Team USA put a major scare into reigning gold medalists Croatia before ultimately falling 7-5 in both teams’ Olympic water polo openers on Saturday at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center in Rio de Janeiro.
MORE: Full match replay
USA led 4-3 with five minutes to play in the third, with Tony Azevedo leading the offense with a pair of goals and 38-year-old goalkeeper Merrill Moses starring between the posts.
But Croatia was too good, scoring four-straight to take a commanding lead in the fourth quarter. The Yanks answered back for one, but got no closer.