Two thrilling matches highlighted Day 2 at the men’s World Youth Water Polo Championships in Szombathely. In a match full of twists and turns Croatia upended Italy, while host Hungary was stunned by the Greeks who netted 15 goals upon their first match in the event.
Montenegro claimed its second win in Group A, after beating the Aussies with a fine performance now they breathed through the game against South Africa. Australia bounced back from the opening day defeat and did a fine job while beating Egypt.
Group B had the first and the last match of the day and both brought balanced encounters though on a different level. Early morning China and Argentina tied in a low-scoring match, the South Africans missed a penalty with 3:13 to go so they had to settle for 5-5. In the evening host Hungary’s defense couldn’t withstand the pressure from the Greeks, conceded 15 goals and even if the Magyars chased their rivals they ended up losing by three.
In the other big match of the day, in Group C, the lead was changing for a while between Italy and Croatia but the Croats took control deep into the third, gained a two-goal lead and even though the Italians could halve the gap from time to time, their opponents always replied and never let the Italians level the score.
In the dying moments, Italy had a 6 on 4 but the remaining three seconds were not enough to score the equalizer. Here New Zealand and Uzbekistan produced a shooting parade with 73 attempts altogether but the Kiwis were more effective and earned a big win.
In Group D Serbia and Spain bagged huge wins against Colombia and Saudi Arabia respectively.
Follow the live score and group standings!
Day 2 Results
Group B: China v Argentina 5:5
Quarters: 2-1, 0-1, 2-2, 1-1
Group C: Croatia v Italy 12:11
Quarters: 3-2, 3-4, 3-1, 3-4
Group C: Uzbekistan v New Zealand 7:20
Quarters: 0-3, 2-6, 2-5, 3-6
Group D: Saudi Arabia v Spain 4:27
Quarters: 0-5, 0-7, 1-7, 3-8
Group D: Serbia v Colombia 19:8
Quarters: 4-1, 4-0, 6-3, 5-4
Group A: Montenegro v South Africa 23:5
Quarters: 5-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
Group A: Egypt v Australia 7:11
Quarters: 1-2, 3-3, 2-3, 1-3
Group B: Greece v Hungary 15:12
Quarters: 4-3, 3-3, 4-3, 4-3
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