water polo

Blood in the water: the water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union that inspired Quentin Tarantino

Many artists were inspired by the infamous water polo match of 1956. Colin Gray directed a documentary titled Freedom’s Fury about the game. Quentin Tarantino actually co-edited the documentary and called it “the best untold story ever”.

Historical context

The water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, is called “Blood in the water” for a reason. According to wwos.nine.com, this game is “one of the most extraordinary events in Olympic history”.

The semi-final match occurred only a few weeks after the Soviets invaded Hungary in 1956. There was a lot of tension even before the athletes got into the pool, but it only got uglier. There were numerous altercations and fights between the players, including underwater headlocks.

The match was shortened after Hungarian player Ervin Zádor was hit in the head by a Soviet player called Valentin Prokopov. Zádor climbed out of the pool with a slashed eye and a bloody head. Zádor later said:

“There was no problem until I made a huge error. I looked up to question why the referee had blown his whistle. I should not have taken my eye off Prokopov. The next thing I saw, he had his full upper body out of the water, and he was swinging at my head with an open arm.”

The many Hungarian supporters and the Hungarian coach both protested the Soviet’s hard play. The game was eventually halted, and Hungary won 4-0. (Later, the Hungarian team also won 2-1 over Yugoslavia, but Zádor could not play due to the injuries he suffered during the match against the Russians.) Angry spectators booed the Russian team, and some even wanted to rush towards them after the game, so the team had to be escorted to their dressing room by the police.

Former player György Karpati said in 2002:

“In the strained political situation we were in, it was a body-to-body encounter with our opponents. Now I have to admit that I’m convinced even the referee was pulling for us. We were from a small country battling the huge Soviet Goliath.”

A story to inspire many others

The 1956 match against Russia inspired several documentaries and films. One of the most well-known ones is Freedom’s Fury which was co-produced by Quentin Tarantino.

Freedom’s Fury is narrated by nine-time Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz, who was actually coached by Zádor. Eight of the Hungarian players (including Zádor) and four ex-Soviet players were interviewed for the film. Unfortunately, no one from the Hungarian team is alive today. Production began in 2002, and it took nearly five years to complete, but it eventually came out in 2006.

Colin Gray, the editor of the documentary (who also played water polo himself), said:

“Both teams were as much a victim of the circumstances and really both countries were imprisoned by the same ideology. These guys were able to finally reconnect as human beings and as fellow athletes. That was something that we really wanted to highlight, the sort of humanistic side to counter the sort of oppression of ideology that everyone had suffered under in the Eastern bloc.”

Read alsoBlood in the water: the water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union that inspired Quentin Tarantino

August 7, 2020

Thousands pay respects to water polo legend Benedek at Margaret Island

From fans, friends and coaches to former teammates, thousands of people gathered at Budapest’s Margaret Island late on Thursday to pay their respects to three-time Olympic champion water polo player Tibor Benedek, who died, aged 47, earlier in the day after a long illness.

The memorial at the Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium was organised by the Hungarian Water Polo Association and the Budapest-based water polo club UVSE.

Many placed candles, flowers and photos of Benedek in front of the stadium’s main entrance.

Read alsoThree-time Olympic champion water polo player Benedek dies aged 47

The event was also attended by Tünde Szabó, the state secretary in charge of sports, Attila Vári, the head of the Hungarian Water Polo Association, Pál Schmitt, former Hungarian president who is a member of the International Olympic Committee and the honorary head of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, and Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony.

Benedek was a mainstay of Hungary’s Golden Team, which triumphed in the Olympic tournaments of 2000, 2004 and 2008.

He was national coach of the Hungarian men’s water polo team between 2013 and 2016. He was named Hungarian Water Polo Player of the Year in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 2002 and in 2000 he was voted into the Hungarian water polo team of the century.

June 19, 2020

Three-time Olympic champion water polo player Benedek dies aged 47

Three-time Olympic champion water polo player Tibor Benedek has died, his family told the Hungarian Water Polo Association.

Benedek, aged 47, died on Thursday morning after a serious illness, the family said.

Read alsoThe three time Olympic champion Hungarian water polo players in the International Swimming Hall of Fame

Benedek was a mainstay of the Golden Team, which triumphed in the Olympic tournaments of 2000, 2004 and 2008.

He was national coach of the Hungarian men’s water polo team between 2013 and 2016.

Benedek was named Hungarian Water Polo Player of the Year in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 2002.

In 2000 he was voted into the Hungarian water polo team of the century.

The tragic death of Benedek followed the death of another three-time Olympic water polo champion – György Kárpáti, who died on Wednesday at 84.

Read alsoLegendary golden water polo team of Hungary is back! – FINA Masters – Budapest2017

June 18, 2020

Four topics to avoid when talking to Hungarians

Every person and every nation has sensitive topics they would rather not talk about. Here are the ones you should not mention to Hungarians.

Trianon

As the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon approaches, it comes up more and more in conversations. And even a century later, it is still a touchy subject for Hungarians; many are still upset about the territories which were separated from the country, as well as about the people. It may be best not to bring this up in a casual conversation, unless you want to hear about conspiracy theories regarding the treaty, or how the territories should be reattached.

If you want to know more about how Hungarians feel about the Treaty of Trianon on its 100th anniversary, click HERE.

Hungary Trianon map — Wikimedia Commons – HunTomy~huwiki

Budapest vs Bukarest

It is not so hard not to confuse the two. Surely, Slovenians and Slovaks, or Uruguay and Paraguay, are also upset if their countries are confused for one another. But I have seen people confuse Austria and Australia as well.

Are Hungarians Slavs?

Are Hungarians just “hungarianalised” Slavs? There are sayings both in Hungarian and Polish about the Polish-Hungarian friendship. But, in fact, they are referring to their actual friends, the Slovaks, as Hungarian and Polish people could not really communicate due to language barriers. Bottom line is, Hungarians and Slovaks come from two different countries – which happen to be next to each other – and speak two different languages.

Hungry-Hungary puns

I can promise you that all Hungarians have heard a few dozen jokes about having to be hungry if you are from Hungary. They were not funny the first time and they are not funny the 106th time either. Please come up with something else.

May 30, 2020

European Aquatics Championships to be held next May in Budapest

The European Aquatics Championships, originally scheduled to be held in Budapest this month, will be organised between May 10 and 23 next year in view of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the European swimming league LEN said on Tuesday.

The organisers announced last week that the event had been postponed to 2021 because of the epidemic.

The championships had already been postponed once, from May to August.

The LEN also announced the cancellation of the current international water polo cup seasons.

FINA announces new dates for Fukuoka World Championships

FINA, the world swimming governing body, announced on Monday that the FINA World Championships, initially scheduled for the summer of 2021 in Fukuoka, Japan, will now take place from May 13-29, 2022.

In a statement, FINA said following consultation with the city of Fukuoka, Japan Swimming Federation, organizers, athletes, coaches, technical committees, TV partners, and sponsors; FINA is pleased to announce the new date of Fukoaka worlds, says Xinhua.

“After liaising with the relevant stakeholders and receiving feedback from them, we do not doubt that the decision taken will provide the best possible conditions for all participants at the Championships. We look forward to witnessing the world’s best aquatic athletes from around the world competing in the city of Fukuoka (JPN) in 2022,” said FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione.

“At a time of unprecedented uncertainty, FINA hopes the announcement of these dates will allow for some clarity in planning for all concerned,” Maglione said.

The FINA World Masters Championships will take place across the island of Kyushu, from May 31-June 9, 2022.

Read alsoHungary’s first-division soccer championship NB 1 to resume on May 30

May 5, 2020

Hungary wins European Water Polo Championships men’s title!

Host Hungary won the men’s tournament of the 34th European Water Polo Championship here on Sunday, edging Spain 14-13 (1-3, 3-0, 2-2, 3-4, 5-4) with penalty shots in the final.

Hungary earned the best team of Europe in waterpolo for the 13th time.

Read alsoThe Spanish win, Hungarian ladies come in third at the European Water Polo Championships

The odds were in favor of the host team, as the two teams met each other 18 times before the final, with three draws in addition to 15 Hungarian wins.

Montenegro beat Croatia 10-9 (1-3, 2-4, 4-1, 3-1) to clinch the bronze.

The European Water Polo Championship started on January 12.

Budapest welcomed the best water polo teams for the fifth time after 1926, 1958, 2001 and 2014, which is a record in the history of the event.

January 26, 2020

The Spanish win, Hungarian ladies come in third at the European Water Polo Championships

Nobody has fonder memories on Budapest than the members of the Spanish women water polo team. They won their first-ever European title in the Hungarian capital 2014 and now they clinched their second here, between the two they were silver medallist at the 2017 World Championships. In the final they staged a great second half and a 5-0 rush to turn the game against Russia and bag the gold medal. The bronze went to Hungary, the host team came from 5-8 down and also had a 5-0 run while not conceded a single goal in the last 14 minutes of the match.

Women’s final: Spain v Russia 13-12.

Bronze medal: Hungary v Netherlands 10-8.

For places 5-6th: Greece v Italy 5-7. For places 7-8th: France v Slovakia 17-8

Read alsoSpain makes back-to-back finals, Hungary goes to Tokyo – Day 13 at the European Water Polo Championships

Spain sat back to the European throne after six years and this was is no way surprising. The team played back-to-back World Championships finals in 2017 and 2019, and even though they suffered a shocking semi-final defeat against the Greeks two years ago in their home, Barcelona, this time they came up with a balanced performance and finished atop once more in Budapest.

water polo gold medal — Photo: MTI/Czagány Balázs

With the Olympic berths already secured by both sides, the final was tense but not really nervous – as a consequence, the first half already offered a scoring festival. The action-packed opening period saw seven goals, the Russians took a 3-4 lead but the Spaniards geared up for the second and went in front while the teams netted one goal after the other. Nine more came in these eight minutes so by halftime the teams produced the amount which is usual during an entire match (8-8).

The real twists arrived in the third as Ekaterina Prokofyeva netted a 6 on 5 while the Spanish offence had been frozen for a while. Maria Bersneva added one more five minutes later for 8-10 and the next Spanish 6 on 5 was almost denied but with some luck the ball was recollected by Maica Garcia who broke the Spanish silence, lasting for 8:10 minutes. And in just 35 seconds Anna Espar scored an action goal – thus the last period also started from equal (10-10).

One more lucky goal signed that Spain was really on the rise, this time the other Espar sister Clara could put away the rebound in a man-up. Russia had an extra to equalise but it was missed and soon Garcia delivered her trademark action goal from the centre with 4:14 remaining. Olga Gorbunova, who was just one goal shy of tying Rita Keszthelyi’s feat of 28 goals as the top scorer, was blocked in the following 6 on 5 – on the contrary, Paula Leiton’s powered one more in for Spain from the 2m line in a man-up for 13-10. It was a 5-0 rush from Spain and that decided the title. The Russian ‘freeze’ took 9:30 minutes, even though they pulled two back in the remaining time but the second came 22 seconds before the end, Spain kept the ball and launched great celebrations at the end.

The bronze medal match also offered some extraordinary scenes as the titleholder Dutch team seemed to be in absolute control, they looked more powerful and more efficient. Even though Hungary jumped to a 3-1 lead but the Dutch replies with four connecting goals in 2:31 minutes and went 3-5 up after eight minutes.

The battle was great but the Dutch defence worked properly, killed three Hungarian man-ups in the second and even though a penalty brought the hosts a bit closer, a double in 53 seconds gave the Netherlands a 4-7 lead. With some luck, Hungary pulled one back 18 seconds before the middle break but Iris Wolves’ fine goal from the centre reset the three-goal gap at 5-8 early in the third.

Nothing really predicted what would come next – but it happened. Rebecca Parkes also netted one from the centre for 6-8 and then the Hungarian defence began to click in a way barely seen in women’s water polo. Even though the Dutch put them under enormous pressure, a hand somehow always blocked the incoming roads, mostly goalie Edina Gangl. And the Magyars started rolling in front, netted two action goals in 48 seconds to go even, then the stands erupted when Dora Leimeter put the ball away from a man-up with 5 seconds left in the third to take a 9-8 lead.

The fourth was a giant battle between the Dutch offence and the Hungarian defensive lines and the hands were still there, once top scorer Rita Keszthelyi blocked a close-range shot on the goal line. They killed three man-ups in a row, then earned one with 2:10 minutes from time and Anna Illes sent a great bouncing shot to the top left corner in the last second of the possession with 1:50 remaining. The Dutch tried everything but it remained 10-8 – however unbelievable it was the Magyars had a 5-0 rush in the second half and shut out the title-holder side for 14:25 minutes.

It also meant that the Hungarians managed to halt their bad run in the bronze medal matches (lost the previous three in Rio 2016, Barcelona 2018 and Gwangju 2019) – and maintained the Magyars’ traditions to clinch double medals at the home championships (2001, 2014) and in the January editions (2012, 2016) since the men’s team will stand on the podium on Sunday as one of the finalists. (len.eu)

Final rankings: 1. Spain, 2. Russia, 3. Hungary, 4. Netherlands, 5. Italy, 6. Greece, 7. France, 8. Slovakia, 9. Israel, 10. Croatia, 11. Germany, 12. Serbia

Individual awards

Best goalkeeper: Anna Karnaukh (Russia)

Top scorer: Rita Keszthelyi (Hungary) with 28 goals

Most Valuable Player: Beatriz Ortiz (Spain)

January 26, 2020

Spain makes back-to-back finals, Hungary goes to Tokyo – Day 13 at the European Water Polo Championships

Spain and Hungary will stage a final showdown in Budapest after two
magnificent semi-finals, which offered nothing less than the very best of
water polo.

Spain forced the Croats to play a chasing game and their rival
couldn’t remain calm till the end, thus the Spaniards can play for the gold
once more after Barcelona 2018 (just like their women’s team – and just like
a year ago at the World Championships both Spanish team made the finals).

Read alsoSpain and Russia make their way to the final on Day 12 of the European Water Polo Championshisps

Hungary joined them after a thrilling match in front of a sold-out crowd of
5,000 in the Duna Arena. Since Spain had already qualified for the Games
last year, Hungary also booked its place in Tokyo with this win over
Montenegro.

It was a first-ever for them against the Montenegrins at the Europeans after four straight losses since 2008.

Men’s semi-finals:

Spain v Croatia 9-8,

Montenegro v Hungary 8-10.

For places 5-8th:

Italy v Russia 14-12,

Serbia v Greece 12-9.

For places 9-10th:
Georgia v Germany 8-9.

For places 11-12th:
Turkey v Romania 3-20

Fixtures for Sunday
Final (19.00): Hungary v Spain. Bronze (17.30): Montenegro v Croatia. For
places 5-6th (16.00): Italy v Serbia. For places 7-8th (14.30): Russia v Greece

January 25, 2020

Spain and Russia make their way to the final on Day 12 of the European Water Polo Championshisps

Russia and Spain will play for the gold medal on Saturday after thrilling semi-final wins over the Netherlands and Hungary respectively. Thanks to its shootout win, Russia returns to the final after ten years, while Spain can repeat its win from 2014, achieved here in Budapest. Regardless of the outcome, the Russians also booked their ticket to Tokyo since Spain had already secured its place last summer. Hungary seems to be cursed against Spain in the semis as this was their 6^th loss in as many clashes, while the Netherlands miss the final after three consecutive appearances.

Women’s semi-finals: Russia v Netherlands 7-7, penalties: 4-3. Hungary v Spain 10-11.

For places 5-8^th: France v Greece 3-13, Italy v Slovakia 16-4.

Read alsoSpain and Russia make their way to the final on Day 12 of the European Water Polo Championshisps

As expected, the semis offered thrilling matches – and great twists and turns right in the first duel between Russia and the Netherlands. The Dutch had a bit better start and jumped to a 1-2 lead but the Russians geared up for the second period and netted three connecting goals for 4-2. It was Holland’s turn then and by halftime they came back to 4-4 and it only remained tied because Maud Megens blasted a penalty wide – it was their second miss from the 5m line in the first half.

The Netherlands rolled on in the third and added two more, then had a man-up to go three goals up but they couldn’t take a shot and Olga Gorbunova netted a dying 6 on 5 to halve the gap at 6-5. And she was on target right from the first possession to equalise and from that point a great chess-game began. It was a huge tactical battle, the defences did an outstanding job, then after five minutes of breath-taking swimming and shooting, Brigitte Seeking sent the ball home from a 6m free through with 2:05 to go. But the Russian reply came immediately, Maria Borisova buried a 6 on 5 after a time-out and 1:35 minutes were left for the decision. It didn’t come in the regular time so the penalties decided the outcome.

And just as in the match, the Dutch missed two while the Russians buried all four to book their spot in the final after 10 years – and this win was also their ticket to Tokyo as the Spanish downed the Hungarians next. It also means that Russia maintains its status in European water polo as the only female team which has taken part in each edition since the beginning in Sydney 2000. (Note, that penalties earned the Rio spot for Russia in 2016 when they beat Greece in a shootout in the qualification tournament and they also clinched the bronze in Rio after a successful shootout against Hungary.)

The second semi between Spain and the Hungarians was just as exciting: the crowd saw a great opening period with three goals apiece – including a VAR-approved Spanish goal which otherwise would have been overlooked –, then Anna Illes netted a man-up for 4-3 but that didn’t end Hungary’s struggle in 6 on 5s, only proved to be an exception. At halftime the Magyars stood with 1/8 but they had a much better spell in the third when they scored three extras. However, their rivals were also on fire and at one point Spain led 5-7 but Vanda Valyi’s double brought the game back to even before the last break.

The fourth period then offered some exceptional scenes. The Spanish enjoyed a tremendous run as they netted four goals in a row. Their defence was superb and in offense their pinpoint shots bounced in from the woodwork in succession to give them a decisive lead of 7-11 with 3:17 remaining. Well, it looked decisive, but then, all of sudden, the Magyars started shooting with ‘all-in’ mood and all went in: in a span of 1:48 minutes they scored three for 10-11. Incoming goalie Edina Gangl made a save 33 seconds from time and soon joined her team-mates to set up a 7 on 6 attack, the ball found Rita Keszthelyi in front-of the goal, she could send it towards the net under pressure but LEN Award-winning Spanish goalie Laura Ester managed to catch it and sent Spain to the final once more here in Budapest, after 2014.

It also meant the Hungary’s curse in the semis against Spain continues: this was their 6^th match in this phase of a major tournament and Spain won all six (2008 Europeans, 2012 Olympics, 2013 Worlds, 2014 Europeans, 2019 Worlds and here) – and also, the Magyars lost SFs in succession recently, in Rio 2016, Barcelona 2018, Gwangju 2019 and here. They just hope to get a medal what they have always achieved in the January editions (2012, 2016) and in the Europeans held in Budapest (2001, 2014). However, against the Netherlands this task will be anything but easy. (len.eu)

January 24, 2020

Champions fell in the quarters on Day 11 of the European Water Polo Championships

The Olympic champion and title-holder Serbian team’s quest for a record-tying fifth straight gold was halted by 2018 runner-up Spain as they avenged their defeat two years ago by beating the Serbs in a penalty shootout. Earlier Montenegro staged a great performance to oust world champion Italy and keep its Olympic qualification campaign alive. They will face host Hungary in the semis, which overcame minor struggles and with a fine second half downed the Russians. Croatia came up with a brilliant first two quarters against Greece and they just cruised in the second half to set-up a re-match with Spain after their memorable battle in the semis at the Worlds last summer.

Men’s quarter-finals: Italy v Montenegro 8-10, Serbia v Spain 6-6 (penalties: 3-4), Hungary v Russia 14-10, Croatia v Greece 14-11

For places 9-12^th: Turkey v Georgia 6-12, Germany v Romania 15-10. For places 13-14^th: Slovakia v France 6-9. For places 15-16^th: Malta v Netherlands 9-19

Fixtures for Friday:

Semi-finals: Montenegro v Hungary, Spain v Croatia. For places 5-8^th: Italy v Russia, Serbia v Greece. For places 9-10^th: Georgia v Germany. For places 11-12^th: Turkey v Romania.

Read alsoWomen’s tournament: Hungary, Spain, Netherlands, Russia reach semis on Day 10

The quarters kicked off in the most stunning way possible as Montenegro ousted the world champion Italian team. In the first period the Montenegrins took the lead thrice but Italy could equalise every time and then went ahead three times in the second but the Montenegrins also had the answers. It was a thrilling first half, capped with a great blast from Dragan Draskovic who gave back the lead to his team for halftime (6-7).

Things started changing in the third, though the Italians managed go even but they began to miss their man-ups in succession while their rivals netted two 6 on 5s to build a 7-9 lead before the last break. The trends didn’t change in the fourth, the world champions were unable to put away any of their 6 on 5 (they closed the match with 1 for 15) – while Aleksandar Ivovic buried a penalty for 7-10. Though Nicolo Figari pulled one back from action with 3:36 to go, they couldn’t add any more (after 6-5 there was a 15-minute long period when Montenegro had a 1-5 rush). This means Italy will miss the quarters for the second time in the last six editions – the previous loss also occurred in a January edition, in 2016, guess to whom: Montenegro (7-10).

The series of shocks didn’t end here, in the next game the title-holder and Olympic champion Serbs were also gone. In recent years Spain found the tools to match them, in the final of the previous Europeans they played a draw and lost only in the shootout. Last summer they beat them in the World Championships quarters, though that was a young Serb side – but this time they managed to oust the ‘mighty boys’.

The game followed almost the same pattern as the final in Barcelona: though the Serbs took a 3-1 lead, Spain went ahead with four connecting goals to 3-5 (three came in a span of 101 seconds). The champions came back here too as in 2018: after the Spaniards missed a crucial man-up to go 7-4 up, they netted one for 6-5 before the third. Then Dusan Mandic buried a 6 on 5, his third in the game, to break even with 5:51 remaining. And the defences worked well, especially Dani Lopez, who had 11 saves, so the decision was left to the shootout once more.

Serbia entered the same five players who converted all five penalties in 2018, Spain changed one, Francisco Fernandez, who had missed the crucial shot which cost them the title. This time the outcome was different since two of the ‘safest hands’ made a miss on the Serbian side, Prlainovic and Mandic. Even though Munarriz was also denied, Alvaro Granados netted the fifth attempt (with brave heart after he had been 1/7 in the game). This also ended the Serbians’ dreams to tie Hungary’s ancient record (1926-1938) of winning five back-to-back titles – their run was halted at four here – and it’s also going to be the first time since 1999 that they don’t reach the semis.

Hungary then reset the ‘paper-form’ button – and regained some pride to defeat Russia, the team which had beaten them in Barcelona on the last day to push the Magyars to the 8^th place, their second worst performance ever. This time it was a different team and a different story, though Russia did a fine job as they managed to stay close in the first half (6-5) and didn’t collapse when the home side rushed to a 10-6 lead in the third. They came back to 10-8 and a penalty save by Vitaly Statsenko kept their hope alive. But Hungary opened the fourth in the same devastating mood as the third, netted three connecting goals in 1:54 minutes and there was no way back for the Russians after 13-8.

Croatia joined the semi-final party with perhaps the most convincing win in the four QFs. They could score from almost all distances and angles in the opening period while Greece missed many fine chances as the Croats took a 6-3 lead. In the second they could add two to go 8-3 up and from that point they just did a brilliant job in maintaining the gap. Greece could never come closer than three as the Croats, led by Maro Jokovic with 4 goals (playing in Greece for Olympiakos in the club season), managed to score whenever it was needed and Marko Bijac also contributed a lot with 13 saves (while Greece’s first goalie had to be substituted after the first half since Emmanouil Zerdevas had only 3 saves on 13 shots).

This sets up exciting semi-finals for Friday when Hungary will face Montenegro (like in Belgrade 2016 semis) and Spain is to meet Croatia (like in Gwangju 2019 semis). Among the four teams only Spain has secured its place at the Olympics so the other three will make a hell of effort to grab the quota available here.

January 23, 2020

Women’s tournament: Hungary, Spain, Netherlands, Russia reach semis on Day 10

The champions in the previous three editions, Spain (in 2014), Hungary (in 2016) and title-holder Netherlands all made the semi-finals, re-joining just like each occasion since 2014. Russia returns for the first time after 2012, they beat Italy with ease, and 2018 silver medallist Greece is also out.

Women’s tournament

Quarter-finals: Hungary v France 16-3, Russia v Italy 13-7, Greece v Spain 9-12, Slovakia v Netherlands 2-22

For places 9-10th: Croatia v Israel 7-11. For places 11-12th: Serbia v Germany 11-11 (penalties: 2-4)

The semi-finals will feature three teams which were constant players in the top flight in the last three editions, in fact they were the respective winners in those championships. The Netherlands (champion in Barcelona 2018) and Hungary (Belgrade 2016) enjoyed an easy ride what is a usual reward for the group-winners: since the top six sides are far above the rest of the field, the 4th placed teams they face are no match for them.

In the first quarter-final the Dutch downed the Slovaks by 20 goals and in the evening the Hungarians blew away the French too. Here the resistance was a bit tougher from the underdogs as they trailed only 8-3 at halftime but they ran out of power for the second half where the Hungarian rallied to an 8-0 rush.

More excitements were expected in the middle two fixtures but both matches had a calm finish as Russia out-played the Italians and Spain also sank Greece with a convincing performance. Italy’s 6-goal defeats from Spain and the Netherlands in the prelims showed that the Setterosa wasn’t in top shape and the game against Russia was another painful proof for that.

The Italians could hold on till half-time but when Russia netted two in 50 seconds to go 8-5 up early in the third, the Italian team started fading away. They were 10-6 down before the last break and there was no way back from there – they lost the second half 7-2. One of the most telling stats (besides taking only 23 shots, compared to Russia’s 32) was their disastrous man-up play, 0 for 10 in this match (Russia was 5 for 11). This also meant that Italy, which had always made the semi-finals between 1991 and 2016 (13 editions in a row), will miss the top four for the second consecutive championships.

The following encounter was something similar: Spain also led 6-5 at halftime before they started rolling. The Greeks couldn’t keep up with their rivals in the second half: they similarly had fallen below their first-half level against the Hungarian and the Russians. Though they equalised for 6-6 but then the Spaniards netted three unanswered goals in a span of 2:13 minutes and added two more in the fourth to go 6-11 up and that decided the outcome.

The early matches produced more thrills, especially the one played for the 11th place by Germany and Serbia. The Germans jumped to a 2-5 lead in the second, the Serbs bounced back any early in the fourth they led 11-7. But the Germans didn’t give in and netted four connecting goals, the last one came 11 seconds from time to save the match to a shootout and they won the first penalty-roulette at this Europeans. Then Israel staged a great 6-2 run in the second quarter against the Croats and maintained that gap till the end to clinch the 9th place, just like in Barcelona 2018.

Fixtures for Thursday:

Semi-finals: Hungary v Spain (17.30), Russia v Netherlands (19.00). For places 5-8th: France v Greece (14.30), Italy v Slovakia (16.00)

January 22, 2020

Day 9 of European Water Polo Championships: favorites are through

Water-polo-European-Championships-Budapest-2020

All four favourite sides qualified for the quarter-finals. Spain and Montenegro went through without any headache, Greece had to overcome some initial struggles but Russia was pressed till the end by the Georgians and the game almost ended in a shootout.

Men’s tournament

Quarter-finals qualification: Montenegro v Turkey 17-6, Germany v Spain 6-12, Russia v Georgia 14-13, Romania v Greece 7-14

For places 13-16th: Slovakia v Malta 8-4, Netherlands v France 8-9

Russia v Georgia 14-13

There were no hiccups on the first day of the knockout phase, though Georgia was close to upset the Russians who barely avoided becoming part of a penalty shootout. The action-packed first period saw 10 goals, the Russians were a bit better (6-4) then by halftime they seemed to have built a comfortable 9-6 lead. When they went 10-6 up, no one envisioned what might come next. It was Serbian-born leftie Boris Vapenski, who netted two in 75 seconds to give hope for the Georgians and it turned into belief as soon they were trailing by only a single goal at 11-10.

Russia responded well, though, and bounced back for a 14-11 lead in the fourth but the Georgians didn’t let it go.

Their foreign legion, Croatian-born Marko Jelaca, Montenegrin Damir Tsrepulia and Italian Fabio Baraldi all contributed to create a miracle as they came back to 14-13 with 1:27 remaining. And they did have a possession to go even but Jelaca’s shot went wide and the Russians killed the remaining time.

Romania v Greece 7-14

In the following game Romania tried to achieve something similar against Greece and in the first half they managed to surprise their rivals by taking a 4-1 lead early in the second period. The first signs of life from the favourites came in a span of 44 seconds, a double by Konstantinos Genidounias, still, the Romanians held on for 5-4 at halftime.

Head coach Theodoros Vlachos made order in the middle break, a different team came back to the pool and they also made order – within 46 seconds they turned the game and by the end of the third they decided it as well with a 6-0 rush in this period.

They won the seconds half 2-10 and will meet European and World bronze medallist Croatia in the quarters.

Montenegro v Turkey 17-6
Germany v Spain 6-12

In the first two QFQ matches Montenegro and Spain made it clear right at the beginning that they were not keen to entangle in any dogfight.

Montenegro led 8-2 at halftime against the Turks and earned the biggest win of the day, while after a balanced first period Spain netted six in the second, won the middle two quarters 3-9 and switched back to energy-saving mood for the last period. They had a cause to do so as they will replay the 2018 final against title-holder Serbia in the quarter-finals.

Slovakia v Malta 8-4
Netherlands v France 8-9

In the games for the lower ranks, Slovakia could win its first match here, against Malta, while the Netherlands had to go through more bitter moments as they fell short against France and will play for the 15th place only, though the team had much more potential (hosting Olympic Qualification Tournament saves them a place in that competition – otherwise they would have lost the chance to take part).

Fixtures for Wednesday

Quarter-finals: Italy v Montenegro, Serbia v Spain, Hungary v Russia, Croatia v Greece. For places 9-12th: Turkey v Georgia, Germany v Romania. For places 13-14th: Slovakia v France. For places 15-16th: Malta v Netherlands

January 21, 2020

Hungarian women made a shutout on Day 8 of European Water Polo Championships

The Netherlands won Group B thank to a surprisingly easy cruising against Spain in the decisive match on the last day in the women’s prelims. Russia bested Greece with a devastating performance in the second half (they won that part 7-1) to finish second in Group A. After the men’s team, the Hungarian women also made a shutout, beating Serbia 27-0, so the hosts and the Dutch will enjoy an easier QF, while the clashes of Spain v Greece and Russia v Italy promise some exciting water polo for Tuesday.

In the other matches Slovakia and Israel added historical chapters to their respective storylines at the Europeans. The Slovaks returned to the big stage after 37 years and now managed to reach the quarter-finals as they beat Croatia in a highly exciting match. Israel had two draws from their first-ever appearance in 2018 but no wins – today they claimed a historical first victory as they blew away the Germans.

Women’s preliminaries, Round 5

Group A: Greece v Russia 7-12, Serbia v Hungary 0-27, Slovakia v Croatia 9-7

Rankings: 1. Hungary 15, 2. Russia 12, 3. Greece 9, 4. Slovakia 6, 5. Croatia 3, 6. Serbia 0

Group B: Spain v Netherlands 6-10, France v Italy 6-18, Germany v Israel 3-10

Rankings: 1. Netherlands 15, 2. Spain 12, 3. Italy 9, 4. France 6, 5. Israel 3, 6. Germany 0

Fixtures for Tuesday

Quarter-finals: Hungary v France, Russia v Italy, Greece v Spain, Slovakia v Netherlands. For places 9-10th: Croatia v Israel. For places 11-12th: Serbia v Germany

The schedule of the games will be confirmed tomorrow (QFs of SVK v NED and HUN v FRA to be switched, the latter one starting at 19.00). Get more information HERE.

Spain v Netherlands 6-10

The game between Spain and the Netherlands was of the most awaited clashes of the prelims – but this time the two sides weren’t on the same level. The Dutch took a flying start, led 0-2 in less than three minutes while the Spaniards struggled in front of the goal. In the second, Holland doubled its lead, Spain’s first goal was a lucky one and they needed 13:07 minutes to get on the scoreboard. At halftime the title-holders led 1-6 and soon they went 2-8 up with 5:03 remaining in the third (the second Spanish goal came from a third shot in the same 6 on 5).

It all looked way too one-sided, then the Spaniards’ caught a better spell and managed to score four unanswered goals for 6-8, what’s more they had a man-up to come even closer but Debby Willemsz could put a hand on the ball (she was 14/20, 70.0%). Soon Catharina van der Sloot broke the Dutch silence after 10:52 minutes and that cooled back the game. The match produced some unusual stats, the difference in the number of shots was quite unusual at this level, 33-18 to Spain, still, the Netherlands managed to win by four goals. Spain’s LEN Award winner goalie Laura Ester had a miserable afternoon, she didn’t have a single save in the game (0/10), while her teammates were 1 for 15 in man-ups in front.

Spain will have another showdown with Greece, this time in the quarters after the two sides met in the semis two years ago.

The Greeks fell apart for the second half in their game against Russia. Until 4-2 they seemed to control the match, and even if the Russians could hit three in a row, they could take back the lead by halftime (6-5). Next came the Russians, though, netted three in the third while the Greeks ran out of ideas in front and missed all their shots. Russia staged a 0-5 rush, shutting out their rivals for 13:34 minutes – all in all, they won the second half 1-7 and secured the second spot in the group, and a great encounter against Italy.

Slovakia v Croatia 9-7

Two milestones were passed in the earlier games.

First Slovakia reached the quarter-finals for the first time in the women’s tournament.

Their feat is even more remarkable if we take into account that this is their second appearance on the big stage and they needed 37 years to return after a winless edition in 1993. Here they managed to beat Serbia and now they downed Croatia in a thrilling encounter. Though the Croats jumped to a 1-3 lead, the Slovaks came back by halftime (4-4). Croatia netted two in 44 seconds early in the third for 4-6, the Slovaks hit back with a double soon, in a span of 54 seconds. Then Kristina Horvathova delivered some crucial saves, including a penalty catch at 6-6, then one more at 7-6, followed immediately by Beata Kovacikova’s great lob for 8-6. This 4-0 run did the damage, the Serbs could pull one back 1:47 from time but Slovakia put away a 6 on 5 from the next possession to secure their second win and book a spot in the quarters.

Germany v Israel 3-10

Israel came to Budapest as the other winless team in the field: they had two draws in Barcelona but no victories in regular time. Here they lost the first four matches (as expected) but they blew away the Germans on this last day of the group stage. It turned into an embarrassingly one-sided contest after a while, Israel led 1-10 after three periods, the time elapsed between the first (1-1) and second (2-10) German goal was 20:08 minutes. It means that the Germans have to settle for their worst-ever placement in history (11th or 12th) after their lowest rank was 8th so far.

Serbia v Hungary 0-27

The day saw two big wins too, Italy looked to leave all the miseries behind while beating France 18-6, while

the host Hungarians copy-pasted the men’s team feat from Saturday and shut out the Serbs while scoring one more goal (27-0).

This was the 8th occasion in the history of the women’s Europeans when a team couldn’t score in a game – Hungary achieved the shutout once before, in 1991 (against host Greece), while the last time it happened was in Belgrade 2016 when the Netherlands closed down all incoming roads against Turkey.

January 20, 2020

Hungary ties largest-ever win in history on Day 7 of the European Water Polo Championships

Hungary’s 26-0 win is tying Greece’s largest win in history in the men’s Europeans, set in Barcelona 2018 against Turkey. It’s also tied third best scoring effort for a single match. Spain holds the record from 1991 with 28 goals – note that time games lasted for 4×7 minutes.

Highest single-game scores, men’s tournament

28 goals
Spain v Great Britain 28-6 (1991)
27
Greece v Turkey 27-1 (2018) – largest win by 26
26
Hungary v Malta 26-0 (2020) – largest win by 26
Croatia v Austria 26-2 (1995)
Romania v Denmark 26-9 (1991)

Read alsoCroatia reaches QF, Hungary and Spain draw on Day 5 of European Water Polo Championships

Moreover, Italy, Hungary and Serbia followed Croatia to the quarter-finals after convincing wins in the last round of the prelims. Hungary indeed needed a 20-goal victory to build a better goal-difference than Spain and its match ended up in a 26-0 rout of Malta, the first shutout since 2001, a new scoring record for this tournament and the hosts also tied the largest-ever win in the history of the Europeans.

Men’s preliminaries, Round 3

Group A: Slovakia v Croatia 4-16, Germany v Montenegro 3-10

Rankings: 1. Croatia 9, 2. Montenegro 6, 3. Germany 3, 4. Slovakia 0

Group B: Romania v Russia 11-10, Serbia v Netherlands 11-4

Rankings: 1. Serbia 9, 2. Russia 3, 3. Romania 3, 4. Netherlands 3 Three-way tie (goal-difference based on the results against each other: RUS +5, ROU 0, NED –5)

Group C: Turkey v Spain 7-24, Malta v Hungary 0-26

Rankings: 1. Hungary 7 (+40), 2. Spain (+33) 7, 3. Turkey 3, 4. Malta 0

Group D: France v Greece 10-12, Italy v Georgia 18-6

Rankings: 1. Italy 9, 2. Greece 6, 3. Georgia 3, 4. France 0

Fixtures for Monday

Eight-finals: Montenegro v Turkey (QF v Italy), Germany v Spain (QF v Serbia), Russia v Georgia (QF v Hungary), Romania v Greece (QF v Croatia) For places 13-16th: Slovakia v Malta, Netherlands v France

The scoring race between Spain and Hungary offered the biggest excitements on the last day of the prelims. It kicked off early as the Spaniards started the day with the game against Turkey. Though the opening period was surprisingly close (3-5), then they geared up and by the end of the third quarter they already managed to produce the same score-line Hungary achieved at the end of the game against the Turks (5-19). After the 8-goal rush in the third, Spain could add five more in the closing period, thus the bar was raised high as the Hungarians needed a 20-goal win to finish ahead of their group-rival.

However, the Spaniards told immediately after their game that the Hungarian shooting machine should produce enough goals to finish atop – and they saw the future. In the evening the Magyars left no chance for their rivals as they heavily guarded them at the back, so Malta’s first shot on target arrived with 2:06 to go in the second. By then the hosts completed the first half of the journey as they took a 10-0 lead, by halftime they were already 13-0 up.

With 1:07 to go in the third they had it at 20-0 and stopped at 26 much to the delight of the home crowd which filled the stands once more (the number of shots, 36-14, on target: 30-5, told the story). Gergo Zalanki netted 7 goals (from 7 shots), also a new individual scoring record in this event.

The 26-goal win ties the Greeks’ record from 2018 when they beat Turkey 27- 1, it’s also a new scoring record in this event (Spain netted 24 twice), though still two goals shy of Spain’s 28-goal single-match scoring effort from 1991 (against Great Britain). It was the first shutout in the men’s tournament since Spain had beaten the Netherlands 4-0 here in Budapest in 2001.

Croatia and Montenegro didn’t leave any room for doubt in Group A. The Croats smashed Slovakia with ease (Andro Buslje enjoyed a perfect afternoon with 5 goals from 5 shots) and the battle for the second place was also onesided between the Montenegrins and the Germans. The latter ones could hold on until the middle the second period, than, after 1-2, the Montenegrins netted three in 1:43 minutes and never looked back.

The only hiccup occurred in Group B where Romania seized the opportunity that Russia could afford a narrow loss and still kept its second place. The difference in motivation was mirrored by the scoreboard, the Romanians scored four connecting goals after 1-3 in the second and they kept the lead for the remaining time. This win came at the cost of the Netherlands which beat the Romanians on the opening day but a big loss to Russia led to their drop to the 4th place.

On paper, beating the Serbs seemed to be out of reach for the Dutch, though they made a serious try, led 0-1 after the first period and 1-2 late in the second while the Serbs were nowhere near to their real level (netted 3 goals from 15 shots). Still, with a double in 63 seconds they went ahead by halftime (3-2), but the Dutch pushed on, regained the lead at 3-4.

That was the point when the Olympic champions switched to combat mood and staged a 5-0 rush till the end of the third: buried two man-ups virtually from the goal-line, Andrija Prlainovic added two action goals in 36 seconds, and one more came from Nikola Dedovic for a commanding 8-4 lead. And it continued the same way in the fourth, the Serbs netted three, while the Dutch remained scoreless till the end, in fact for the last 13:16 minutes.

The French also tried to complete a ‘mission impossible’ and to beat Greece in Group D in order to stay on board. The Greeks were superior in the first half, built a 2-6 lead but the French went ‘all-in’ in the third, netted six goals and before the last period they trailed by only one goal.

However, the Greeks didn’t let it go (though they were in the same comfortable situation as the Russians), at 9-10 they netted two in 65 seconds and that closed down the game. Italy then thrashed the Georgians with a 6-0 rush in the last quarter to secure the first place and some extra resting days.

January 19, 2020

Hungary clinches first place, Slovakia writes history on Day 6 of European Water Polo Championships

Hungary clinched the first place in Group A after winning a brilliant game against Greece. The other favourites all blew their respective rivals away, Russia scored 34, the third best effort in the all-time single-game scoring rankings. Slovakia wrote history by claiming a historical first win at the European Championships, it came at the expense of Serbia.

Women’s preliminaries, Round 4
Group A: Hungary v Greece 13-10, Russia v Croatia 34-1, Slovakia v Serbia 6-2
Standings: 1. Hungary 12, 2. Russia 9, 3. Greece 9, 4. Slovakia 3, 5. Croatia 3, 6. Serbia 0
Group B: Germany v Spain 4-19, Netherlands v France 18-1, Italy v Israel 17-1
Standings: 1. Netherlands 12, 2. Spain 12, 3. Italy 6, 4. France 6, 5. Israel 0, 6. Germany 0

Read alsoCroatia reaches QF, Hungary and Spain draw on Day 5 of European Water Polo Championships

Another thrilling evening took place in the Duna Arena where 3,000 fans went wild as Hungary was rushing to an 11-6 lead against Greece in the fourth period of the game which was crucial in wake of the final rankings in Group A.

The match was a masterpiece of women’s water polo, the action-packed opening period saw 4 goals apiece as the offences were devastating at both ends.

With two quick exchanges the sides reached 6-6 by the middle of the second, then Hungary’s defence started clicking – and that froze the Greeks for as long as 13:53 minutes.

During this phase the home side netted 5 in a row – their New-Zealand born centre-forward Rebecca Parkes was outstanding in front of the goal, scored two action goals and a man-up – so they led 11-6 early in the fourth. Then the Greeks came back to life and by hitting three in a span of 94 seconds they came back to 11-9. They even killed a double man-down but couldn’t add one more and with 3:04 to go Krisztina Garda’s magnificent shot from 7m (her 4th goal in the game) killed the Greeks’ momentum. Margarita Plevritou buried a man-up 1:38 from time but Dora Leimeter also sent the ball home in a 6 on 5 to secure the Magyars’ win and their top spot in the group.

The preceding match was also an exciting one as Slovakia managed to beat the Serbs and claim its first ever victory in the history of the Europeans. The only new team of the field – compared to 2018 – had one appearance before, in 1993, when they lost all their six matches in Leeds. Here they lost three more – as expected against the giants of the group – but now they seized the opportunity and outplayed the Serbs in all aspects of the game. The defences were outstanding, especially Slovakian goalie Kristina Horvathova, who finished the match with a sensational 88.2% saving percentage (14 stops on 16 attempts, including a penalty catch). The Serbs could score at 2-0, after 13:24 minutes, but then they sank and their following (and last) goal came at 6-1, 24 seconds from time, after another scoreless period of 18:12 minutes. This has set up an ‘all-in’ match between Slovakia and Croatia for the 4th place and a spot in the quarters.

The other encounters were even more one-sided than in the initial phase of the tournament. As the heavy favourites are gearing up and getting their right rhythm, the lower ranked sides are finding harder and harder to score against them. The Germans could net four against Spain, but Croatia, France and Israel was limited to a single goal in their respective matches.

The Russians bettered their own scoring record in Budapest as they netted 34 against Croatia (hit 31 against Slovakia on the opening day, and now already stands with 100 goals). This was the third-best offensive effort in the history of the Europeans – the Netherlands 37-goal blast against Sweden in the first edition in Oslo 1985 is still a standing record, the Russians came close in Barcelona 2018 when they scored 35 against Turkey.

January 18, 2020

Croatia reaches QF, Hungary and Spain draw on Day 5 of European Water Polo Championships

Croatia was the first team to book its spot though they almost blew their win away against the Montenegrins who came back from 10-5 to 10-10 but the Croats netted the winner 72 seconds from time. Serbia and Italy are also on its way to the best eight, while the goal-difference will decide the first place between Hungary and Spain since the two sides played a thrilling 11- 11 tie in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,000 people in the Duna Arena.

Men’s preliminaries, Round 2

Group A: Croatia v Montenegro 11-10, Germany v Slovakia 8-5

Standings: 1. Croatia 6, 2. Montenegro 3, 3. Germany 3, 4. Slovakia 0

Group B: Romania v Serbia 7-15, Russia v Netherlands 15-9

Standings: 1. Serbia 6, 2. Russia 3, 3. Netherlands 3, 4. Romania 0

Group C: Hungary v Spain 11-11, Malta v Turkey 10-13

Standings: 1. Spain 4, 2. Hungary 4, 3. Turkey 3, 4. Malta 0

Group D: France v Italy 7-10, Greece v Georgia 17-10

Standings: 1. Italy 6, 2. Greece 3, 3. Georgia 3, 4. France 0

Read alsoHungary wins thriller, the Dutch shuts out Italy at Day 4 of European Water Polo Championships

The game of Hungary and Spain, in front of a sell-out crowd of 5,000 people, offered everything water polo is loved for: thrilling action, brilliant goals, great saves, tensions, twists and turns. Hungary got a better start and built a 4-2 lead in the first eight minutes. The Spaniards managed to tighten their defence in the second and halved their deficit while in a rare scene fieldplayer Alberto Munarriz – as goalie Dani Lopez was sent out for not taking the requested position – saved a penalty!

The third quarter was simply brilliant, Hungary netted three action goals and at one point they led 8-6 and had the ball after a killed man-up but from wasted pass of the hosts’ goalie the Spanish set up Felipe Perrone who scored another great goal. What’s more, Francisco Fernandez managed to find the back of the net in the very last second for 8-8.

In the fourth Spain took the lead for the first time, and, enjoying some luck while collecting the rebound twice in man-ups, they went ahead twice more (Perrone netted his 4th). At 10-11 they even had a 6 on 5 to close down the game but a terrible pass killed their plans and later Gergo Zalanki finished a counter with 40 seconds remaining. The draw means that the total goal difference will decide the top position, a piece of bad news for Turkey and Malta as they will face the two giants seeking big wins against them in the third round.

The late night show of Croatia and Montenegro offered a different kind of entertainment thanks to a breath-taking comeback from Montenegro. Though the world and European bronze medallist Croats needed 6:21 minutes to score their first goal, but once they had it they started rolling while the Montenegrins were unable to put away their man-ups, missed a penalty and found themselves 6-2 down shortly before the middle break.

The Croats maintained their lead with ease and sat comfortable in the driving seat at 10-5 with one quarter remaining. Perhaps too comfortable as with 4:19 to go the Montenegrins were already back to 8-10, then, in a span of 26 seconds they broke to even for 10-10 and there was still 2:32 minutes to play. They even had a possession to take the lead but the ball slipped out from the centre-forward’s hand and at the other end Javier Garcia halted his team’s scoreless struggle of 8:45 minutes. He put away a man-up 72 seconds from time while Drasko Brugljan’s shot in a 6 on 5 was stopped by Marko Bijac at the other end and that sealed Croatia’s win, which sent them directly to the quarter-finals.

In the other games the third qualifying spots have probably been decided in Group A and C. Although both the Germans, against Slovakia, and Turkey, against Malta, earned a 3-goal win respectively, the difference was much bigger during the games. The Germans took a 4-1 lead and kept their safe lead till the end. It was already 8-5 after three periods, the last one didn’t see any goal only two missed penalties from the Slovaks. At one stage the Turks led 8-1 before the Maltese started climbing back but they could never come really close.

Tensions ran high anyway, the referees had to show the red card five times.

In Group B both favourite sides – Russia and Serbia – netted 15 goals while winning with ease against Romania and the Netherlands. Italy kept the game against France under control though the world champs laid back a bit in the fourth period and the French came closer than usual at 9-7 but the Italian win was never in danger. Greece bounced back from the opening day’s defeat against Italy with a fine win over Georgia.

January 17, 2020

Hungary wins thriller, the Dutch shuts out Italy at Day 4 of European Water Polo Championships

Host Hungary upended the Russians in the first really thrilling match of the women’s tournament, while Italy suffered another 6-goal defeat, this time from the Netherlands. The Dutch won the second half 4-0.

Group A: Hungary v Russia 9-8, Greece v Slovakia 18-2, Serbia v Croatia 8-9

Standings: 1. Greece 9, 2. Hungary 9, 3. Russia 6, 4. Croatia 3, 5. Serbia 0, 6. Slovakia 0

Group B: Netherlands v Italy 10-4, Spain v Israel 18-2, France v Germany 17-5

Standings: 1. Netherlands 9, 2. Spain 9, 3. France 6, 4. Italy 3, 5. Israel 0, 6. France 0

Hungary and Russia usually entangle into tremendous fights, 5 out of their last 8 encounters at the Europeans – including the last two in 2016 and 2018 – saw a single goal deciding the outcome. And it ended the same way, though at halftime the hosts seemed to have firm control as they led 6-3 while the Russians were unable to score in the second period. Rita Keszthelyi already netted three goals, the second one was his 100th alone at the Europeans. However, their rivals came back strong for the second half, Maria Bersneva broke their scoreless period of 9:29 minutes and deep into the third they equalised for 6-6.

It was Hungary’s turn to bounce back and they just did that: Rita Keszthelyi’s brilliant lob halted their scoreless phase at 8:46 minutes and another action goal just 36 seconds later gave them an 8-6 lead before the last break.

The last period saw an enormous fight, Russia pulled one back with 4:42 remaining then they missed a crucial man-up while Anna Illes put one away in the dying phase for 9-7. Olga Gorbunova’s ball just sneaked in from the post in a 6 on 5 so the Russians had 1:56 minutes to save a point but they couldn’t set up another fine shooting chance.

In the other big game of the day Italy once again failed to be on the same level with its rival and they suffered another 6-goal defeat like against Spain. At half-time the Netherlands led 6-4 so some more excitements were in sight – instead the Dutch netted three more goals in the third to decide the outcome. Italy remained scoreless in the entire second half, altogether for 17:42 minutes. Their man-up was 2 for 4 at the beginning, but collapsed then to go 0 for 7 afterwards and they had a 14.8% shooting efficiency (4/27). At the other end Debby Willemsz posted a 71.4% saving percentage and Maud Megens scored 5 goals, one more than the entire Italian side.

In this group Spain beat Israel with ease and France handed a 17-5 defeat to the Germans, the heaviest in the history of the two teams in 35 years.

In Group A Greece enjoyed another easy match before taking on Hungary and Russia. In the game probably deceding the 4th place Serbia and Croatia staged a brilliant battle, sometimes recalling the tensions of the males’ big clashes. The Croats had the better start and took a 2-4 lead but the Serbs hit back with three connecting goals for 5-4. But the Croats reacted well, came back to 7-7 till the end of the third and after killing a man-down they managed to score twice for 7-9. The Serbs were unable to score for long minutes, with 1:02 to go they missed a penalty, and even though pulled one back 42 seconds from time, they created a shooting chance too late in their last possession and scored only after the buzzer. This win sets up the Croats to reach the quarters for the first time in their history.

January 16, 2020

34th European Water Polo Championships, Budapest – DAY 3

The Italian team opened its campaign in Budapest with a fine win over Greece, the world champions were really convincing in the second half. The title-holder Serbians had some struggles in the third period against Russia but bounced back in time and won with ease at the end.

Two games saw enormous battles since here the third places in the respective groups and the berth in the top 12 (and possibly in the Olympic qualification tournament) were at stake. Surprisingly, Georgia beat Rio 2016 participant France and the Netherlands came back from two goals down to win against Romania.

The 34th European Water Polo Championships will end on January 26.

Read alsoEuropean Water Polo Championships starts in Budapest

Men’s preliminaries, Round 1

Group A: Slovakia v Montenegro 4-15, Germany v Croatia 9-17

Group B: Serbia v Russia 13-9, Romania v Netherlands 8-9

Group C: Turkey v Hungary 5-19, Malta v Spain 7-23

Group D: Italy v Greece 10-6, France v Georgia 7-9

Greece’s miserable run against Italy at the Europeans didn’t come to an end in Budapest either. They have never beaten their Mediterranean rival (Italy won 10 out of 11 games, one ended in a tie) – and their hopes to halt this terrible streak lived only till halftime. Then it stood 4-4 but Italy came back strong for the third, shut out the Greeks for 6:54 minutes, scored three connecting goals and that did the damage. They won the second half 6-2, drowned the Greek offence – the number of shots (34-21) and those on target (23-12) tells the story.

The other game in this group offered even more the tensions as Georgia pulled off a surprising win over France. It was a balanced match but the Georgians made most of their chances in the second half while the French could score only twice in this phase after netting five in the first. With 6:47 to go it stood 7-7 but Georgia scored two in a span of 44 seconds and managed to kill all French attacks in the remaining 5:24 minutes.

Earlier, a thrilling match kicked off the men’s event, which saw the Netherlands staging a big comeback against Romania to earn a crucial win. The Dutch led at halftime 4-5 but Romania enjoyed a great spell in the third, netted four goals to go 8-6 up. But they were unable to score more in the last period (their drought lasted 9:51 minutes indeed) while the Dutch started rolling and with a 0-3 rush they turned the game and bagged three points and set themselves to reach the top 12.

In the other game of Group B the Serbs seemed to sit comfortable in the driving seat as they led 7-4 at halftime only to see the Russians netting three PRESS RELEASE LEN PR 5/2020 connecting goals in a span of 1:55 minutes early in the third for 7-7. However, the title-holders responded well, hit back with a double in 66 seconds and did the same after 9-8 in the fourth to secure their win at the end.

As expected, in Group A and D the favourites enjoyed easy matches while they geared up the engines. Both Montenegro and Croatia claimed surprisingly easy wins, even though after the first period nothing promised an easy cruise either of them. The two greats were 1-2 down after eight minutes against Slovakia and Germany respectively, then the Montenegrins staged a 6-0 rush and won the second half 8-2 while the Croats won the middle two periods 12-3.

Spain also had a slow start against Malta (4-3), then speeded up and scored 19 more goals. Hungary did the same, spent the opening quarter with calming down, and that was quite visible on the scoreboard (4-4). But once they found the necessary level in concentration, Turkey had to face the inevitable, which came in a form of a 15-1 blast, much to the joy of the home crowd.

January 15, 2020