Coached by Montenegrin Igor Martinović, the Lithuanians started the tournament in Group B, and in the first match they were defeated 13:6 (3:1, 3:0, 2:2, 5:3) by their Finnish peers.
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For the Lithuanian team, Patrykas Pašukas scored 4 goals, Anton Jarmolkovič 3, Mantas Meldaikis 2, and Benas Siliūnas, Martynas Filistovičius, Lukas Andrejaitis, and Simonas Stankus each scored 1.
In the second match, our team lost 8:16 (0:1, 3:5, 2:6, 3:4) to the Polish team. Among the Lithuanians, L. Andrejaitis scored 3 goals, M. Meldaikis and Ignas Paškevičius 2 each, and B. Siliūnas 1.
In the third game, the Lithuanian water polo players lost 8:9 (2:1, 2:2, 3:3, 1:3) to the Portuguese team after a dramatic battle. The winning goal for Portugal was scored in the last seconds of the match.
L. Andrejaitis scored 4 goals for Lithuania, I. Paškevičius and P. Pašukas scored 2 each.
Later, the Lithuanian water polo players had to acknowledge the superiority of the Georgian team with a score of 6:16. This time, L. Andrejaitis scored 2 goals, and Lennart Kleensangas, B. Siliūnas, I. Paškevičius, and M. Meldaikis scored 1 each.
Later, the Lithuanians faced the neutral athletes’ B team (from Russia), which was reinstated in international competitions. This team was unbeaten throughout the tournament and later became the tournament winner. The Lithuanians failed to challenge them as well – losing 3:32. The goals for Lithuania were scored by S. Stankus, L. Andrejaitis, and B. Siliūnas.
In the semifinals for 9th-12th places, the Lithuanian team experienced another drama, which unfortunately ended unsuccessfully again – after a beautiful and intense fight, our team lost 15:17 (5:2, 3:4, 4:5, 3:6) to their Swiss peers.
Among our players, goals were scored by L. Andrejaitis (5), M. Meldaikis (3), P. Pašukas and B. Siliūnas (2 each), I. Paškevičius, Mantvydas Steponavičius, and A. Jarmolkovič (1 each).
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However, the Lithuanian U20 team managed to finish the tournament on a high note – in the match for 11th place, they crushed the Finnish team 29:11 (7:2, 7:3, 9:3, 6:3).
For Lithuania, M. Meldaitis scored 6 goals, L. Andrejaitis and I. Paškevičius 4 each, L. Kleensangas, B. Siliūnas, and P. Pašukas 3 each, Dovydas Valužis and M. Filistovičius 2 each, and A. Filistovičius and M. Steponavičius 1 each.
“We finished our performance in the tournament but still did not find our clear identity. We also faced minor problems with injuries and illnesses during the tournament. This Lithuanian team has another peculiarity – there are many young players in the team – some water polo players are 3-4 years younger than the allowed age limit. It is very difficult to play in the U20 championship because here you compete against adults. We compete not against boys, but against men,” said Lithuanian team coach I. Martinović.
The coach does not hide that he also saw positive signs in Portugal. The most important thing is to learn from mistakes and use the gained experience for further improvement.
“We had successful moments, there were painful ones too, but I think we can take it as a lesson. We must continue working with this team. We have to work even harder and believe in ourselves,” emphasized I. Martinović, thanking all the fans and players’ families for their support throughout the tournament.
In the tournament final, the neutral athletes’ B team defeated Israel 13:9. In the match for 3rd place, Poland beat Belgium 17:15 after a penalty shootout.
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