Montenegro and Italy completed the list of the semifinalists of the water polo tournament at the 19th Mediterranean Games in Oran (Algeria).
The Montenegrins and the Italians recorded wins on the last day of the group stage and qualified for the semifinals, along with Spain and Serbia, which secured 1st place in their groups earlier.
The big match of the day was the derby Italy-Greece (Group A). After a balanced first quarter (1:1), Italy was a better rival in the middle two periods. Before the final eight minutes, Italy led 8:5. Until the final buzzer, It increased the margin to four (10:6). Spain beat Turkey easily (15:8)
As for Group B, it turned out that the game Montengro – Slovenia was decisive in a battle for 2nd place. The Montenegrins were the favorites, but Slovenia didn’t surrender easily. Montenegro earned an early 4:0 lead. Slovenia halved the distance before the final quarter (6:8). Still, the Montenegrins netted three straight goals in the fourth period for a comfortable 11:6 victory. Serbia beat Portugal and finished the group stage unbeaten
Tomorrow, Spain will play against Montenegro in the semifinals, while Serbia will meet Italy.
Interestingly, a few hours after the encounter between the U18 teams of Spain and Montenegro in Oran, the Spaniards and the Montenegrins will clash in the quarterfinals of the World Championships in Budapest.
2022 Mediterranean Games
Group A
Round 3
Spain – Turkey 15:8 (6:3, 1:2, 4:2, 4:1)
Italy – Greece 10:6 (1:1, 4:2, 3:2, 2:1)
1.Spain 3 – 6
2.Italy 3 – 4
3.Greece 3 – 2
4.Turkey 3 – 0
Group B
Round 5
Montenegro – Slovenia 11:6 (3:0, 4:4, 1:2, 3:0)
Portugal – Serbia 3:16 (0:4, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5)
1.Serbia 4 – 8
2.Montenegro 4 – 6
3.Slovenia 4 – 4
4.France 4 – 2
5.Portugal 4 – 0
