Reigning champion Spain, the runner-up from 2022 Italy and Hungary are in the quarterfinals after the 2nd day of the men’s water polo tournament at the 20th World Championships in Fukuoka.
The big derby of Day 2 was an encounter between Hungary and Croatia, with the Hungarians emerging victorious – 12:10. This win secured Hungary’s spot in the quarterfinals and first place in Group C.
Spain clinched the top spot in Group D after defeating Montenegro 11:7.
The Italians dominated their match against Canada (24:6) and cemented 1st place in Group B.
The winner of Group A is yet to be determined, as Greece and Team USA currently have six points each. Greece had a big win against Kazakhstan – 17:2, while the USA. defeated Australia 16:8
In other matches, France defeated China in Group A by nine goals (17:8), Serbia recorded a massive win against South Africa in Group D (30:5), and host Japan ran over Argentina (20:9).
M The results, live scores, statistics from the men’s competition are available here
20th World Water Polo Championship (Fukuoka, July 17 – 29), Men, Day 2
Group A
Greece – Kazakhstan 18:2 (6:1, 5:0, 4:1, 3:0)
Kazakhstan needs to work on their offensive strategies to improve their gameplay. Nobody believed that they could surprise Greece, but the Kazakhs only managed to put two goals past Greece’s goalkeepers, Emmanouil Zerdevas and Panagiotis Tzortzatos, which was quite disappointing.
Stylianos Argyropoulos (GRE) All photos by Albert ten Hove/Orange Pictures
Greece’s goalies combined seven saves, but Kazakhstan’s attacks didn’t pose a significant threat to Greece’s goalie. Most of their attempts were from a distance, and they lost a lot of balls.
Greece took advantage of this in the first half, building a double-digit lead within 15 minutes and increasing it to 14 (15:1) before Kazakhstan scored their second and final goal from a penalty in the 24th minute.
Greece’s Stylianos Argyropoulos, Konstantinos Kakaris, and Dimitros Nikolaidis each scored three goals.
USA – Australia 16:8 (3:4, 3:2, 4:1, 6:1)
The game saw a few twists and turns. Australia played very well in the first two quarters but ran out of gas for the second half, and the Americans recorded a convincing win.
Some turning points happened already in the first quarter. In the middle of the period, Team USA took a 2:1 lead (Irving from a penalty). Australia responded with three goals (Power, Townsend, Pavillard) for 4:2. The Aussies’ momentum was halted forty-six seconds before the first break – George Ford was excluded for a brutality foul on Ben Hallock while swimming in the USA’s half of the field. The decision was made after a VAR check. The Americans got a penalty (Daube converted it to 3:4) and an extra player in the following four minutes.
The Americans added two goals in the first three and a half minutes of the second period playing with a man-up. But, Australia earned a 6 on 5 in its first possession after the suspension expired and leveled at 5:5. Shortly after, Luke Pavillard netted a beautiful goal from the distance and the “Sharks” went in front . The teams were tied at halftime as Hooper made it 6:6 at the finish of the first half.
The teams quickly exchanged goals at the beginning of the second half. Australia wasted two power-play advantages (one was a 6 on 4) in the middle of the fourth period and started losing its rhythm, while the USA began to take control. The Americans scored three goals in the last three minutes of the quarter. They entered the final period leading 10:7. As for Australia, the “Sharks” were without two important players in the fourth period – Ford and Luke Pavillard, who committed his 3rd personal foul in the 24th minute.
Max Irving (USA)
By the middle of the final quarter, the Americans built a five-goal lead (12:7). The “Sharks” were without a goal for almost 11 minutes. Townsend ended that phase at 03:23, but Australia had no way back.
There were 17 exclusions against Australia and 10 against the USA. The Americans converted four man-ups (4/7), and Australia three (3/7), but the USA had five penalty shots and scored from the each. The Aussies didn’t have chances from the 5m line. Hannes Daube scored five, and Max Irving netted three goals for the USA and assisted twice, while goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg posted 12 saves. Nathan Powe and Luke Pavillard scored three goals each for Australia.
Standings: 1. Greece 6, 2. USA 6, 3. Australia 0, 4. Kazakhstan 0
Day 3 (July 3): USA – Greece, Australia – Kazakhstan
Group B
Italy – Canada 24:6 (6:0, 4:2, 8:4, 6:0)
Italy was the big favorite against Canada. However, few could expect such a big winning margin. Italy showed its power already in the first quarter, earning a 6:0 lead. It stood 7:0 on the scoreboard at the first break. But, Francesco Di Fulivo’s goal from a counter-attack in the dying seconds was annulled later after a VAR review because it came after the buzzer. However, Di Fulvio “corrected” the result already in Italy’s first attack in the second quarter. There was no dilemma this time. He found the net for 7:0. That was followed by Canada’s missed penalty shot (Gardijan hit the post).
Nicolas Constantin-Bicari put Canada’s on the scoreboard in the 10th minute with a backhander (1:7). Fondelli responded with two almost identical goals (9:1).
Andrea Fondelli (ITA) and Matthew Halajian (CAN) All photos by Albert ten Hove/Orange Pictures
Italy maintained the difference until the middle break and didn’t slow. It stretched the margin to 12 before the end of the third period (18:6) and shut out Canada in the fourth for a 24:6 victory.
Gonzalo Echenique, Andrea Fondelli and Vincenzo Renzuto Iodice scored each three goals for Italy.
China – France 8:17 (1:4, 4:6, 0:4, 3:3)
France opened the game with a 4:1 first quarter and controlled the result, while China struggled to keep up. After just two minutes of play in the second period, the French increased their lead to 6:1. The Chinese didn’t recover from that start, but they didn’t surrender either. Yimin Chen made it 5:8 in the 14th minute. However, France’s most experienced players, Mehdi Marzouki and Ugo Crousillat, scored a goal apiece in the last 79 seconds of the first half, and France regained a 5-goal advantage (10:5). The French dominated in the third period. Their defense, with Hugo Fontani, didn’t concede a single goal, while the attackers found the net four times. France entered the final quarter with a comfortable 14:5 lead and the contest was over.
China will go to the 13th – 16th place classification and France will battle against Canada for 2nd place on Friday.
France’s goalkeeper Hugo Fontani, who was between the posts in the first 24 minutes, did a good job. He saved 12 shots. Mehdi Marzouki scored four goals for France, and Edo Khasz and Alexandre Bouet added three each. China converted two of its eight power-play shots. France scored four goals with an extra player (4/7).
Standings: 1. Italy 6, 2. France 3, 3. Canada 3, 4. China 0.
Day 3 (July 21): China – Italy, France – Canada
Group C
Croatia – Hungary 10:12 (1:3, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4)
In today’s derby, we saw a rematch of last year’s European Championships final between Croatia and Hungary. However, both teams had different rosters this time around. Hungary’s head coach Zsolt Varga had two key players, Denes Varga and Marton Vamos, who were absent during the Split tournament. On the other hand, Croatia was missing Loren Fatovic due to injury but had Ante Vukicevic in the lineup.
Gergo Zalanki gave Hungary a 1:0 lead in the first minute. Then, Croatia missed three man-ups. Croatia’s extra-players worked very badly today. The European champions had 13 attacks with a man up, but converted only three (shots 3/8). They paid for missed chances in the first quarter. Vamos converted Hungary’s 6 on 5 in the 7th minute for 2:0. Marko Zuvela broke Croatia’s goalless phase immediately after, also with a powerplay goal, but Toni Nemet rebuilt a 2-goal lead for Hungary just four seconds before the end of the first quarter.
Josip Vrlic (CRO) and Daniel Angyal (HUN)
In the middle of the second period, Angyal widened the gap to three (4:1). Croatia came back with two back-to-back goals. Marinic Kragic scored from a penalty (3:4). Still, Hungary finished the second quarter like the first. Adam Nagy made it 5:3 with an extra man three seconds from the buzzer.
The winning team kept a high level of play throughout the game. One of the facts describes that – Hungary scored a goal in its final possession in each of the four quarters.
The third period produced a similar scenario as the previous quarter. Hungary had a 3-goal lead (6:3 and 7:4). Croatia came close in the 22nd minute (Krzic converted a man-up for 6:7). Gergo Fekete was the one who closed this period, scoring a power-play goal (8:6) at 00:25.
Early in the fourth quarter, Hungary earned a four-goal lead for the first time (10:6). A minute before the end, the Hungarians were three steps ahead (11:8). However, Croatia cut the deficit to one again, scoring two quick goals. Luka Bukic found the net from a 6 on 5 to make it 10:11 with 35 seconds left on the clock. Still, it was too late. Gergo Zalanki decided everything with an action goal from a distance scored nine seconds before the buzzer.
It was hard to single out one player as the man of the match because even nine Hungarians got on the scoresheet. It was a win of a team effort. Gergo Zalanki scored three and Marton Vamos two goals. Seven different players scored for Croatia. Man-up shots significantly affected the outcome. As mentioned, Croatia had a poor percentage of power play shots (3/11). Hungary converted six of 11 opportunities.
Japan – Argentina 20:9 (6:1, 4:2, 4:2, 6:4)
Japan isn’t in the same category as the best teams in the world, but the home side proved too strong for Argentina. The hosts qualified for the crossover round with a convincing win over South Americans. In two days, they will try to do a miracle and defeat Croatia to finish 2nd. Both Croatia and Japan will have demanding tasks in the crossover round since this group crosses with Group D (Serbia and Montenegro go to crossover from Group D).
The stands were almost packed, which was an additional motive for the Japanese, who wasted no time in taking a 3:0 lead in the first three minutes, and continued their dominance. By halftime, they were up 10:2. Argentina had no answer for Japan’s pressing defense and speedy offense. The Japanese team’s strong defense allowed them to create numerous chances for fastbreak shots, resulting in seven goals out of 11 attempts.
Taiyo Watanabe (JPN)
Taiyo Watanabe led Japan’s attack with a perfect shot percentage (5/5). The hosts didn’t have many man-up opportunities. Argentina committed only five personal fouls – two for penalty shots – Japan converted both and three for man-up attacks (Japan scored two). Japan killed eight of Argentina’s man-ups (conversion 1/9).
Standings: 1. Hungary 6, 2. Croatia 3, 3. Japan 3, 4. Argentina 0.
Day 3 (July 21): Hungary – Argentina, Japan – Croatia.
Group D
Spain – Montenegro 11:7 (2:2, 3:2,4:2, 2:1)
Spain recorded a 4-goal victory. Still, the result doesn’t mirror the situation in the pool. Spain was a better rival and deserved three points. However, Montenegro deserves credit for a good performance. Only one or two goals separated the rivals for more than half of the match. Montenegro was in the game until the final quarter. But, whenever Montenegro came close, Spain, with excellent Felipe Perrone, responded with a goal.
The world champions started well and took a 2:0 lead. However, the Montenegrins were a tough opponent, and they leveled at 2:2, 3:3, and 4:4. Montenegro’s most experienced player Uros Cuckovic leveled at 4:4 with a beautiful lob in the 13th minute. Unfortunately for the Montenegrins, it was the last equalizer in the match. Less than a minute after, Perrone converted a man-up. The Spanish veteran scored from a counterattack in the first minute of the second half for 6:4. Midway through the third period, Spain earned a three-goal advantage for the first time. In the 20th minute, Montenegro called a time-out with the intention to force a man-up attack after that. But, everything went in the opposite direction. They lost the ball, and Spain started a counterattack that Alberto Munarriz finished and Spain went to “+3” for the first time– 8:5. In the remaining 12 minutes, the Spaniards maintained a difference of 2 or 3 goals. Sanahuja increased Spain’s lead to four at the finish and set the final score – 11:7.
Spain can start preparing for the quarterfinals, while Montenegro will face Serbia in the deciding game for 2nd place.
Petar Tesanovic (MNE) and Felipe Perrone (ESP) were among the best in the pool today
Selecting the top performer in the match of the day between Hungary and Croatia was challenging, but identifying the top player in today’s derby in Group D was much easier. Felipe Perrone, the leader of the reigning world champions, netted five goals, with the majority coming during crucial moments and delivered one assist.
Spain’s head coach David Martin gave 2nd goalkeeper Eduoardo Lorrio a chance today. He was in front of the goal for all 32 minutes. Eduardo Lorrio posted eight saves, and Montenegro’s Petar Tesanovic blocked 10 shots. Spain scored four power-play goals (4/9) and Montenegro two (2/9).
South Africa – Serbia 5:30 (1:8,1:9,1:7, 2:6)
Serbia didn’t surpass Montenegro’s scoring record achieved on Day 1 (a 35:10 victory over South Africa), but it played more disciplined in defense and let the Africans score only five goals.
Serbia has a better goal difference than Montenegro at the moment, but the goal difference won’t be a factor that will affect the standings.
From this season, there are no more ties in the World Aquatics competitions. If the match between Serbia – Montenegro ends in a draw, a penalty shootout will decide the winner.
It’s almost certain that 3rd -placed in this group will meet European champion Croatia and the 2nd-placed will play against Japan.
Strahinja Rasovic (SRB)
Let’s go back to the game South Africa – Serbia. The African team, composed of amateur players, can’t be an equal opponent to the mighty rivals in Group C. South Africa tried to do its best, but the difference in quality is big.
The best scorers in the Serbian team were, as against Spain, Strahinja Rasovic and Nikola Jaksic (each six goals). Marko Radulovic found the net five times.
Standings: 1. Spain 6, 2. Serbia 3, 3. Montenegro 3, 4. South Africa 0.
Day 3 (July 21):South Africa – Spain, Serbia – Montenegro.
For more news and the schedule about the upcoming Worlds, visit Total Waterpolo’s 2023 World Championships page.
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