LONDON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Croatia defeated world champion Italy 8-6 in the men's water polo final to win the gold medal at London Olympics on Sunday.
It was Croatia's first Olympic gold medal in water polo. Their previous best results was a silver medal finish in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Italy led Croatia 2-1 in the first quarter, but the Croats managed to catch up and then overtake Italy 3-2 in the second quarter.
The two fought furiously in the third quarter, and Croatia expanded the gap to 5-3.
The Croats continued to dominate in the fourth quarter and held off a late challenge from Italy for the title.
Croatia was the only unbeaten team in the tournament.
The victory sent Croatian fans into ecstasy and head coach Ratko Rudic jumped into the pool to hug his players.
"The gold medal is the reward for all the hard work of a team who spend days and nights analyzing the opponents with great enthusiasm," said Rudic.
"We had eight wins out of eight matches. I can't remember any Olympic tournament where the winner was so dominant," he added.
Rudic, who coached Yugoslavia at the 1984 and 1988 Games and Italy at the 1992 Olympics, has become the first water polo coach to win four Olympic titles.
Croatian Niksa Dobud said their incredible defence contributed to their success.
The Croats conceded 36 goals in eight matches, the fewest of any team in the tournament.
Despite the defeat, Italian head coach Alessandro Campagna believed his team played an amazing match.
"We didn't finish our opportunities in attack and some small details didn't work out. This made the difference. It's a pity," he said.
Earlier on Sunday, Serbia beat Montenegro 12-11 for the bronze medal.
The women's water polo gold was bagged by the United States as the Americans beat Spanish 8-5 in the final.
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