Hungary takes two points in drama against Italy; big and important wins for Spain and Serbia

The second day of the men’s tournament at the World Championships in Doha was the day of big games.

Three derbies that were important for the standings in the groups were on today’s schedule. But, only one of these three matches was exciting until the end.

Hungary beat Italy after a penalty shootout in the big match in Group D – 15:14 and became the first team to practically qualify for the quarterfinals. In the 3rd round, it will face underdog Kazakhstan. Italy, which wasted a 2-goal lead at the finish of the match, will try to find its way to the quarterfinals and to the Olympic ticket through the crossover round.

Spain and Croatia faced off in Group A in the rematch of the European Championships final. The Spaniards beat the Croats by four goals (10:6).

Serbia made a big step toward the quarterfinals with a huge 14:6 victory over Montenegro (Group C).

Favorites earned convincing victories in the remaining five games today. Greece stormed past Brazil (23:4), and France beat China (16:9) in Group B. Team USA defeated Japan easier than expected in today’s first match in Group C (18:5).
Australia sank South Africa (29:7) in Group A, while Romania demolished Kazakhstan in Group D (25:3)

21st World Men’s Championship (Doha, February 5 – 17), Day 2

Group A

Spain – Croatia 10:6 (2:1, 3:2, 1:0, 4:3)

Spain: Granados 3, Munarriz 2, Sanahuja 2, Cabanas 1, Perrone 1,Bustos 1.
Croatia: Fatovic 3, Zuvela 1,Loncar 1, Lazic 1.

Croatia and Spain played two interesting and great matches at the European Championships in January. Croatia won the game in the group stage after a penalty shootout, but Spain took revenge in the final with a great comeback.

Today’s game lacked excitement. The Spaniards’ four straight goals between the 15th and 25th minute, which brought them from 3:3 to 7:3, proved vital for the European champions’ victory.

Spain’s coach, David Martin, surprised the rival with the line-up. Eduardo Lorrio was in front of the goal for the entire match, while Unai Aguirre watched the game from the bench.

The European champions earned an opening 2:0 lead, while Franko Lazic converted a man-up in the 7th minute, for 1:2. Alvaro Granados opened the second quarter with an action goal for 3:1. The Croats leveled with two goals within 01:07 minutes. Marko Zuvela scored a nice goal from a distance, and Luka Loncar converted a man-up. The sides were tied at 3:3 in the 12th minute. But, after that, Croatia’s long goalless phase started. At the finish of the quarter, Spain rebuilt a 2-goal lead with two power-play goals (Munarriz and Cabanas).

Spain played very well in defense, but Croatia made too many mistakes in the attack in the third period. There were too many lost balls and wrong passes. Spain wasn’t much better than its opponent in the third period. Only Granados found the net in this quarter.

But that rhythm suited the Spaniards, who widened the difference to four in their first possession in the fourth period (Sanhuja 7:3). Immediately after, Loren Fatovic ended his teams’ 13-minute goalless phase and quickly added one more goal, so Croatia trailed 5:7 with six minutes remaining. But, Munarriz responded with an extra player, while Granados scored his third goal from a counterattack. Spain rebuilt a four-goal lead (9:5) with still plenty of time left in the game (04:45). Fatovic, who was well-guarded by the Spaniards in the first three quarters, added another goal to his tally. However, Croatia didn’t come back. Three minutes before the end, Sanahuja set the final score.

With this win, Spain probably qualified for the quarterfinals, as it needs only a point in the last match against Australia to remain atop.

Australia – South Africa 29:7 (6:2, 8:1, 7:1, 8:3)

Australia: Edwards 6, Mercep 5, Berehulak 5, Lambie 3, Pavillard 2, Maksimovic 2, Slobodien 2, Negus 1, Power 1, Putt 1, Poot 1.
South Africa: Stone 2, Wheeler 1, Howard 1, Van Zyl 1, Swanepoel 1.

As expected, Australia bounced back after an 8:13 defeat to Croatia with a clear victory over South Africa and secured a spot in the crossover round.

The “Aussies” opened the match with a 3:0 lead in the first three minutes and increased the margin to nine by the end of the first half. They continued firing in the third and fourth periods and earned a 20-goal lead in the 28th minute (24:4), but their attack didn’t stop until the end.

Standings: 1. Spain 6, 2. Croatia 3, 3. Australia 3, 4. South Africa 0.

Group B

France – China 16:9 (3:3, 4:2, 2:1, 7:3)

France: Vernoux 6, Crousillat 3, Bouet 3, Marion Vernoux 2, Bjorch 1, Vanpeperstraete 1.
China: Z.Chen 3, Xie 2, Zhu 2, Chu 1, Liu 1.

France needed two quarters to break the resistance offered by the persistent Chinese team. Like in the game against Brazil, the man who made the difference was center-forward Thomas Vernoux. He again scored six goals.

The game was an even contest for almost two quarters. France took a one-goal lead five times, and China leveled on each occasion. Vernoux netted two goals in the last 103 seconds of the first half, and the French were 7:5 up at halftime. The French center made it 8:5 in the middle of the third period and killed all China’s dreams of a surprise. In the fourth period, France scored from almost every attack.

Greece – Brazil 23:4 (6:3, 4:0, 6:0, 7:1)

Greece: Fountoulis 4, Argyropoulos 4, Kakaris 3, Gkillas 3, Papanastasiou 2, Genidounias 2, Kalogeropoulos 2, Skoumpakis 1, Nikolaidis 1, Papanikolaou 1.
Brazil: Vinicius Pires 2, P.Real 1, Guimaraes 1.

After a 26:4 victory over China, Greece scored more than 20 goals in 32 minutes again. Brazil equalized just once – 2:2 in the middle of the first quarter. Greece went to 4:2. The South Americans scored their third goal in the 7th minute. In the following 23 minutes, Greece kept the rival scoreless, producing an 18:0 run and jumping to 22:3. Vinicius Pires ended Brazil’s silence in the 31st minute. Still, Greece’s center, Nikolaos Papanikolaou, closed the scoring. He converted a man-up with 12 seconds left on the clock and scored his first goal in his debut for Greece at a big tournament.

Greece’s captain Ioannis Fountoulis, who missed the game against China, and Stylianos Argyropoulos were the best scorers, with four goals each.

Greece has to demonstrate its power against France in the match that will decide the top spot in the group. Brazil will battle with China for the third position.

Greece is a favorite in the derby, while everything is possible in the encounter between Brazil and China, considering the results and plays in the first two rounds.

Standings: 1. Greece 6, 2. France 6, 3. Brazil 0, 4. China 0.

Group C

Serbia – Montenegro 14:6 (4:1, 2:2, 5:3, 3:0)

Serbia: Mandic 4, S.Rasovic 2, Vucinic 2, V.Rasovic 2, Randjelovic 1, N.Jaksic 1, Vico 1, Drasovic 1.
Montenegro: Averka 1, Popadic 1, Vidovic 1, Dj. Radovic 1, Markovic 1, Vujovic 1.

The duels between Serbia and Montenegro are usually big and exciting battles. Last year, Serbia beat Montenegro after a penalty shootout in a match in which Montenegro had a 5:0 lead.

Today, Serbia got off to a flying start and, thanks to an excellent power play conversion (10/15) and the defense with a man-down (4/12 – including one conceded goal with a double man down), didn’t let Montenegro come back.

Serbia had 2:0 after the first two attacks (the brothers Rasovic scored) and doubled an advantage deep into the first quarter – 4:0. The Serbs’ defense, with a debutant Radoslav Filipovic between the posts, was almost perfect. Montenegro got on the scoreboard in the 8th minute – Djuro Radovic, who wasn’t on the roster against Team USA, converted a man-up for 1:4.

Serbia rebuilt a 4-goal lead in the second quarter (5:1, 6:2). Early in the third period, Montenegro finally cut the deficit to two (Vidovic for 4:6 from a man-up) and kept its hopes alive. But Serbia increased the margin to five in this quarter. Dusan Mandic made it 10:5 with a man-up in the 23rd minute. Vlado Popadic responded with Montenegro’s only 6 on 6 goal in the match. However, Mandic closed the third period with another powerplay goal to restore a 5-goal lead (11:6). At that moment, it was more-or-less clear that Montenegro couldn’t come back. Serbia sealed the victory with three unanswered goals in the final quarter.

In the last round, Serbia needs a point against Team USA to keep the top spot and qualify directly for the quarterfinals. The Montenegrins can’t move higher than 2nd place, but their placement depends on the result of the match Serbia – USA.

USA – Japan 18:5 (4:1, 4:0, 4:2, 6:2)

USA: Hooper 6, Hallock 5, Irving 3, Daube 2, Cupido 1, D.Woodhead 1.
Japan: Ogihara 2, Adachi 1, Watanabe 1, Inaba 1.

Two days ago, Japan led 3:1 after the first two minutes of the match against Serbia. Today, the Asian champions scored their first goal in the 2nd minute (1:1), the second in the 20th (2:9) and the third goal only in the 24th minute (3:12).

Japan didn’t suffer such a heavy loss for long. The Americans dominated from the first whistle until the final buzzer. Japan had a poor percentage of shots – 21% (5/24), partially because of a good performance displayed by USA’s goalkeeper Drew Holland, who posted 11 saves and was voted the MVP of the match. The Americans’ defense was up to the task in all elements. They proved they could do something big this year.

As for the Americans’ attack, Ben Hallock did damage in front of the Japanese goal; many balls were delivered to the 2m line. But the Americans scored goals from all positions. Three players were unstoppable. Johhny Hooper, who scored six goals. Hallock added five, and Max Irving three.

Standings: 1. Serbia 6, 2. USA 4, 3. Montenegro 2, 4. Japan 0.

Group D

Hungary – Italy 15:14 (2:2, 2:2, 3:3, 2:2, PSO 6:5)

Hungary: Manhercz 2, Zalanki 2, Vigvari 2, Vamos 1, Fekete 1, Jansik 1.
Italy: Di Fulvio 3, Echenique 2, Di Somma 1, Velotto 1, Marziali 1, Fondelli 1,

Penalty shootout – Hungary: Vamos 2, Manhercz 2, Zalanki 2 (Jansik missed in the 4th round, Nicosia saved a shot by Angyal in the 5th round); Italy: Echenique, Presciutti, Di Somma, Renzuto Iodice (Di Somma missed in the 1st round, Vogel saved the shots from Renzuto in the 2nd and from Echenique in the 8th round)

One of the long-time water polo classics was an even contest, but Italy was closer to a victory in regular time. It had a 2-goal lead three times in the second half, and Hungary successfully chased the Italians. The Settebello kept a 2-goal advantage until the 31st minute (9:7). Still, Hungary managed to save the match in a draw and eventually win in a shootout to secure 1st place in the group.

Hungary was without Denes Varga, who arrived in Doha later than his teammates, but still wasn’t ready for the match.

Krisztian Manhercz scored an opener. Italy turned the score, but Vince Vigvari leveled before the first break. There were no goals for long in the second quarter. Then, four were scored in the last 02:45 minutes. The Hungarians netted two in less than a minute (Zalanki and Fekete) and two goals separated the rivals for the first time – 4:2. Still, Italy equalized quickly. Marziali scored for 3:4, while Gonzalo Echenique leveled from a counter 40 seconds before the middle break. It was the first goal from a 6 on 6 possesion in the game. The previous five were scored with man-ups.

Italy earned a 2-goal lead twice in the third quarter, but nobody had an advantage before the final eight minutes. In the 21st minute, Francesco Di Fulvio made it 6:4 from a counterattack, which started after a great save by Marco Del Lungo. Manhercz halved the distance with an extra player. A minute and 42 seconds before the last break, Gonzalo Echenique netted a nice goal for 7:5. However, the finish of the quarter belonged to the Hungarians. Vince Vigvari scored the 6th goal for Hungary, while Marton Vamos leveled from a counterattack that started from Italy’s offensive foul.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Italians rebuilt a 2-goal lead with two extra player goals (Di Fulvio and Fondelli). Fondelli made it 9:7 at 03:49, and from that point on, the clock was ticking too slowly for the Italians and too fast for the Hungarians. Italy kept a two-goal advantage for some time, but it wasn’t enough. Ninety seconds before the end Jansik netted for 8:9. Italy lost the ball in the next possession and paid for it. Gergo Zalanki equalized from a counterattack after Vamos stole the ball. There were still 73 seconds on the clock, and both teams had a chance to win three points, but the match entered the shootout.

Soma Vogel was the hero of the shootout, like in last year’s final in Fukuoka. He blocked two shots and Hungary recorded a win after eight rounds of shots.

Beating Kazakhstan in the last round shouldn’t be a demanding task for the Hungarians, who can started preparing for the quarterfinals.

Kazakhstan – Romania 3:25 (1:7, 1:6, 0:5, 1:7)

Kazakhstan: Yeremin 1, Pustovalov 1, Shonzhigitov 1.
Romania: Fulea 5, Prioteasa 5, Lutescu 3, Georgescu 3, Neamtu 3, Vancsik 2, Iudean 1 Tepelus 1, Oanta 1, Bota 1.

Kazakhstan is an underdog in the group with three European teams. However, the Asians’ performances in the first two rounds were much worse than expected. In previous years, they played better at the intercontinental tournaments.

On Monday, Italy beat Kazakhstan by 30 goals (33:3). Romania, which isn’t a medal contender, blew Kazakhstan away, too.

Ten days ago, Kazakhstan beat Romania 7:4 at the World Championships in Barcelona. Since then, Kazakhstan has been a regular participant in the Worlds, while Romania didn’t qualify for the 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023 editions. Obviously, many things have changed in the last ten years.

The Kazakhs scored the first goal in the game, but Romania’s response was strong – 13 straight goals. Kazakhstan netted its second goal in the very last second of the first half. After the middle break, Romania added nine unanswered goals and earned a 22:2 advantage. Three minutes before the end, Kazakhstan ended Romania’s series with a power-play goal from Pustovalov, but the Europeans scored the last three goals in the game.

Standings: 1. Hungary 5, 2. Italy 4, 3. Romania 3, 4. Kazakhstan 0.

For the full schedule and the results, visit Total Waterpolo’s 2024 Doha page.

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