Croatia and Italy take valuable points in thrillers

The second day of the men’s tournament at the World Championships in Singapore featured two exciting derbies, with Italy and Croatia emerging victorious.

Italy triumphed over Serbia in a thrilling match that ended in a penalty shootout, with a final score of 17:16 (13:13) in Group A.

Croatia secured a hard-fought 13:11 victory against Montenegro in Group D.

Neither Italy nor Croatia has mathematically secured the top spots in their groups and the quarterfinal berths. However,  Italy is set to face South Africa in the final round. It’s highly unlikely that Italy will lose that match, which would allow them to maintain first place. On the other hand, the Croats, the reigning world champions, have a challenging match against Greece in two days. But, even if they lose by one goal in that game, they will still remain at the top of their group and qualify for the quarterfinals.

Hungary or Spain will finish atop Group B. Both teams had demanding matches against their non-European opponents today. Hungary beat Japan in a 41-goal game – 23:18. Spain defeated Australia 10:7, although it scored only oe goal in the second half. A 9:2 first half was crucial for the outcome. Australia can be satisfied with the second half, but bad news for the “Shakrs” supporters is that Luke Pavillard won’t play in Singapore due to an injury (more in the article)

Only one group winner has been mathematically decided so far. Team USA clinched the top spot in Group C, beating Brazil today (16:7). Still, it was expected that the Olympic bronze medalists will finish in 1^st place here and qualify for the quarterfinals directly because they were heavy favorites in a non-European group (besides Brazil, their rivals are Canada and Singapore).

2025 World Men’s Water Polo Championships, Day 2

A Group A

---

Italy – Serbia 17:16 (3:2, 3:3,4:4. 3:4, PSO 4:3)

Italy: Canella 3, Di Fulvio 2, Condemi 2, Iocchi Gratta 2, Bruni 1, Ferrero 1, Gianazza 1, Di Somma 1.
Serbia: Mandic 5, Martinovic 3, Lazic 2, Cuk 1, S. Rasovic 1, Milojevic 1.

Penalty shootout: S.Rasovic 0:1, Gratta 1:1; Mandic 1:2, Ferrero 2:2; Martinovic 2:3,Di Fulvio 3:3; Vapenski – Nicosia saved, Velotto – Dobozanov saved; Cuk – Nicosia saved, Cannella 4:3.

The most thrilling game of the tournament so far produced several twists and turns: Italy had a two-goal lead in the first half. However, early in the second half, Serbia surged ahead, outpacing Italy by two goals. With less than three minutes to go, Italy held a 13:10 advantage. In a dramatic turn, Serbia managed to equalize at 13:13. Italy’s goalkeeper Gianmarco Nicosia came out as a hero of big thriller, as he posted two saves in a shootout.

Serbia started well as Dusan Mandic scored the opening goal in the 2nd minute. However, just two minutes later, the Olympic champion lost their captain, Nikola Jaksic, who received a red card from American referee Voltz for a foul (an exclusion with substitution. Serbia’s head coach, Stevanovic, requested a VAR review, but his challenge was denied.
In the 6th minute, Italy scored its first goal after eight unsuccessful attempts – Canella made it 1:1. The same player closed the quarter. Serbia’s goalkeeper Filipovic saved a penalty shot from Canella with 33 seconds remaining in the quarter. But, the Olympic champions lost the ball in their following possession and paid for it. Cannella scored from a counterattack to give Italy a 3:2 lead. Serbia leveled twice during the second quarter – 3:3, 4:4 (Mandic scored both times), but Italy controlled the result. Cannella scored his third goal 19 seconds before the end of the quarter, and Italy earned a 2-goal lead for the first time – 6:4. However, Cuk halved the deficit immediately.

Serbia forced an exclusion in each of its first three possessions after the middle break and converted all three man-ups (Lazic, Milojevic, Martinovic) to build an 8:6 lead. But, after Serbia’s 4:0 run in 02:37 minutes, Italy responded with three straight goals and went in front – 9:8. Lazic leveled, but Italy had a slim lead after the third period, just like at the first and the second breaks. At 00:28, Matteo Iocchi Gratta found the net for 10:9.

Martinovic leveled in the 25th minute, but as the end of the game approached, Italy improved its man-up conversion, while Serbia began to lack good solutions in the attack. The “Settebello” scored three goals in three minutes and established a 3-goal lead for the first time. Gratta scored from a 6 on 5 to make it 13:10. Mandic, who the Italians shut out for long, scored two back-to-back goals in consecutive attacks and narrowed Serbia’s deficit to 12:13 with 79 seconds left on the clock. Six seconds from the end, Martinovic leveled at 13:13 from an unusual 7 on 5 possession – Serbia’s head coach replaced a goalkeeper with a player, which is allowed by new rules, in that attack, while one Italian was excluded in the dying seconds.

The risky move by Serbia’s bench resulted in a goal. Still, Italy celebrated in the end. Gianmarco Nicosia, who made 11 saves in regular time, added two more in the shootout and effectively sent Italy to the quarterfinals.

South Africa – Romania 5:24 (0:8, 1:3, 3:7, 1:6)

South Africa: D. Sneddon 2, R. Sneddon 1, Nesser 1, Germishuys 1.
Romania: Georgescu 4, Vancsik 4, Iudean 4, Neamtu 2, Lutescu 2, Tepelus 2, Bota 2, Prioteasa 1, Gheorge 1 , Belenyesi 1.

The game against South Africa was an easy task for Romania, the 12th-placed team at the Olympic Games. South Africa scored its first goal only in the 14th minute. By then, the Romanians earned a 10:0 lead. The European team slowed down slightly in the second period, but it dominated after the halftime break.

Standings: 1. Italy 5, 2. Serbia 4, 3. Romania 3, 4. South Africa 0.

B Group B

---

Australia – Spain 7:10 (0:4, 2:5, 2:0, 3:1)

Australia: Krstic 2, Lambie 1, Maksimovic 1, Mercep 1, Byrnes 1, Berehulak 1.
Spain: Granados 2, Sanahuja 2, Tahull 2, De Toro 1, Munarriz 1, Larumbe 1, Cabanas 1.

An encounter between Spain and Australia turned out to be two games in one, as reflected in the final score. Spain dominated the first half, and it seemed that the “Sharks” would suffer another heavy loss following their 6:18 defeat to Hungary. However, Australia made a comeback in the second half. Yet, Spain’s seven-goal lead at halftime allowed it to play with composure and without significant pressure, ensuring that Australia never got close to an equalizer.

Spain kicked off the game strongly, scoring four unanswered goals within the first eight minutes. Alvaro Granados converted a penalty shot to extend the lead to 5:0. Australia’s Berehulak responded quickly with a goal, followed by Mercep scoring to bring the score to 2:5. Spain’s Roger Tahull then netted two goals. As the first half wound down, the Spaniards scored two additional goals in the final 52 seconds, finishing the half with a commanding 9:2 advantage.

After the halftime break, Australia’s Nic Porter made several key saves, contributing significantly to his team’s resurgence. However, Spain’s defense remained solid, and the Australians made too many mistakes on the offensive end, resulting in lost possessions, wrong passes, etc. Despite this, they managed to reduce the gap to 4:9 before entering the final quarter. In the 26th minute, Byrnes scored from a backhand shot to make it 5:9. With 3:56 remaining, Cabanas converted a man-up opportunity, scoring Spain’s only goal of the second half. Krstic later made it 6:10 from a penalty shot.

Two minutes before the end, Felipe Perrone scored, but his goal was disallowed after a VAR review of Australia’s preceding possession. The referees accepted the Australian head coach Tim Hamill’s challenge and awarded a penalty shot to his team, which Krstic successfully converted, finalizing the score.

Spain emerged victorious and is set to compete for the top spot against Hungary.The encouraging display in the second half gives the Australians hope as they prepare for their match against Japan, which will determine which of the two teams advances to the crossover round and which will be placed in the 13-16 classification bracket.

Japan – Hungary 18:23 (5:5, 3:5, 3:5,7:8)

Japan: Adachi 4, Watanabe 4, Date 3, Inaba 3, Takata 1, Ura 1, Ogihara 1, Araki 1.
Hungary: Vismeg 4, Manhercz 3, Ad. Nagy 3, Vi. Vigvari , Ak. Nagy 2Vamos 2, Burian 2,Kovacs 2, Angyal 1, Fekete 1, Jansik 1

Hungary had to dig deep to secure a victory against Japan, but it was not surprising considering Japan’s history of challenging European teams in recent years. Japan scored 18 goals today (it netted 16 against Spain on Day 1), but ultimately had to congratulate its European rival after the match.

Japan briefly took the lead at 4:3, but Hungary quickly responded with two goals. At the first break, the teams were tied at 5-5. Vigvari opened the second period with a power-play goal, putting Hungary ahead at 6:5. Japan equalized at 6:6 and again at 7:7, but Hungary then scored two quick goals to establish a 2-goal lead for the first time, making it 9:7. From that point on, the Hungarians remained in front, although Japan persistently chased them.

At the beginning of the second half, Gergelyi Burian scored from a counterattack, extending Hungary’s lead to three goals at 11:8. The teams traded goals for a while. Towards the end of the third period and at the beginning of the fourth, Hungary managed to build a safer advantage. Manhercz scored from another counterattack to make it 14:10. Hungary controlled the match, aware that Japan wouldn’t give up. Zsombor Vismeg, a debutant at the World Championships, increased Hungary’s lead to five goals early in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 16:11. In the remaining minutes, Japan did not pose a threat to Hungary’s victory.

Standings: 1. Hungary 6, 2. Spain 6, 3. Japan 0, 4. Australia 0

C Group C

---

USA – Brazil 16:7 (6:1, 2:0, 4:3, 4:3)

USA: Irving 4, R.Dodd 4, Daube 2, Ohl 2, Liechty 1, Woodhead 1, Ehrhardt 1, C.Dodd 1.
Brazil: Farias 3, Guimaraes 2, Da Silva 1, Pedroso 1.

As predicted, Team USA cemented 1st place in the group after two competition days. In the 1st round, the Americans beat Canada (18:9). Today, they left Brazil nine goals behind.

The Americans established a 4:0 lead after less than four minutes of play (Ryder Dodd scored three of these four goals). Farias put Brazil on the scoreboard immediately after the USA’s fourth goal. However, the Olympic bronze medalists dominated. They held Brazil scoreless for almost 18 minutes while building an 11:1 lead. At the finish of the third quarter, the South Americans scored three straight goals to reduce the gap to 4:11. Early in the fourth period, the USA stretched the margin to nine (13:4) and maintained the difference until the final buzzer.

Team USA played very well in defense, committing only five personal fouls. It didn’t let Brazil come close to their goal, so most of the Brazilians’ attempts came from the perimeter.

Singapore – Canada 10:22 (5:7, 2:5, 2:4, 1:6)

Singapore: Goh 4, Yap 2, Koh 2, Rajandra 1, Saik 1.
Canada:D’Souza 7, Djerkovic 4, Oussadou 2, Lapins 2, Gardijan 2, Cote 1, Gerakoudis 1, O’Donnel 1.

Despite enormous effort, Singapore didn’t avoid a big defeat, but it played better than in the opening match against Brazil.

The hosts kept up with Canada in the first quarter. Singapore scored an opening goal. Canada earned a 2-goal lead midway through the quarter (4:2, 5:3), but the home team quickly equalized at 5:5. That was followed by Canada’s 3:0 series for an 8:5 lead. Rauel Mark D’Souza, who had an excellent percentage of shots (7/9) led Canada to a 22:10 victory.
But, the most challenging test for the Canadians is yet to come. Their crucial match in the group will be the next one, against Brazil.

Standings: 1. USA 6, 2. Canada 3, 3. Brazil 3, 4. Singapore 0.

D Group D

---

Croatia – Montenegro 13:11 (3:2, 2:3, 3:2, 5:4)

Croatia: Bukic 3, Fatovic 2, Kharkov 2, Buric 1, Loncar 1, Vukicevic 1, Zuvela 1, Krzic 1, Butic 1.
Montenegro: Dj. Radovic 3, Banicevic 3, Kholod 2, Vujovic 1, Perkovic 1, Matkovic 1.

One of the classics of modern water polo was an evenly contested game throughout. However, the more experienced Croatian team controlled the tempo during critical moments. A pivotal 3:0 run by Croatia in the third and fourth periods made all the difference.

Croatia opened the match with a 2:0 lead with goals after personal fouls (Fatovic converted a man-up, and Zuvela scored from a penalty shot). Montenegro got on the scoreboard only in the 5th minute (Banicevic). Perkovic leveled in the 8th minute with a man-up, but Croatia was awarded an extra player in its last attack, and Butic converted it to a 3:2 lead. The teams continued trading the goals in the second quarter. Montenero leveled at 3:3, 4:4, and 5:5. The last goal in the first half was scored by Dusan Matkovic. He sent the ball into the net with a nice lob with 53 seconds to go. Still, Montenegro’s goalkeeper, Petar Tesanovic, deserves credit, too, for a great assist over almost the entire field. Montenegro created more opportunities to score in the first half, but Croatia’s goalie Marko Bijac proved his outstanding capabilities.

Loren Fatovic opened the second half with a power-play goal for Croatia, but Montenegro quickly responded with two goals. Dmitrii Kholod gave Montenegro its first and only advantage in the match, scoring during a 6-on-5 situation in the 21st minute. Shortly after, the Croats initiated the mentioned 3:0 run. They scored two goals within 62 seconds, with Loncar finding the net during a man-up opportunity and Kharkov scoring from the deep right. Croatia entered the fourth period leading 8:7. Luka Bukic then doubled Croatia’s advantage with another extra player goal in the 26th minute. Montenegro managed to narrow the deficit four times in the remaining time, but Croatia responded each time.

A minute and a half before the end, Banicevic made it 11:12. Croatia had a man-up in its next possession, but Luka Bukic had his shot blocked and Montenegro got one more chance to equalize. Still, eighteen seconds before the end, Marko Bijac saved a long-distance shot from Djuro Radovic, ensuring Croatia secured all three points.

However, instead of maintaining possession and running out the clock, Croatia attempted to score again. In the final second, Rino Buric scored with a backhand shot. This goal could be significant in the event of an eventual three-way tie between Croatia, Greece, and Montenegro.  It’s sure that Montenegro, which defeated Greece 10:9, will not finish at the top of the group, while Croatia will remain in first place even if it suffers a one-goal loss to Greece on Wednesday.

Greece – China 26:5 (2:0, 10:0, 6:3, 8:2)

Greece: Nikolaidis 5, Gkillas 4, Kalogeropoulos 4, Argyropoulos 3, Gkiouvetsis 2, Chalyvopoulos 2, Papanikolaou 2, Pouros 1, Alafragkis 1, Kakaris 1, Gardikas 1.
China: Liu 1, Z.Chen 1, R.Chen 1, Wang 1, Liu 1.

Greece did what it had to do in the match against the underdog in the group – to achieve a big win before a high-stakes match against Croatia on Day 3.

The Greeks started slowly. They missed many chances in the first quarter, but they demolished China in the second period. After a 12:0 first half, Kalogeropoulos made it 13:0 in the third period. The Greeks kept China goalless until the 19th minute. Their defense weakened slightly in the second half, but their attack was almost flawless. They scored 26 goals from 37 shots and had an excellent man-up conversion (6/9).

Standings: 1. Croatia 6, 2. Montenegro 3, 3. Greece 3, 4. China 0.

Stay tuned to Total Waterpolo for full live coverage from Singapore 2025 — with real-time scoring, deep statistics, and all the stories that matter. You won’t miss a single goal, save, or surprise.

More articles about the World Championships