Hungary won the gold medal at the Daikin Cup for U17 male teams in Szeged.
Serbia took silver, and Montenegro finished the tournament with the bronze medal.
The Daikin Cup featured seven European teams, which are all preparing for the upcoming European U17 Championships in Manisa, Turkey, early in August, and the USA.
In the first phase, the teams were split into two groups. The competition began on Friday, but due to a heavy storm that hit many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, some games were postponed to Saturday. So, a few teams played three matches yesterday.
Hungary and Serbia finished on top of their respective groups. On Saturday evening, Hungary defeated Montenegro 18:11, while Serbia beat Croatia 11:7 in the semifinals.
In the bronze medal game today, Montenegro defeated Croatia 11:9, just like in the encounter between the same nations encounter in the crossover round of the World Championships in Fukuoka, which finished shortly before the bronze medal match in Szeged started.
Hungary emerged as the champions beating Serbia in the final. The result was the same as in the bronze medal game – 11:9. It was a game with a few twists and turns. Hungary led 6:3. Serbia produced a 4:0 run to gain a 7:6 advantage. Serbia kept a slim lead until the end of the third period (9:8). Hungary secured a 11:9 victory with three unanswered goals in the final quarter.
Italy defeated Germany 13:4 in the 5th-place match, while Team USA finished 7th after a 13:9 victory over the Netherlands.
2023 Daikin U17 Cup Szeged
Group A
Round 1: Montenegro – Netherlands 20:11, USA – Serbia 8:14.
Round 2: Netherlands – USA 17:15, Serbia – Montenegro 14:8
Round 3: Serbia – Netherlands 13:8, Montenegro – USA 13:11
Standings: 1. Serbia, 2. Montenegro, 3. Netherlands, 4. USA
Group B
Round 1: Italy – Hungary 6:13, Croatia – Germany 14:10.
Round 2: Hungary – Croatia 13:11, Germany – Italy 13:14.
Round 3: Croatia – Italy 8:5, Hungary – Germany 15:10.
Standings: 1. Hungary, 2. Croatia, 3. Italy, 4. Germany.
SEMIFINAL MATCHES
Semifinals 5th – 8th place: Italy – USA 14:8, Netherlands – Germany 11:13
Semifinals 1st – 4th place: Hungary – Montenegro 18:11, Serbia – Croatia 11:7
GAMES FOR THE FINAL STANDINGS
Gold medal match: Hungary – Serbia 11:9 (3:2, 3:2, 2:5, 3:0)
Bronze medal match: Montenegro – Croatia 11:9 (2:2, 4:3, 3:1, 2:3)
Fifth-place match: Italy – Germany 13:4
Seventh-place match: USA – Netherlands 13:9
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