As the U17 Women’s European Championships progress in Manisa, all participating teams have completed at least one match, concluding Day 2 at the Ataturk Olympik Sport Complex.
There were significant victories for Hungary (defeating Spain 15-8), Italy (overcoming Croatia 10-5), and Greece (dominating France with a scoreline of 23-4) in the upper tier of the competition. Meanwhile, the junior team of the recently crowned world champions, the Netherlands, exhibited commendable performance to secure a victory against Israel with a final score of 12-10.
In Division 2, the standout match of the day was the thrilling 9-9 draw between Great Britain and Serbia. Additionally, Slovakia, Malta, and Turkey delivered impressive performances, outplaying their respective opponents in their matches.
Aligned with the modifications introduced by World Aquatics for their World U20 Championships, the group stage of the European age-group Championships will be bifurcated into two divisions. The first division will comprise the top eight teams based on their rankings from the previous championships in the respective age group, while the remaining teams will form the second division. Within the higher division, the eight participating teams will be divided into two groups – Group A and Group B. The two group winners will secure direct qualification to the quarterfinals. As for the second division, the remaining eight teams will be allocated into two groups: Group C and Group D. In this stage, they will also partake in a round-robin tournament, competing against each other to determine their standings. The teams that emerge as group leaders in both Group C and Group D will proceed to engage in cross-over matches against the fourth-placed teams from Groups A and B, respectively. Likewise, the second-ranked teams from Group C and Group D will face off against the third-placed teams from Groups A and B. The victorious teams from these cross-over matches will advance to the quarterfinals, vying for a coveted spot in the subsequent stages of the championships.
Day 2, U17 Women’s European Championships, Manisa Turkiye
Hungary made an impressive start to their bid for the European Championship title, securing a convincing 15-8 victory over Spain. Despite trailing after the first period, the Magyars demonstrated superiority in every department. Panna Tiba from UVSE stood out as a key player, contributing five crucial goals to her team’s success.
Tomorrow, Hungary will face Italy, who also began their campaign in Group with a triumph against Croatia (10-5). The Italian defense proved resolute against their Adriatic neighbours, with Croatia unable to find the target for a period of 13 minutes during the middle part of the match. Beatrice Cassara from Como Nuoto emerged as the highest scorer of the game with five goals.
In Group B, Greece soundly defeated France with an overwhelming 23-4 scoreline. The Greek team displayed their class throughout the game, with every member contributing at least one goal. Despoina Drakotou from Olympiacos and left-hander Ariadni Karampetsou from Ethnikos both scored four goals each. In the other game in the group, the Netherlands emerged victorious against an ill-disciplined Israeli side with a score of 12-9.. Four of the Dutch goals came from the 5m penalty line, while three were scored during power-play opportunities.
In Group C, Slovakia and Malta both started their campaign with wins. Slovakia secured a 12-4 victory against Romania, capitalizing on a strong third quarter that expanded their 4-2 lead to an impressive 9-2 advantage. Meanwhile, Malta maintained control against Switzerland, with Nadya Azzopardi and Zaira Bartolo each contributing four goals to help their team to success.
The Group D match between Great Britain and Serbia proved to be an entertaining encounter, resulting in a 9-9 tie. The lead shifted back and forth throughout the game, and after 32 minutes of play, the teams remained evenly matched. Serbian captain Jovana Radonjic continued her impressive form, scoring seven goals for the second consecutive day. Nika Ratkovic from Serbia had a chance to secure victory but missed a crucial 5m penalty at the end of the third period, ultimately leading to the draw.
In the last game of the day, Turkiye secured their third win of the competition (3/3) with a dominant 20-5 victory against Ireland. Hanzade Dabbag scored nine times for the hosts, who are almost certainly guaranteed to finish top of the group.
Group A
Hungary 15 – 8 Spain (3-4, 5-1, 4-2, 3-1)
Italy 10 – 5 Croatia (2-1, 2-0, 3-2, 3-2)
Group B
Greece 23 – 4 France (4-2, 7-1, 8-0, 4-1)
Netherlands 12 – 10 Israel (3-3, 2-2, 3-2, 4-3)
Group C
Slovakia 12 – 4 Romania (2-1, 2-1, 5-0, 3-2)
Malta 15 – 7 Switzerland (5-3, 2-0, 5-4, 3-0)
Group D
Great Britain 9 – 9 Serbia (3-1, 1-3, 1-2 4-3)
Ireland 5 – 20 Turkiye (1-1, 2-8, 2-4, 0-7)
Standings
Group A
- Hungary – 1 – 3pts
- Italy – 1 – 3pts
- Croatia – 1 – 0pts
- Spain – 1 – 0pts
Group B
- Greece – 1 – 3pts
- Netherlands – 1 – 3pts
- Israel – 1 – 0pts
- France – 1 – 0pts
Group C
- Malta – 1 – 3pts
- Slovakia – 1 – 3pts
- Switzerland – 1 – 0pts
- Romania – 1 – 0pts
Group D
- Turkiye – 3 – 9pts
- Great Britain – 3 – 4pts
- Serbia – 3 – 4pts
- Ireland – 2 – 0pts
- Ukraine – 2 – 0pts
Tournament Schedule
Day 3 – 31st July
Group A
13:30 – Hungary vs Italy
21:00 – Spain vs Croatia
Group B
18:00 – Greece vs Netherlands
19:30 – France vs Israel
Group C
10:30 – Switzerland vs Romania
12:00 – Slovakia vs Malta
Group D
09:00 – Ukraine vs Great Britain
13:30 – Serbia vs Ireland
Day 4 – 1st August
Group A
18:00 – Hungary vs Croatia
19:30 – Italy vs Spain
Group B
13:30 – Netherlands vs France
16:30 – Greece vs Israel
Group C
09:00 – Slovakia vs Switzerland
12:00 – Malta vs Romania
Group D
09:00 – Ireland vs Ukraine
21:00 – Serbia vs Turkey
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