The best eight teams had a day off at the European Men’s U19 Championships in Podgorica today.
The games for the final standings between 9th and 16th place were played on Day 7 at the tournament in the pool of the Sports Centre “Morača “. However, the excitement didn’t lack.
Only the most important match of the day- the 9th place game wasn’t thrilling. The Netherlands beat Malta quite convincingly (13:9). Malta opened the game better, but the Netherlands made a safe lead before the final eight minutes.
France secured 11th place after beating Turkey in a penalty shootout. Turkey finished in 13th position and the Czech Republic in 15th place
Day 7, results – For 9th place: Netherlands – Malta 13:9 , For 11th place: France – Georgia 12:10 (PSO), For 13th place: Romania – Turkey 5:7, For 15th place: Czech Republic – Slovakia 10:8
2022 European Men’s U19 Championships, Podgorica, Day 7
9th-place match
Netherlands – Malta 13:9 (1:1, 4:2, 4:1, 4:5)
Malta took a one-goal lead already in the 2nd minute and kept a minimal advantage for almost the whole quarter. The Netherlands scored an equalizer only in the 8th minute – 1:1.
Malta dictated the pace in the opening minutes of the second period, regaining a one-goal lead (2:1, 3:2). Midway through the second period, the Dutch produced a 3:0 run in 02:09 minutes and went ahead for the first time – 5:3.
Malta’s Sam Gianlaze (3) and Marnick Snel All photos by Total Waterpolo
That 3:0 series was a turning point since the Netherlands kept the momentum gained in the second period. Van der Weijden opened the second half with two goals (a penalty shot and an action goal) and doubled the Dutch’s advantage (7:3). Eight seconds before the end of the third quarter, Sjardin scored a goal for 9:4 and that was the end of the contest. The Dutch, who had an excellent percentage of extra player shots (5/5), stretched the margin to six (12:6 and 13:7) in the final quarter. Malta reduced the gap with two late goals.
11th-place match
France – Georgia 12:10 (2:3, 3:0, 2:3, 2:3, PSO 3:1)
Both teams had ups and downs in the 11th-place match. France had stronger nerves and an excellent goalkeeper Anthony Rossi in the shootout and finished the tournament with a victory.
Anthony Rossi (FRA)
Georgia led 3:2 after the first period. However, France took control in the second period and kept Georgia goalless for almost a quarter and a half. The French scored four straight goals and went to 6:3. But, Georgia started recovering and reduced the gap to one goal before the final quarter (6:7).
Midway through the fourth period, France rebuilt a 3-goal lead (9:6), but Georgia didn’t surrender. Akhvlediani scored two goals in 51 seconds for 8:9. Two minutes from the end, Akhveldiani committed a penalty foul. However, Aquila failed to convert a penalty. Chagelishvili posted a save and boosted the Georgians’ hopes. A minute and 25 seconds before the end, Akhveldiani scored his third goal in a row (fourth in total), leveling at 9:9. There were no goals in the last 85 seconds and the match entered the shootout.
France’s goalkeeper Anthony Rossi, who posted nine saves in regular time, was outstanding in the shootout. He blocked three shots from the Georgians. Only one player of France failed to score, so France celebrated a 12:10 victory.
13th-place match
Romania – Turkey 5:7 (3:1, 1:6, 0:0, 1:0)
The scores of the quarters say all. Turkey needed one quarter to secure the victory. More precisely, Turkey downed Romania in only five minutes.
The first quarter belonged to the Romanians, who continued in the same rhythm in the second period. They earned a 4:1 advantage in the 10th minute. But, two minutes after, the game went in the opposite direction. Erckidi scored an action goal for 2:4 in the 12th minute. By the end of the second quarter, the Turks added five goals and had a 7:4 lead at halftime. Both teams struggled in the attack in the second half. Romania’s Pirianu was the only one who found the net in the second half. It happened in the 29th minute. Turkey kept a 2-goal difference in the remaining time.
15th-place match
Czech Republic – Slovakia 10:8 (4:2, 1:2, 2:1, 3:3)
Although the Czech Republic opened the game with a 3:0 lead and was always ahead, the encounter between the neighbors was interesting until the end. Slovakia reduced the gap before the middle break (4:5). From that point on, the teams exchanged goals.
The Czech Republic entered the final quarter leading 7:5, but Slovakia halved the deficit to 6:7, 7:8 and 8:9. The teams fought a hard battle until the very end. Everything was decided 13 seconds from the end. The Slovaks committed a penalty foul. Cenek Remes made no mistake from the 5m line, he scored for 10:8 and the Czechs secured 15th place.
Remes was the man of the match. He scored three goals and posted one steal and a block.
Day 8 (September 25)
7th-place match: Germany – Montenegro (14:30)
5th-place match: Italy – Croatia (16:00)
Bronze-medal match: Hungary – Greece (17:30)
FINAL: Serbia – Spain (19:00)
Follow the live scores of all games on Total Waterpolo Arena
