Olympics-Water polo-Croatia snuffs out Brazil's underdog bid for glory

By Joshua Schneyer RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 16 (Reuters) - An upstart Brazilian water polo team that has gained a cult local following at the Games had its medal chances snuffed out by Croatia on Tuesday, falling to the reigning Olympic champions in the quarter-finals. Croatia won 10-6 over Brazil, whose players failed to score on two penalty shots or take advantage of a foul period where they had an extra man in the pool. Even for the best teams in water polo, there is little shame in losing to powerhouse Croatia. But for Brazilian fans, the defeat stings after the local team had quickly, and somewhat improbably, become an underdog favourite to nab a medal for the host nation, adding to its count of ten so far, including two golds. Brazilians had taken a sudden interest in water polo, packing pool stadiums to cheer a team that upset current world champions Serbia in group-phase play. At times, local fans seemed more interested in water polo than men's football, their traditional passion. Brazil's men's football team plays in the Olympic semi-finals on Wednesday, but among Brazilians it is widely considered to be passing through an unfortunate Dark Age. Brazil's footballers famously lost 7-1 to Germany during the World Cup it hosted in 2014, and earlier at the Rio Games they suffered an embarrassing draw with Iraq, a country hardly known for success on the pitch. Brazilian interest in water polo is relatively fresh. Its team only qualified for Rio because of its host-nation status. But the beach-crazed country with a strong competitive swimming program invested heavily in coaching and talent, converting the squad into one capable of giving the Eastern European giants of the game a scare. Brazil hired legendary water polo coach Ratko Rudic, who had led teams from three separate countries to four Olympic gold medals, most recently Croatia. The notoriously demanding Rudic has said he initially found a Brazilian water polo program in disarray. He orchestrated a turnaround after Brazil naturalised several players from better-known water polo nations in the years before the Games. It also held a secret weapon in Felipe Perrone, the Brazilian born player widely considered one of the best in world, who had previously played for Spain. During Tuesday's game, a boisterous crowd packed the rafters of the Olympic aquatic stadium, producing deafening cheers when Brazil got the ball, and equally loud boos and hisses whenever Croatia had it. Perrone said Rudic had helped inspire the team to new heights. "He told us that we must believe we could win, and we played all the games thinking we could win, but in the end they (Croatia) are an amazing team and it wasn't possible," he told reporters. To reach the quarter-finals, Brazil beat Serbia, Australia and Japan. It had lost to Greece and Hungary, but that did not deter yellow-clad fans from turning out in droves. In comparison, Brazil's men's football matches have seen relatively sparse attendance, though only a few of the country's most famous players are on the team, since Olympic rules require most to be under the age of 23. With the water polo victory over Brazil, Croatia secured a spot in Thursday's semi-final round where it will face Montenegro. Brazil will still vie for fifth place as competition continues, but Rudic told reporters he will be moving on to another coaching gig elsewhere after the Olympics. His next stop is not clear, but Rudic said Brazil has already proved its mettle, and could remain a top contender at future international competitions. "Brazil is a great sport nation," he told reporters. "Now, its water polo is as good as all other teams." (Reporting By Joshua Schneyer)