Group C — Sopron

SOUTH AFRICA 4 ITALY 22

Italy started the World Championships as a title holder. The Settebello won its fourth title in 2019 and is ready to make it two in a row. Alessandro Campagna’s side was thrown off by South Africa and were a little bit nervous in attacking early in the match. The first quarter was 4-2. After that Italy was relieved and scored eight consecutive goals without answer. Italy’s defence worked well and conceded only 11 shots, and its keepers saved seven of them.

Match hero
The man-of -the-match award went to Edoardo di Somma who scored three goals and made two assists.

Bottom line
Italy won its first match by 18 goals and can now prepare for the next clash against Canada with confidence.

What they said
Alessandro Campagna (ITA) – Head Coach
“We were a little bit excited, as it was the first match, but it was an excellent way to enter into the tournament, and we would like to move forward step by step. As a title holder we felt some pressure, maybe that’s why we started nervous, but after that everything was great. We need to play calm, control the ball, and maybe we could be more efficient in attack. I will watch the opening game of Hungary, as they are one of the favourites, especially as Tamas Marcz’s side is at home.”
Luca Damonte (ITA) – Two Goals
“Yes, I feel well in Hungary. I remember this pool, so I am happy that I can play again here, and I hope we can play in Budapest next week. For me it’s my first world championships. I am absolutely motivated to do my best. It was a great match to start a tournament, because it was not difficult, and I am satisfied that I scored two goals. Maybe we can play against Hungary, and the crowd will welcome me, especially as a Ferencvaros player.”
Vaughn Marlow (RSA) – Head Coach
“It’s always difficult to start against the defending champions. This was our first match since the Olympics and the team has changed a lot. I was relatively happy with our performance. I’d like to see how we can progress over the next two games in the preliminary rounds. It’s a difficult group, maybe the most difficult for us. We are here to gain experience, to learn and develop our style as we play against top teams, like Italy or Spain, to see where the gap is, and maybe we can figure out how we can get closer to that gap. Spain is our next opponent; it’s gonna be a big challenger, for me personally. They are definitely medal contenders. We would like to grow from this game into that match.”

CANADA 2 SPAIN 19

Spain has not won a gold medal at the FINA World Championships since 2001. At the last edition it was runner-up to Italy. Now the two nations are in the same group. Italy has shown that it has similar ambitions for this tournament as well, so it was The Red Fury’s turn. And the Spaniards were not furious, much more precisely, as they won against Canada by 19-2.

Match heroes
The crowd at the Lover Swimming Pool has seen two fantastic performances by the Spaniards. Felipe Perrone was the best player in the field, scoring five goals from six attempts. Unai Aguirre had a great day, as he saved 17 shots from 19 attempts, which is a saving percentage of 89 per cent, something that few goalkeepers could ever aspire to. 

Stats don’t lie
Spain managed the extra-man situations really well. It scored five goals from six attempts. Furthermore, they used their centres well, scoring four goals from seven shots.

What they said
David Martin (ESP) – Head Coach
“We started nervous, but the second half was OK. I am happy with the result, because it is a difficult group, as we are together with the defending champions (Italy), and the number of goals scored can be a clinching point. Every victory matters, so I am satisfied with that result. We must think step by step, against South Africa is crucial as well, but the most important match will be on Saturday”.
Patrick Oaten (CAN) – Head Coach
“It’s hard to find any positive in a loss like that. We are trying a new system, another movement and this game was our first experience. I saw, we played a little scared on offence; you know at one point it was 4-1; they changed their defence and we had trouble adapting. Aguirre played very well, he saved 17 attempts, one of them was a penalty. Maybe it was an important moment of the game. We have to keep on working on things, what we did at home, in Canada. We have to take our opportunities, we need to play our game, instead of the rivalries forcing their own on us.”

Group Progress Points: Italy 2, Spain 2, Canada 0, South Africa 0.