Virijevic scores from his own goal and makes the final save in Serbia's victory over Spain

Serbia defeated Spain in the men's 4x4 water polo competition after one of the tournament's most unusual finishes. The four sets were split 2-2, so the match moved to penalties. Serbia won the shootout 8-7. Goalkeeper Radosav Virijevic had already forced the decider by scoring from his own goal in the final second of the fourth set, and he then saved Spain's eighth penalty.

The format uses sets rather than one continuous final score

Spain won the first two sets, 4-3 and 3-2. Serbia responded by taking the third 4-3 and the fourth 4-2. That produced a 2-2 set result and required a penalty shootout. Adding all goals into one ordinary score would misrepresent how the competition was decided. In 4x4, winning a set is the unit that shapes the match result, while goal values and bonus situations can influence each set. The clean record is therefore two sets each, followed by Serbia's 8-7 success from the penalty line.

Virijevic changed the fourth set from the far end of the pool

With less than a second remaining, Serbia needed the final action to keep the contest alive. Virijevic released the ball from his own goal and found the opposite net. The competition's scoring rules gave the long-distance goal the value Serbia needed to take the set 4-2. It was not an additional goal after time and it did not directly win the whole match. It won the fourth set, levelled the set score and created the shootout that followed.

The same goalkeeper then decided the eighth round

Both teams converted repeatedly in the shootout. Serbia scored all eight of its attempts, which placed constant pressure on Spain to answer. In the eighth round, Virijevic stopped Alberto Sabadell Porcar. Kovacevic then supplied the Serbian conversion associated with the winning margin. The sequence should be told in order: the save broke the run of successful Spanish attempts, and Serbia's complete conversion record secured the advantage. It was a team shootout with a decisive goalkeeping intervention, not a one-player result.

The early deficit made discipline essential

Losing the first two sets left Serbia without room for another setback. The response was not built on chasing every possession at maximum speed. The team had to protect the centre, choose shooting moments and avoid giving Spain easy transitions. Taking the third set created a realistic route back, while the fourth still required play until the final fraction of a second. That persistence matters in a set format because a poor opening does not carry the same arithmetic as an irreversible multi-goal deficit in a standard continuous match.

Quarterfinal progress came through two separate pressure tests

Serbia first had to win the fourth set on the final possession and then reset immediately for penalties. The skills are different. The full-pool attempt required awareness of the clock and the scoring value, while the shootout demanded repeated execution from the takers and patience from the goalkeeper. Celebrating the long goal too early could have damaged concentration. Instead, all Serbian shooters converted and Virijevic remained ready deep into the sequence.

The confirmed result is already remarkable

The official federation report provides a remarkable sequence: a goalkeeper's last-second strike, a level set score, eight successful Serbian penalties and a final save. The figure 3-2 after penalties is not the total number of goals, and the set scores are not quarters from a standard match. Keeping each part in its proper place makes the achievement easier to understand and preserves the logic of the 4x4 format.

For the next round, Serbia can carry forward its composure while still reviewing the two opening sets. The comeback showed that the group understood the format and did not confuse urgency with rushed choices. Spain had enough control to win the first half of the contest, so the quarterfinal preparation must include a cleaner opening. Virijevic's two decisive actions belong to this result, but the repeatable foundation is the team's ability to protect the last possessions, convert every penalty and remain organised after momentum changed.