In the other Group C game, Romania toppled first-day winner Iran 11-4. In Group A, the United States and Hungary did battle in the final clash of the day, with Hungary needing two late goals to win 10-9. Szilard Jansik netted five goals for Hungary. Group B played early and Croatia cruised over South Africa 25-1 and New Zealand needed a late goal to down Colombia 11-10. Group D presented few problems for the big two with Serbia crushing Kazakhstan 20-1 and Italy dispensing with Brazil 17-7.

Day 2 Match Reports

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Game 9: 9:00, Group B, SOUTH AFRICA 1 CROATIA 25
Quarters: 0-8, 1-4, 0-4, 0-9
Referees: Alessandro Severo (ITA), William MacKay (CAN)
Extra Man: RSA 0/2, CRO 8/9
Pens: CRO 2/2
Teams:
SOUTH AFRICA: Franco Conversano, Michael Watt-Pringle, Dayne Jagga, Murray Howard (1), Chad Roman, Nicholas Downes, Kyle Gibson, Campbell Gregory, Yasien Meth, Joshua Stubbs, Michael Young, Kyle Westman, Julian Lewis. Head Coach: Ryan Weideman.
CROATIA: Ivan Marcelic, Luka Bukic, Lovre Milos, Andro Gagulic, Slavko Calic, Marino Cagalj, Luka Lozina, Antonio Buha, Antun Goreta, Marino Divkovic, Deni Saric, Ivan Zivkovic, Andrija Basic. Head Coach: Hrvoje Hrestak.


RSA vs CRO - credit: Anthony Pearse

Croatia made it two wins in a row in Group B after easing past South Africa 28-1 in the men’s competition. After its impressive win over Australia on Saturday, Croatia came out firing, scoring eight goals in the first term. Antun Goreta picked up where he left off, netting two early goals.

The Croatians continued their dominance in the second term executing their extra-man plays with precision. South Africa mounted a mini fightback late in the half with Murray Howard scoring his team’s only goal. Goalkeeper Franco Conversano was also impressive, deflecting a handful of Croatian outside shots.

Croatia stepped it up a gear in the second half, netting 16 unanswered goals. Goreta ended the game with three goals while Luka Bukic, Lovre Milos and Luka Lozina also netted hat-tricks.

South African coach Ryan Weideman said it was hard for his boys to take the heavy defeat but explained that the whole experience was all about learning and developing.

“Essentially each game is a massive learning curve and we will play more water polo here in two weeks than we will play all year back at home,” Weideman said.

“This is their first time representing South Africa and all though it will be a tough week for them they are very excited.”


Game 10: 10:20, Group B, NEW ZEALAND 11 COLOMBIA 10
Quarters: 2-2, 3-2, 4-4, 2-2
Referees: Joao Cardenuto (BRA), Keiichi Onkasa (JPN)
Extra Man: NZL 4/7, COL 3/6
Pens: COL 1/2
Teams:
NEW ZEALAND: Thomas Kingsmill, Matthew Lewis (6), Mathew Hansen, Daniel John Kayes (3), Cameron Hayes, Tyler Vao, Mitchell Goff (1), Braeden Drennan, Rory McJorrow, John (Jack) McGuiness, Owen Chambers, Anton Sunde (1), Sid Terence Dymond. Head Coach: Jonathon Ware.
COLOMBIA: Diego Mateus, Simon Suarez, Andres Rua, Joyman Camacho (1), Juan Pablo Padilla (4), Omar Correa, William Jaramillo (3), Bryan Avila (1), Steven Medina, Pablo Velasquez, Brian Gutierrez, Sebastian Vargas, Juan Rua. Head Coach: Bladimir Molina.


NZL vs COL - credit: Anthony Pearse

New Zealand won its first game of the men’s tournament, edging out Colombia 11-10 in a thrilling Group B match that went right down to the wire. Both sides had their time in the lead but neither could put the game away with two goals the biggest deficit. New Zealand skipped out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter before Colombia team scored a pair to tie things up at the first break.

In the second term it was Colombia who scored the first two goals before the Kiwis took their turn of domination, netting three straight via Matthew Lewis (two) and Daniel Kayes to lead 5-4 at halftime.

The game then see-sawed through a fast-paced third quarter with both sides trading several goals and as they entered the final stanza New Zealand led 9-8.

New Zealand scored first in the fourth via Lewis before a stunning double to Colombian centre forward William Jaramillo brought the teams level again at 10-all. But Lewis was not to be denied, blasting one home in extra-man attack on two-minutes to ensure a Kiwi victory. Lewis, who bagged six goals, said it was nice to get a first-up win but believed his side could improve.

“It’s the first time that we’ve ever competed on a stage like this so it’s a good feeling to win first up,” Lewis said.

“We’ve had a few practice games and we’ve definitely performed better than that so we know we can perform way better and we’ll look for a bit of improvement in the games to come.”

Next up for both teams is the daunting Croatia with New Zealand playing the Croatians on Monday and Colombia on Tuesday.

Game 11: 11:40, Group C, IRAN 4 ROMANIA 11
Quarters: 0-3, 0-2, 2-4, 2-2
Referees: Nenad Golijanin (SRB), Adil Aimbetov (KAZ)
Extra Man: IRI 1/4 ROU 2/3
Pens: ROU 1/1
Teams:
IRAN: Mehran Seyed Bagheri, Masoud Ahmadi, Mahmoud Gholamnejad (1), Hamed Khanbanan (1), Ali Mohammadi Gahroei, Ali Khaledi Tabar (2), Alireza Moghaddam, Nima Jamshidi Orak, Sheikhighalehsardi Reza, Nima Shahbazi, Heydari Mohammadmehdi, Ramtin Osati, Mohammad Salemi. Head Coach: Davood Rezasoltari.
ROMANIA: Marius Tic, Mihnea Gheorghe (4), Andrei Prioteasa, Robert Gergelyfi, Catalin Alexa (1), Alexandru Sfarle, Vlad Dragomirescu (2), Cristian Calin (1), Bogdan Paleacu (1), Andrei Laza (2), Levente Vancsik, Tudor Neagu, David Sacui. Head Coach: Viorel Rus.


IRI vs ROU - credit: Anthony Pearse

A clinical Romania defeated Iran 11-4 in their second Group C men’s fixture at Challenge Stadium. Romania controlled the game from the opening whistle as it established a 5-0 lead at halftime. Minhea Gheoghe was the star for the Europeans, scoring two goals in the first three minutes, while Catalin Alexa and Bogdan Paleacua also converted fine goals.

Iran posed a stronger challenge in the second half with goalkeeper Seyed Mehran Bagheri proving a nuisance in the cage. His numerous deflections helped set up quickfire counter-attacks in which Ali Khaledi Tabar and Hamed Khanbanan were able to convert.

The Romanians continued their attacking pressure with four more goals, including a double to Vlad Dragomirescu and a third and fourth to Gheoghe. Gheoghe, who was a constant threat all game, said it was a good feeling to perform well in attack and defence and was confident his team could continue to improve.

“We performed very well today, especially in defence. Our goalkeeper was again very good and we were able to help him a lot,” Gheoghe said.

“I’m happy with my performance, but I’m even happier with the team effort.

“We are all enjoying Australia, it is a lovely place and we are very excited about our first appearance at a world championship.”

Game 12: 13:00, Group C, UZBEKISTAN 19 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 16
Quarters: 2-2, 7-4, 8-1, 2-9
Referees: Hatem Gaber (EGY), Wilmer Pozo (PER)
Extra Man: UZB 4/8, TRI 6/16
Pens: TRI 1/1
The FINA Technical committee is investigating whether the result was actually 20-15
Teams:
UZBEKISTAN: Stanislav Pashkanov, Timur Razzakov, Miraziz Qosimov, Amir Kurbanbaev, Mirsodik Yodgorov, Aleksey Zaytsev (1), Kirill Rustamov (15), Egor Chumachenko, Abbas Sayliev (1), Semyon Selifontov, Artur Kim, Maksim Krakhotin (2), Radion Khabibullaev. Head Coach: Aleksandr Sokolov.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Sebastian Van Reeken, Christian Chee Foon (1), Daniel Tardieu, Johann Callender (1), Kieron Emmanuel, Russell Ferreira (8), Jonathan Gillette (1), Andrew Chin Lee, Shaquille Mitchell, Marc Stauble (4), Justin Bodden (1), Adrian Hinds. Head Coach: Adam Foly.


UZB vs TRI - credit: Anthony Pearse

Kirill Rustamov scored 15 goals on his own as his Uzbekistan team beat Trinidad & Tobago 19-16** in what was an entertaining day-two, Group C game. After an early softening up period where neither team could score, the teams twice traded goals to go into quarter time at 2-2.

Uzbekistan was great on the counter-attack while Trinidad & Tobago looked strong in set pieces and scored from extra-man (Justin Bodden) and a penalty (Russell Ferreira). The second quarter was a goal fest with 11 being scored, including nine to the respective No 7s — an incredible six to allrounder Rustamov and three to Trinidad’s Ferreira.

At halftime it was 9-6 to Uzbekistan and Rustamov had seven goals – mostly from the counter-attack but also from long range shots on both sides of the pool.

Rustamov scored the first three goals of the third quarter – giving him five in a row — and when Uzbekistan coach Aleksandra Sokolov pulled him from the water for a well-deserved rest he had a personal haul of 10 and the game was barely past halfway. The sharpshooter added another three as his team won the quarter 8-1 and they went to the last break up 17-7.

Trinidad fought back courageously to win the last quarter 9-2 but it was too little, too late. Ferreira scored four in the quarter and eight for the match, which was very impressive unless it was stacked alongside Rustamov’s solo tally of 15.

A humble Rustamov refused to take all the credit for his team’s win and said his team-mates had done remarkably well as a team considering they were not long off the plane.

On Monday, Uzbekistan plays Romania, while Trinidad & Tobago will enjoy a day off before taking on Romania on Tuesday.

Game 13: 14:20, Group D, KAZAKHSTAN 1 SERBIA 20
Quarters: 0-4, 1-6, 0-5, 0-5
Referees: Ian Melliar (RSA), Jose Cardenas (COL)
Extra Man: KAZ 1/5  SRB 3/5
Pens:  Nil
Teams:
KAZAKHSTAN: Dmitriy Kuprin, Stanislav Tsoy, Vadim Safiullin, Alexandr Godovanyuk, Altay Altaev, Rustem Garayev, Bolat Turlykhanov (1), Yegor Berbelyuk, Raul Mudrik, Yersainov Makhambet, Miras Aubakirov, Andrey Sukhoparov. Head Coach: Nemanja Knezevic.
SERBIA: Milan Vitorovic, Mateja Asanovic (2), Milos Maksimovic (4), Drasko Gogov (5), Nikola Radulovic (2), Stefan Ilic (1), Dusan Mandic (1), Marko Manojlovic (2), Dimitrije Obradovic (1), Dorde Tanaskovic, Ognjen Stojanovic (1), Nikola Jaksic (1), Lazar Dobozanov. Head Coach: Dejan Savic.


KAZ vs SRB - credit: Anthony Pearse

Serbia posted its second successive victory after trouncing Kazakhstan 20-1. The European giants were in control from the outset as they were too strong and powerful for the Asian youth champions. London Olympic bronze medallist Dusan Mandic opened the scoring after 30 seconds, slotting a superb strike from seven metres. His team-mates then shared the honours to take the score to 8-0.

Kazakhstan scored halfway through the second quarter courtesy of an extra-man goal from Bolat Turlykhanov. The Serbians continued their dominance in the third period, scoring five straight goals to open up a 15-1 lead.

Drasko Gogov and Milos Maksimovic each netted two goals in that time, before Gogov scored another just seconds into the final period to seal the victory. Gogov and Maksimovic finished the game with five and four goals respectively, while Mateja Asanovic, Nikola Radulovic and Marko Manojlovic each netted two.

Game 14: 15:40, Group D, BRAZIL 7 ITALY 17
Quarters: 1-5, 2-4, 1-4, 3-4
Referees: Risto Damcevski (FYROM), Michael Hernandez (TRI)
Extra Man: BRA 5/9, ITA 7/10
Pens: ITA 1/1
Teams:
BRAZIL: Bernardo Campos, Pedro Stellet, Leon Psanquevich (1), Felipe Martins (1), Guilherme Campos, Pedro Real Vergara, Andrey Lopes (1), Henrique Vasconcelo (1), Guilherme Gomes (1), Gabriel Salgado (2), Caio Marques, Lucas Franca, Matheus Sorilha. Head Coach: Angelo Coelho.
ITALY: Leonardo Cavo, Umberto Espositio, Gianluigi Foglio (1), Federico Foti, Andrea Fondelli (5), Jacopo Alesiani (1), Vincenzo Dolce, Lorenzo Bruni (1), Allessandro Velotto (3), Tommaso Busilacchi (1), Luca Cupido (3), Nicola Cuccovillo (2), Fabio Viola. Head Coach: Amedeo Pomilio.


BRA vs ITA - credit: Anthony Pearse

Italy made it two wins in a row after defeating Brazil 17-7 in their Group D men’s clash at Challenge Stadium. After an impressive win over Kazakhstan in their opening match, Italy came out strongly in the first quarter, scoring four consecutive goals against Brazil. In the second period, Brazil fought back, scoring two straight goals but Italian goalkeeper Leonardo Cavo repulsed two attacks.
Italy continued its dominance in the third quarter and extended the lead through leading scorers Andrea Fondelli, Alessandro Velotto and Luca Cupido.

The last term saw a late comeback by the Brazilians — with goals to Felipe Martins, Henrique Vasconcelo and Gabriel Salgado — but the Italians proved too strong. Cupido, who was also strong in defence, said he was excited about the team’s win and was pleased how the team was progressing.

“We played very well and we are very happy with our result. We played a very good opening match and we did again today.”

The Italians will now face Group D rival Serbia on Tuesday, in what could be a possible medal-match preview.

Game 16: 20:00, Group A, UNITED STATES 9 HUNGARY 10
Quarters: 1-2, 3-3, 2-3, 3-2
Referees: Michail Birakis (GRE), Adrian Alexandrescu (ROU).
Extra Man: USA 3/7, HUN 4/8
Pens:  USA 1/1
Teams:
USA: Garrett Danner, Adam Abdilhamid (2), Reid Chase, Matthew Farmer, Patrick (Jack) Fellner (1), Kent Inoue (1), Max Irving, Chandler Jarrels Stickney (1), Chancellor Ramirez (4), Ryder Roberts, Connor Stapleton, Alec Zwaneveld, Kevin Levine. Head Coach: Jason Lynch.
HUNGARY: Mihaly Peterfy, Daniel Santa, Szilard Jansik (5), Tamas Sedlmayer (1), Jozsef Berta, Krisztian Manhercz (1), Gergo Zalanki, Tamas Gyarfas, Balint Lorincz, Bendeguz Szabo (1), Andras Telegdy (1), Toni Nemet (1), David Gyorgy. Head Coach: Gyorgy Horkai.


USA vs HUN - credit: Anthony Pearse

Hungary came from 9-8 down to beat the United States of America 10-9 in a Group A men’s match to close the day’s play. The pumped-up Hungarians had strong support from the bench with head coach Gyorgy Horkai a member of the Montreal 1976 Olympic champion team and a bronze medallist from Moscow four years later. His assistant was Sydney 2000 Olympic champion Zsolt Varga.

USA started in the scoring department but Hungary was soon in front with some controlled play for 2-1. The action was non-stop in the second period as Hungary twice went two ahead while the USA twice levelled (3-3 and 4-4). Andras Telegdy gave Hungary the 5-4 edge when he flicked in a rebound nine seconds from halftime.

Hungary made it 6-4 straight after the restart when Toni Nemet shot point blank on extra into the arms of USA goalkeeper Garrett Danner. Sadly for the USA, Nemet snapped in the rebound. An Adam Abdilhamid slider and Jack Fellner penalty goal levelled the game at 6-6 but Szilard Jansik scored identical goals from the top to close the third period at 8-6 in Hungary’s favour, to go with his first-quarter pair.

The final period went USA’s way early with Chancellor Ramirez claiming consecutive goals for 8-8 but a Bendeguz Szabo missile from nine metres and a Tamas Sedlmayer outside shot gave Hungary the ascendancy inside the final three minutes. A USA timeout failed to yield anything other than a shot which was tipped on to the upright and Hungary maintained possession for the victory.