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Hungary storm into women’s Water Polo Euro semi-finals after crushing Israel
Hungary’s women’s water polo team powered into the semi-finals of the European Championship in Funchal with a commanding 22–6 victory over Israel on Sunday, comfortably securing their place among the tournament’s final four.
The world championship silver medallists lived up to expectations, overpowering their opponents after a slightly slow start and steadily widening the gap as the match progressed, the Hungarian News Agency reported.
Strong tournament form continues
Hungary have been in impressive form throughout the competition. They opened their campaign with a narrow but crucial 9–7 win over Olympic champions Spain, before thrashing Romania 28–3 and Portugal 28–4 in the group stage.
Although they suffered a tight 5–4 defeat to defending champions the Netherlands in the intermediate round, the single-goal loss proved valuable in the standings, meaning a win over Israel was enough to guarantee progression.
They delivered emphatically.
Keszthelyi leads the charge
Captain Rita Keszthelyi was the standout performer, scoring four goals and driving the team forward with her experience and composure. Several teammates also made important contributions as Hungary’s defence tightened and their counter-attacks became increasingly clinical.
Goalkeeper Szonja Golopencza impressed between the posts, conceding just once over nearly three quarters of play and saving 13 of 14 shots.
History repeats itself
Israel, competing in only their fourth European Championship, had never beaten Hungary before, and the trend continued. Hungary have now won all five meetings between the sides, once again underlining the gap in quality.
Semi-final spot secured, group position still at stake
With the victory, head coach Sándor Cseh’s side are guaranteed a place in the semi-finals. Their exact finishing position in the group will be decided by the outcome of the Spain–Netherlands clash, which determines whether Hungary advance as first or second seed.
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