MONTENEGRO 19 FRANCE 9

Tournament favourites Montenegro secured the Gold medal on their debut in the LEN European Nations Trophy with victory over former champions France at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

Boris Zlokovic and Vladimir Gojkovic each scored four for Montenegro, while France captain Frederic Audon claimed three to take his tournament tally to 41 from seven matches.

Montenegro cruised through Group A with a 100 percent record and stepped up a gear for the semi-final with Belarus, where they were overwhelmed the opposition with a 26-1 demolition.

France were unbeaten through Group B and overcame Macedonia, who, like Montenegro, were formerly part of Yugoslavia, in the semi-final with a 12-9 win.

Montenegro’s intent was clear from the moment they marched onto the pool deck for the national anthems. The 13 players – including five world champions from 2005 when Serbia and Montenegro won Gold in Montreal, Zlokovic, Zdavko Radic, Nikola Janovic, Predrag Jokic and Gojkovic – turned to pledge their patriotism to the flag.

And when the teams entered the water, it was Montenegro who opened the scoring through centre forward Zlokovic, who earns 100,000 Euros a year playing for Posillipo in Italy. Mickael Bodegas replied with a goal after Mladan Janovic was sent out before Aleksandar Ivovic and Nikola Janovic gave Montenegro a two-goal cushion after four minutes.

France captain Audon won a penalty at the expense of Ivovic and Yann Clay pulled a goal back, but Nikola Janovic netted from a man-up attack for Montenegro.

Gojkovic struck early in the second period before Mladan Janovic scored his first of the game. Audon replied for France after Drasko Brguljan’s exclusion, but Zlokovic scored his second when Audon was sent out. Nikola Janovic grabbed his third before Marc Amardeilh got one back. Brguljan and Audon exchanged further strikes for Montenegro to take a 9-5 half-time lead.

Zlokovic struck twice to take his tally to four and then Gojkovic got his second of the game. France had the opportunity to pull a goal back when Radic conceded a penalty but Clay shot straight at the world’s No 1 stopper. Clay made amends with a goal on the fast break.

Jokic opened the final-quarter scoring with a bullet shot before Gojkovic got his third of the game. Amardeilh received his third personal foul and Jokic got his second of the quarter from the resulting 6-on-5.

Jean Baptiste Favry reduced the arrears to seven after Milan Ticic’s exclusion, but Zlokovic set up Brguljan for an immediate reply. Ticic conceded a penalty which Audon converted for his hat-trick. Ivovic scored Montenegro’s 17th of the game and captain Veljko Uskokovic got his first of the game with 1:01 remaining and Gojkovic grabbed his fourth on a fast break. Remi Saudadier got a consolation when Uskokovic was excluded.

Result: 19-9 (4-2; 5-3; 3-1; 7-3)

Montenegro: 1 Zdavko Radic, 2 Drasko Brguljan (2 goals), 3 Vjekoslav Paskovic, 4 Damjan DaniLovic, 5 Nikola Janovic (3), 6 Milan Ticic, 7 Mladan Janovic (1), 8 Veljko Uskokovic (Capt, 1), 9 Aleksandar Ivovic (2), 10 Boris Zlokovic (4), 11 Vladimir Gojkovic (4), 12 Predrag Jokic (2), 13 Milos Scepanovic

France: 1 Jonathan Moriame, 2 Romain Blary, 3 Arnaud Jablonski, 4 Frederic Audon (Capt, 3 goals), 5 Yann Vergeade, 6 Remi Saudadier (1), 7 Mickael Bodegas (1), 8 Jean Baptiste Favry (1), 9 Yann Vernoux, 10 Yann Clay (2), 11 Marc Amardeilh (1), 12 Quentin Chipotel, 13 Soufien Riabi