Aussie Sharks devour champs in water polo sensation
Australia’s water polo Sharks have devoured the reigning Olympic and world champions Serbia in a Games sensation at the Paris Aquatics Centre.
Heavy underdogs, Tim Hamill’s side, who’d lost their first match to Spain and were in desperate need of a victory to get their tournament on track, came out firing on Tuesday to blitz the world’s leading side by the most unlikely 8-3 scoreline.
The Sharks’ standout was Luke Pavillard, who powered home four goals with his left-hand tracers, while Matt Byrnes chipped in with two. Jacob Mercep and Charlie Negus also got on the scoresheet.
The Serbs were left stunned, their coach going ballistic at poolside after watching the Australians race into a 6-1 halftime lead, thanks to a brilliant second period in which both Pavillard and Byrnes netted twice.
The Australians’ excellence was only matched by a curiously error-ridden effort from the champions, who had also struggled in their opening game before edging Japan by one in a 31-goal thriller.
Yet the side who hit 16 in that match found the suffocating Australian defence much more difficult to penetrate.
Star man Dusan Mandic, who had scored seven himself against Japan, was held to just two goals as the two-time defending champions were already six down by the time he notched his first just before halftime.
By then, the Australians were in dreamland with Pavillard, a 28-year-old from Kalgoorlie, having already notched his hat-trick with pin-point shooting. His fourth followed soon after the break, leaving Serbia 7-1 down going into the last period.
They rallied briefly, narrowing the deficit to four, before Negus delivered the coup de grace.
He unleashed an unstoppable shot from eight metres that deflected off the post and in, leaving the seeking Serbs to ponder a remarkable upset as they seek to emulate the modern Olympic record of Hungary (2000-2008) in winning three titles in a row.
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