The group stage of the Women’s U15 European Championships has concluded with a day of highly competitive water polo in Zagreb.
The newly implemented format, as adopted by LEN for this and future competitions, has now come into full view. The top two teams from Groups C and D will now face off against the bottom two teams from Groups A and B, vying for a coveted spot in the quarter-finals.
Romania enjoyed a resounding 14-5 victory over Ukraine, earning them a match against the lowest-ranked team from Group A, Serbia. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic secured their place in the next round with a 13-13 draw against Ireland, setting up a match tomorrow against the hosts, Croatia.
Having emerged victorious in both of their group stage matches on the first two days, Germany enjoyed a well-deserved day off before their upcoming encounter against Israel in the closely contested cross-over fixture. Despite a hard-fought 8-8 draw against Slovakia today, Turkiye finds themselves in a position to face the Netherlands in the cross-overs, albeit as significant underdogs.
It was already confirmed prior to the conclusion of the group stage that Hungary and Italy from Group A, as well as Spain and Greece from Group B, would automatically progress to the quarter-finals. Hungary proved to be the dominant force in Group A, securing a commanding victory over Italy with a ten-goal margin in the last game of the day (16-6). Spain, on the other hand, demonstrated their resilience by recovering from a 2-0 deficit in the first quarter against Greece, ultimately claiming the top spot in Group B.
Ireland, Slovakia and Ukraine will fight to avoid finishing at the foot of the final standings.
Day 3, U15 Women’s European Championships, Zagreb
Group A
Italy 6 – 16 Hungary (2-7, 0-3, 3-4, 1-2)
Croatia 16 – 3 Serbia (2-1. 5-1, 4-0, 5-1)
Group B
Israel 8 – 17 Netherlands (0-5, 2-4, 2-3, 4-5)
Spain 8 – 5 Greece (2-2, 2-1, 4-2, 0-0)
Group C
Czechia 13 – 13 Ireland (3-3, 3-2, 2-6, 5-2)
Ukraine 5 – 14 Romania (3-3, 0-4, 1-3, 1-4)
Group D
Turkiye 8 – 8 Slovakia (4-2, 1-2, 1-1, 2-3)
Crossover Fixtures (27th June)
16:00 – Serbia vs Romania
17:30 – Netherlands vs Turkiye
19:00 – Croatia vs Czechia
20:30 – Israel vs Germany
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