LONDON (AP) - Croatia won its first Olympic gold in men's water polo Sunday, getting two second-half goals each from Miho Boskovic and Maro Jokovic to pull away from Italy for an 8-6 win.
With two of the best defenses and goalkeepers - Italy's Stefano Tempesti and Croatia's Josip Pavic - in the tournament, the final was a defensive struggle.
Croatia eventually took control of the match early in the second half after Boskovic scored from long distance and then converted a penalty to take a 5-3 lead.
Jokovic gave Croatia scored two in the fourth quarter, setting the country's fans, dressed in their traditional red-and-white checkered shirts, into a frenzy.
The margin would be enough for a stingy Croatia defense and Pavic, who had nine saves.
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Associated Press