Spain and Croatia secure quarterfinal tickets producing great comebacks

The last eight games of the group stage in the men’s tournament at the World Championships, played today, were filled with tension. Tiny details determined the final standings. One goal was decisive in four today’s matches.

The matches in Groups B and D were especially significant on the third day of competition.

Spain won 1st place in Group B. After being three goals down at the beginning of the fourth quarter (6:9), the Spaniards beat Hungary 10:9.  Japan narrowly beat Australia 12:11 and qualified for the crossover round as the 3rd-placed team from this group. After many, many years, Australia, the quarterfinalist of the 2024 Paris Olympics, won’t play in the crossover round.

Croatia had a disappointing 0:3 start in the match against Greece, but managed to produce a great comeback and collected three points with a 10:9 victory, finishing in 1st place with a perfect record in Group D. Greece remained in 3rd place, behind Montenegro, which easily defeated China 18:3.

The USA secured 1st place in Group C earlier and completed the group stage with an easy win in the match against Singapore, 26:6. However, the battle for 2nd place in this group was an even contest. Brazil defeated Canada 19:18 after a penalty shootout in a match that determined the 2nd-placed team.

Group A didn’t offer thrills, with Italy confirming its 1st place with a 28:4 victory over South Africa. Serbia secured 2nd place by beating Romania 19:9.

Serbia will play against Japan in the crossover round. That match is a derby of the next competition stage, considering the constant development of Japanese water polo and the recent history of the matches between Serbia and Japan. The two teams met last year at the Paris Olympics, and Serbia earned a hard-fought one-goal victory.

Road to medals

• Crossover round (July 18): Serbia– Japan (Match 1), Romania– Hungary (Match 2), Brazil– Greece (Match 3), Canada– Montenegro (Match 4)
• Quarterfinals (July 20): Italy– winner of Match 3 (OF1), Spain– winner of Match 4 (QF2), USA– winner of Match 1 (QF3), Croatia– winner of Match 2 (QF4).
• Semifinals (July 22): winners QF1 – QF2, winners QF3 – QF4.
• Final Day (July 24)

13th-16th place classification, semifinals (July 18): South Africa– Australia, China – Singapore.

2025 World Men’s Water Polo Championships, Day 3

A Group A

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Italy – South Africa 28:4 (6:1, 9:0, 8:1, 5:2)

Italy: Ferrero 4, Cassia 4, Damonte 3, Cannella 3, Del Basso 3, Condemi 3, Gianazza 2, Bruni 2, Iocchi Gratta 2, Di Somma 1, Presciutti 1.
South Africa: Bungane 1, Watt 1, Neser 1, Sneddon 1.

Playing without Francesco Di Fulvio, Italy trashed South Africa, which has to prove if it deserves a spot at the World Championships over the weekend in the 13th -16th place classification.

Serbia – Romania 19:9 (5:1, 4:1 5:3, 5:4)

Serbia: Randjelovic 4, Lazic 3, N.Jaksic 3, Mandic 2, Cuk 2,Murisic 2, Vapenski 1,V.Rasovic 1, Milojevic 1.
Romania: Iudean 2, Georgescu 2,Vancsik 2,Neamtu 1, Oanta 1, Gheorghe 1

Serbia left no chance to Romania and secured second place in the group. The Olympic champions approached the match with serious intent, quickly building a substantial early lead. By the middle of the second quarter, Serbia established a 7:1 advantage. They effectively kept the Romanian players away from the goal, forcing them to take long-range shots.

After the halftime break, Serbia’s defense showed some signs of weakness, but their offense remained strong. The Olympic champions drew many exclusions, which resulted in multiple goals during power plays. They successfully converted seven of their ten man-up opportunities and scored on two of three penalty shots. Djordje Lazic did a great job in this segment, drawing seven personal fouls and scoring three power-play goals.

Standings: 1. Italy 8, 2. Serbia 7, 3. Romania 3, 4. South Africa 0.

B Group B

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Spain – Hungary  10:9 (2:2, 1:3, 2:3, 5:1)

Spain: Granados 4, Gomilla 3, Munarriz 1, Cabanas 1, Perrone 1.
Hungary: Angyal 2, Vin.Vigari 2,Manhercz 1, Vamos 1, Fekere 1, Burian 1, Vismeg 1.

Hungary had the lead and dictated the pace for most of the match, but Spain saved the best for last, securing the victory by scoring the last four goals of the game.

Vigvari gave Hungary a 1:0 lead, while Spain quickly responded with two goals (Granados and Gomila). The first three goals were scored in the first three minutes, so few could predict that the game would turn into a one-sided contest. Both defenses performed well in the first half, but Hungary had better attacking options. In the 15th minute, Fekete found the net after Burian’s assist to make it 5:2 to conclude Hungary’s 4:0 series. A 19-year-old Biel Gomilla ended Spain’s 12-minute scoring silence, with a goal from the centre-forward position 45 seconds before the middle break – 3:5.

Angyal opened the third period with a goal after a nice attack with several accurate passes. Just 15 seconds later, Munarriz made it 4:6 from a penalty shot, forced by Felipe Perrone. The teams traded goals in the following minutes. The man who scored the first goal in this quarter scored the last one. Angyal made it 8:5 from a lob in the 22nd minute. The Hungarians kept a solid 3-goal difference until the last break.

Early in the fourth, it stood 9:6, but Spain was able to come back with four goals in three minutes. Granados converted a man-up, then scored from a penalty shot, while Perrone equalized at 9:9 from a 6 on 6. Between these three goals, Hungary missed two man-up opportunities. However, it wasn’t the end of Spain’s row. Three minutes before the end, Granados converted another extra player and put his team in front, 10:9. It turned out that it was the last goal in the match. Goalkeeper Unai Aguirre contributed to Spain’s comeback with a series of impressive saves in the fourth quarter. He finished the match with 13 saves, and the last one came 11 seconds from the end. The Hungarians regained possession of the ball after that, but didn’t score, and Spain advances to the quarterfinals.

Australia – Japan 11:12 (3:3, 2:3,2:0, 4:6)

Australia: power 5, Mercep 2, Byrnes 2, berehulak 2.
Japan: Date 2, Takata 2, Inaba 2, Suzuki 2, Watanabe 1, Ogihara 1, Nitta 1, Araki 1.

For the first time since the inaugural World Championships in 1973, Australia will finish with a ranking lower than 11th place. Fifty-two years ago, “the Sharks” were in 14th place. In Fukuoka, they will battle for 13th position.

One of the four regular participants in the Olympic Games had to be placed in the 13th- to 16th-place classification from a very tough Group B.

Japan’s victory isn’t a surprise. Don’t forget, Japan beat Australia 14:13 at the Olympic Games. The “Sharks” arrived in Singapore with a rejuvenated team. In addition, their best player, Luke Pavillard, suffered an injury just before the tournament.

It was a game with several twists and turns. However, Japan showed its best when it mattered the most – in the fourth period. Australia’s goalkeeper, Nic Porter, was one of the best players, collecting 15 saves, but it wasn’t enough for his team’s success. The Japanese players were more aggressive and persistent in their attacks. They had a lower percentage of shots than Australia, but significantly more attempts—39 compared to Australia’s 28.

Australia opened the match with a 3:1 lead. After trailing by two goals, Japan went on a 3:0 run to take a 4:3 lead. At halftime, the Asians were still one step ahead, 6:5.

Early in the third period, Mercep missed a nice chance to level the score, as he hit the crossbar from a penalty shot. But Australia regained a lead, as Berehulak scored from the bottom left, and shortly after, Mercep made up for a missed penalty to put ahead 7:6. Japan remained scoreless in the period, but in the fourth, it shifted gears. Inaba scored from the left, and Date gave the Asians the lead. The teams traded goals, with Australia equalizing three times to 10:10. Inaba then found the net from centre forward, and Suzuki made it 12:10. Power pulled one back at 1:14 after a long pass, narrowing it to 11:12, but couldn’t equalize.

Standings: 1. Spain 9, 2. Hungary 6, 3. Japan 3, 4. Australia 0.

C Group C

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Canada – Brazil 18:19 (6:2, 1:3, 3:4, 1:2, PSO 7:8)

Canada: D’Souza 3, Cote 3, Pozaric 2, Oussadou 1, O’Donnell 1, Hachem 1.
Brazil: Andrade 8, Coutinho 1, Freitas 1, Guimaraes 1.

Penalty shootout: Hachem 1:0, Real 1:1, Djerkovic 2:1, Andrade 2:2, Lapins 3:2, Pedroso 3:3, D’Souza 4:3, Coutinho 4:4, Oussadou – Fernandes saved, Guimaraes – Radenovic saved, Hachem 5:4, Real 5:5, Djerkovic 6:5, Andrade 6:6, Lapins 7:6, Pedroso 7:7, D’Souza – Fernandes saved, Coutinho 7:8.

Canada, the runner-up at the 2024 Pan American Games, was in front from the 4th minute until the 32nd minute in a contest between two American teams. However, Brazil, the Pan American champion, managed to equalize in the dying seconds and ultimately secured two points in a lengthy penalty shootout, finishing in 2nd place in the group.

The scoring began in the 4th minute when D’Souza converted a penalty shot to give Canada a 1:0 lead. Almost immediately, Coutinho equalized for Brazil. The Canadians responded explosively, scoring five goals in less than four minutes and jumping to a 6:1 lead. However, they were unable to maintain that momentum as Guimaraes closed the first quarter with a goal, making it 2:6.

After the first break, the South Americans added three goals to narrow the deficit to 5:6. Still, Canada retook control and built a 3-goal lead late into the third period (10:7). With just two minutes left on the clock, the North Americans had a promising 11:9 lead. However, at 1:46 remaining, Lucas Andrade scored his seventh goal, reducing the deficit to 10:11. Canada then failed to convert a man-up opportunity.

Brazil initiated their final attack with 46 seconds remaining, with seven field players. After a corner, they regained possession. Just 12 seconds before the game ended, Andrade equalized at 11:11, forcing the match into a shootout.

The winner was determined after nine rounds of penalty shots. Brazil’s goalkeeper, Joao Pedro Serra Fernandez, made two crucial saves during the shootout, finishing the match with a total of 19 saves, securing 2nd place for Brazil. Besides Fernandes, Andrade was Brazil’s hero with eight goals in regular time and two in a shootout.

Singapore – USA 6:26 (0:4, 2:4, 2:10, 2:8)

Singapore: See 2, Z. Loh 1, C. Loh 1, Rajandra 1, Goh 1.
USA: R.Dodd 4, Irving 4, Saveljic 3, C. Ohl 3, R.Ohl 3, C.Dodd 2, Vavic 2, Liechty 2, Daube 2, Brown 1.

The only question that was open before the match was – the margin of Team USA’s win. Even though the Americans didn’t play at full speed, they reached a double-digit margin in the middle of the third quarter (13:3). In the remaining 12 minutes, they doubled their lead, with Hannes Daube scoring the USA’s 26th goal in the final second with a shot from one end of the field to the other.

Standings: 1. USA 9, 2. Brazil 5, 3. Canada 4, 4. Singapore 0.

D Group D

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Greece – Croatia 9:10 (4:1, 2:4, 1:4, 2:1)

Greece: Kalogeropoulos 2 , Alafragkis 2, Genidounias 1, Skoumpakis 1,Gkiouvetsis 1, Argyropoulos 1, Gkillas 1.
Croatia: Fatovic 3, Zuvela 2, Butic 2, Kharkov 1, Brubnjak 1.

Greece needed a two-goal victory to secure first place in the group. A one-goal win or a two-point success in a penalty shootout would have moved the Greeks to second place. In the end, Croatia took all three points, maintaining the top position in the group, while Greece remained in third place, behind Montenegro.

However, given the knockout round draw, there is little difference between second and third place in this group. Greece will face Brazil, while Montenegro will play Canada in the crossover round. If both teams win their next matches, they will have challenging opponents in the quarterfinals.

Greece had a promising start, which raised their hopes of finishing at the top of the group. They scored three quick goals and led 3:0 after just 3 minutes and 5 seconds of play. Following this, Croatia’s head coach, Ivica Tucak, called a timeout, which proved to be a wise decision. Croatia stabilized its performance. Butic put the Croats on the scoreboard in the sixth minute, but despite their efforts, they trailed 1:4 after the first period due to poor man-up conversions.

In the second quarter, Croatia improved its defensive play, and captain Marko Bijac became increasingly effective. Midway through the second quarter, Kharkov leveled the score at 5:5, but Greece regained a one-goal lead before halftime with a penalty goal from Kalogeropoulos.

At the start of the third quarter, Marko Zuvela scored two goals in the first two minutes, giving Croatia their first lead of the game at 7:6. Genidounias tied the score at 7:7, but the Croats quickly responded with two goals from Butic and Fatovic, establishing a two-goal lead for the first time. Bijac played a crucial role in maintaining this advantage throughout the remainder of the third quarter, making several important saves, including three while his team was a man down. Even though he conceded four goals in the first quarter, Bijac collected 12 saves today, being one of Croatia’s key players.

In the fourth quarter, Greece managed to halve the deficit twice, first bringing the score to 8:9, and then to 9:10. Skoumpakis scored for Greece, making it 9:10 with 3 minutes and 27 seconds remaining. In the 31st minute, Croatia missed a man-up opportunity to seal the victory. Still, Greece was unable to find an equalizer in the remaining time.

China – Montenegro 8:13 (0:3, 2:2, 3:3, 3:5)

China: Z.Chen 3, Liu 1, Peng 1, Xie 1, Wen 1, Wang 1.
Montenegro: Kholod 2, Vujovic 2, Banicevic 2, Macic 2, Cetkovic 1, Gardasevic 1, Vuckovic , Gojkovic 1.

Montenegro wasn’t as convincing against China as the Croats and the Greeks (who both scored more than 20 goals in the match against the Asians). However, it secured a comfortable victory.

The Montenegrins’ explosive start set the tone for the rest of the match. After nine minutes of play, the Montenegrins had a 4:0 lead, while they conceded the first goal only in the 11th minute.

China cut the deficit to two goals in the middle of the third period (3:5). Centre-forward Dusan Banicevic answered with two goals and Montenegro regained a 4-goal lead (7:3). Montenegro streched the margin to three in the fourth quarter (11:6) and maintained the difference until the end.

A good performance by goalkeeper Lazar Andric (13 saves) and an excellent percentage of power-play shots (7/11) were keys to Montenegro’s victory.

Standings: 1. Croatia 9, 2. Montenegro 6, 3. Greece 3, 4. China 0.

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