistency in their play, Florian Bruzzo’s men could have secured a fine victory against a great water polo nation and gained confidence ahead of the Olympic qualifying tournament.
See you from April 2nd to 11th in Trieste to try and secure a ticket to Rio. It has been 24 years since the French were last seen at the Olympic Games: could this be the year?
