Belgrade, June 25 (Reuters) - More than 10,000 jubilant fans gave a
hero's welcome to Yugoslavia's newly-crowned European water polo
champions on Monday.
Yugoslavia beat Italy in Sunday's final in Budapest to win their first major
water polo trophy since they claimed both the world and European titles in
1991.
Fans gathered in front of the city hall with Yugoslav and Serbian flags and
gave the players a huge ovation as they went into the building and
addressed the crowd from the balcony.
"We did not expect a welcome like this even in our wildest dreams. Thank
you and we would like to share this gold medal with you," team captain
Aleksandar Sostar said amid wild cheers from the crowd.
Coach Nenad Manojlovic said winning the gold medal had not been too
hard with a team of Yugoslavia's quality and the fans who backed them.
"The players deserve all the credit for their magnificent performances and
the fans for their frenetic support both in Budapest and back home," he
said.
Yugoslavia won all their eight matches en route to the gold medal. They
beat Olympic champions Hungary, the pre-tournament favourites, 8-5 in
the group stage of the competition, bitter rivals Croatia 8-6 in the semifinals
and Italy 8-5 in the final.
