The Romanian water polo team has won the inaugural Mayor’s Cup in Moscow, grabbing maximum points in three games, while Russia did enough to take second place.
Russia played Serbia in the last game.
The visitors led in the scoring almost throughout the match until the home side managed to pull ahead in the fourth and final period.
Organizers of the tournament hope the Mayor’s Cup will become a regular annual event before the start of the world championships, which Russia failed to qualify for this year.
The national squad, which once was a feared opponent on the international circuit, is now going through somewhat of a makeover.
While the core of the team still consists of old-timers, young talent will have a chance to represent the country at the 2012 Olympics in London.
“Our team is very new. The majority are young players and I’m probably the oldest player here. Unfortunately, we failed to make it to the world championships, but I’m sure that this team still has a bright future,” says captain Yury Zholtovsky.