Hungary overcomes Greece in sudden-death shootout

Final-day recap

In classification matches, Italy took fifth place in downing France 16-9. United States of America beat Montenegro 17-15 in penalty shootout after being even at 12 by full time for seventh position.

On statistic that shows how close this tournament is. Five of the eight matches on the last two days went to shootout. There were only three in the last fortnight. Last year’s men’s final also went to shootout with Spain emerging the winner over Italy.

This was a wonderful tournament with excellent facilities and terrific matches. The women’s tournament provided plenty of shock results while the men’s tournament  found the top four in the groups advance to the semifinals.

The one anomaly in the whole competition was Italy finishing fifth after not losing in normal time in any match. In the quarterfinals, Serbia forced the shootout and won, leaving Italy to play its last two matches for victories. In seven matches, Italy won six and lost one.

All eyes are still firmly focused on Paris 2024 and nations who were not lucky enough to gain Olympic berths from Fukuoka will now contest continental championships. Those still missing from the mix will assemble in Doha, Qatar in February for the next World Aquatics Championships where four places will be available for men and women.

Final Rankings:

1. Hungary
2. Greece
3. Spain
4. Serbia 
5. Italy
6. France
7. United States of America
8. Montenegro
9. Croatia
10. Australia
11. Japan
12. Canada
13. Argentina
14. Kazakhstan
15. China
16. South Africa

Awards:

Most Valuable Player:
Gergo Zalanki (HUN) 

Best Goalkeeper:
Emmanouil Zerdevis (GRE) —  (with World Aquatics Executive Director Brent Nowicki)

Highest Goal-scorer:
Strahinja Rasovic (SRB) 26 —  (with World Aquatics Executive Director Brent Nowicki)

Media All Star Team:
Goalkeeper:
Emmanouil Zerdevis (GRE)
Field Players:
Hannes Daube (USA)
Krisztian Manhercz (HUN)
Alexandros Papanastasiou (GRE)
Felipe Perrone (ESP)
Strahinja Rasovic (SRB)
Gergo Zalanki (HUN)

Match Reports

Classification 1-2 (Gold Medal)

GREECE 13 HUNGARY 14 in sudden-death penalty shootout (FT: 10-10. Pens: 3-4)

Hungary has been a gold-medal finalist 10 times and on the losing side seven times. Tonight’s victory over Greece goes in part to redressing that imbalance for a proud water polo nation. Watched on by legendary Hungary coach Denes Kemeny, the Hungarians probably always looked like winning and proved that on current form it is the best in the world. One wonders, however, just how far this team can go, one year out from Paris 2024. The team is experienced and highly skilled with just two players born this century and will be a firm favourite. Their names will be etched in marble at the Alfred Hajos complex on Margaret Island in Budapest alongside other champions.

The packed house enjoyed a match that ranks among the best and now that consecutive finals have gone to shootouts, perhaps we can expect more?

Greece opened the scoring and two Gergo Zalanki goals and one from Marton Vamos gave Hungary the early advantage. Goals were traded before the quarter break. The second period was quieter in the scoring department with Greece grabbing two to Hungary’s one from Krisztian Manhercz.

https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes?gender=&discipline=&nationality=&name=Szilard%20Jansik

Konstantinos Genidounias opened the second half with two goals to go with the one that opened the second quarter, putting Greece in front 6-5. Vamos (Above) levelled on extra-man and goals were traded leaving the match undecided at seven by the final break.

Hungarian captain Szilard Jansik opened the fourth and Greek captain Ioannis Fountoulis traded goals. Then Manhercz scored the goal of the final, unravelling himself from his defender at deep left to squirt the ball past Greek goalkeeper Emmanouil Zerdevis, who was named the tournament’s best. Goals were traded again with tournament most valuable player Zalanki sending in a swift shot on extra and Genidounias firing a missile from nine metres at 2:56 for the equaliser. Both teams took a timeout with plenty of shots bouncing off wood,  but no winner.

Going to the shootout, Hungary went first and Denes Varga then Fountoulis had their shots rejected. Papanastasiou and Zalanki converted. Konstantinos Gkiouvetsis and Jansik failed to score. Stylianos Argyropoulos and Gergo Fekete missed. Genidounias converted to close the initial rotation it was 12-12. Varga, Fountoulis and Vamos scored, leaving Papanastasiou to have his shot rejected by the player of the match Soma Vogel.

Match Heroes:
Soma Vogel, unsurprisingly, with his three penalty saves in the shootout. In the match he made eight. Zalanki scored four to top Hungary’s shooting with 20 in Fukuoka. Genidounias was the highest scorer with five for Greece.

Turning Point:
Greece going from 5-3 behind to 6-5 ahead. From there it was basically about Greece having to come back from a goal down three times to make sure of the shootout.

Stats Don’t Lie:
Hungary shot 28 to 27; converted four from seven on extra-man attack and defended a special eight from 12. Greece scored the only penalty shot.

Bottom Line:
Hungary returns to top in the world, winning a fourth crown to go alongside Italy’s record. The record book now reads four gold, seven silvers and one bronze. Obviously competing for third is not an option. Greece can relish the fact it was its first final and came tantalisingly close to the gold. Its previous best was three bronzes.

What They Said:

VARGA Zsolt  HUN  Head Coach

“I think all the competition we’ve done we can say every game was so heavy, so hard.

The first game with Croatia, the big game I am speaking about. Then the USA, I think, was a heavy game, then Spain. For me Spain is one of the best teams, it is one of few teams in six teams who can win the competitions.

“I think at the end we put really hard intention, mindfulness, we were there, we were presenting at the right moments. Then in the same way it was really hard. I think the game was a little bit up and down. We started very well in the first two quarters then they started to come up because I think Greece also played in the Olympic finals, and they played for the World Championships bronze. Now they are in the World Championships final. I think Greece is a really good team with really good quality.

“I know them very well because I’ve got two of their players in my (former) club. I know very well (that) they played so well and played in top level clubs. Altogether they played very well and that was today. I think the fourth quarter was right to draw, then at the end we won with the penalties but it’s OK, this is the way we won. I am so happy and so proud of my team. Also, to Greece (I offer) really big congratulations.”

ZALANKI Gergo  HUN  Player Of The Tournament

“(It) feels amazing. It’s always good to be a champion. This is my first time (and) I hope it's not going to be the last. It's amazing. We played really hard In the championship and we only had hard games. We always had to be in by one or two goals. So, it was a very big teamwork and team effort. I'm happy, but we are going forward. Next thing is, we will have the European and World Championships once again in the (northern) winter and after the Olympics. So, we just want to play and win.”

On being named best player”
“I'm happy about it. But for me it's more important that we have earned a championship. For me, it's always like, I don't care who's going to score the goals or who is going to be the MVP. At this time, I was there to score maybe more goals than the others. But at the end. It really didn't matter.”

VLACHOS Theodoros  GRE  Head Coach

What a great game. What a great final. I believe that both teams deserve to win the gold medal. I think this loss is very hard for us because in the last play we had a chance to finish the game. Calling a timeout then was my mistake. I think that was a very bad moment for me and my team. We could have avoided penalties, but now I just have to congratulate Hungary on their win. In the final timeout I discussed with the team that if they missed their attack we could possibly have 20 seconds to score. We should have waited and called the timeout a second later. 

“I am very satisfied with the standpoint of how my team played today. We reacted well during the whole game. We do not need to change anything; we just need to keep going and continue to dream about being on top of the world. Of course, we would like to have the gold medal, but to be in the four best teams for three years is an accomplishment. Being in the final I believe is great for my team and we will be satisfied some days later, but we are not feeling good right now.” 

ZERDEVAS Emmanouil  GRE  Goalkeeper Of The Tournament

“We are disappointed. Today was a final that we wanted to win very badly. We will continue onwards and have the thought in our minds that we deserve more. When this day passes, new goals and opportunities will be presented to us. 

“Hungary is a very great team with good outside shooters. We received 10 goals. This indicates that our defence is a bit bad. We want to play better. I think getting the silver medal is still something big for our country. It is our first final in the world championships, but we deserve more and we can achieve that. I believe we will return to the final again and win this gold.”

Classification 3-4 (Bronze Medal)

SERBIA 6 SPAIN 9

Outgoing world champion Spain maintained a spot on the medal dais with a bronze-medal-winning effort, restricting Serbia in the second half from crossing the line, until the last three seconds. It was the classis Spanish team at its best — putting air between itself and Serbia just before the halftime buzzer. Spain went 5-0 for more than 18 minutes, thanks to goalkeeper Eduardo Lorrio who made 13 saves and was awarded best in pool.

Spain, who was cruelly denied advancement to the gold-medal final thanks to a Hungarian goal on the final buzzer in the semifinals, left that result behind and went on the attack with an awesome second half after the first quarter was tied at three. Spain won the second 3-2 and then won the third 2-2 and tied the last 1-1.

Serbia, who arrived at the play-off after a 13-7 mauling by Greece, was far from subdued in the first half with Strahinja Rasovic scoring twice before being fouled out later in the match. His two goals lifted his Fukuoka tally to 25. Nikola Jaksic brought up his 21^st goal in between Rasovic goals, which equalled the scores at four and five.

That 5-5 Rasovic goal was the last time Serbia could penetrate the Spanish goal until the siren was about to sound. Alvaro Granados converted a penalty for his third and Perrone converted extra-man three minutes from three-quarter time.

In the fourth, Nemanja Ubovic was red-carded with substitution at 4:52 and fears of a violence foul were unrealised. However, it upset Serbia. At 2:41, when we had endured nearly eight minutes without a goal, Perrone shot out of nowhere to make it 9-5 — insurmountable. Serbia had the final attack, had several shots and the third managed to sneak across the line with the assistance of a VAR check, three seconds from time. Spain had the bronze medal.

Match Heroes:
Lorrio, normally backing up Unai Aguirre, earned his place in the sun with terrific block-out saving that rocketed Spain to the medal. Captain Felipe Perrone confirmed his status as 2022 Water Polo Athlete of the Year, a title bestowed poolside on Friday night, by scoring twice, one in each of the last two quarters. Granados was on fire with his three goals. Rasovic was the bright light for Serbia, but when he exited the light was snuffed. Branislav Mitrovic made nine saves for Serbia including the huge smack down of Granados’ penalty attempt halfway through the third quarter,

Turning Point:
Closing out the second half was an amazing achievement by Spain.

Stats Don’t Lie:
Spain converted four from eight on extra-man attack and defended eight from 10. It scored one from two on penalty and took 30 shots to 31.

Bottom Line:
Spain  is accustomed to being on the podium but it is only the second bronze medal to go with three golds and four silvers. Serbia was fifth last year

What They Said:

MARTIN David  ESP  Head Coach

“I am very happy after the loss in the semifinals against Hungary. We needed this victory.

This game was very hard because Serbia is a big team. Playing six games in two weeks is very hard for the players but I think that today (our) defence was OK. I am very happy with this medal.

“After we lost the semifinals what is more important is recovering in the half entering the game because we came to win the medal. I think that Spanish players and the Serbian (players), of course, started very strong in the game, but I think that defence was the key because there are players who are tired. It is very important for the defence to block the goalkeeper. I think that was the key today.

“We need qualification first. Now we need to go on holiday. The players (will) go home and (soon) after we start preparation with their club. Of course, we start with the preparation with the national team in Israel and if we get the qualification we will see what will happen in Paris.”

PERRONE Felipe  ESP  Captain (Above)

“I think we need to be humble and be happy with this standing place. Of course, our goal was to be first, but I think we need to be happy with this important result.”

RASOVIC Strahinja  SRB  Leading Goal Scorer

“In the first half we kept up with them. We were good, but the third quarter broke us. We  suffered three goals and scored none. After we fell behind by three goals we could not come back to get (either) a draw or win the game. We missed shots in some exclusion situations and then they scored and that decided the game. Congratulations to Spain, they were the better team. 

“I think the tournament was still a big success for Serbia. We gained experience and took a big step forward. In comparison with last year when we finished ninth, this year we were in the battle for a medal. We need to continue to make progress going into the future.” 

Classification 5-6

ITALY 16 FRANCE 9

Italy may not have been playing a final, but it showed why it is one of the best teams in the world with a powerful second half after what could be described a sleepy time with both teams dominating in patches. France was being coached by Vejkoslav Kobechak, the Croatian triple Olympian as regular head coach Florian Bruzzo was sitting out the match after receiving a red card two days previously.

France kept Italy scoreless until the last 36 seconds in a first period dominated by penalties. Mehdi Marzouki had his shot blocked and then captain Ugo Crousillat smashed in two more than four minutes apart. Giacomo Cannella converted for Italy and in a rarity all three goals were from the penalty line. Also, French goalkeeper Hugo Fontani stopped five of the first five Italian shots.

Italy fired in three unanswered goals to start the second quarter with Cannella gaining a second penalty goal. France went to a timeout and Crousillat had his third goal, followed two minutes later by Alexandre Bouet from the top on extra-man attack, making it 4-4 at halftime.

Goals were traded for 5-5, then the Settebello spirit shone through with four straight, including another two from Cannella. Goals were traded with Francesco di Fulvio scoring his third until the three-quarter buzzer with Italy up 11-7. Lorenzo Bruni for his second; Eduardo di Somma on penalty and di Fulvio on counter had the score at 14-7. France called a timeout and Emil Bjorch scored for 14-8. Di Fulvio and Luca Damonte shunted the score to 16-8 with Bouet responding on penalty. Di Fulvio and Damonte closed Italy’s account and Bouet converted a penalty foul for what was the final score.

Match heroes:
Cannella collected the Aqua prize for four goals while di Fulvio netted five to be also in the presence of stars. Crousillat was best for France with three while Fontani’s big start did not continue, although he did stop eight.

Turning point:
Making the charge from 6-5 in the third period to 11-7 that set Italy on the path to victory.

Stats don’t lie:
Italy shot 31 to 22; converted five from 10 on extra-man attack compared to France’s excellent five from seven and converted three from three on penalty to France’s three from four.

Bottom line:
Italy will naturally be upset with fifth place after winning in 2019 and finished second last year. France will be revelling in sixth place — a fantastic result after 14^th in its previous effort in 2017.

What They Said:

CANNELLA Giacomo  ITA Player Of The Match

“We’re not happy with the final result (position). We’re satisfied that we did not lose a match in 32 minutes (referring to only losing in a penalty shootout to Serbia in the quarterfinals). It’s good for us that we win against France as they are a strong team. We were more concentrated than France.”

SAUDADIER Remi  FRA  Athlete

“We’re happy that we made the big step into the top eight for the first time in 37 year (8^th in 1986).Last summer we said we wanted to go top eight or more high. It is good that we are top six this tournament. We got to our goal. We did not come from nowhere. We played well for the first two or three quarters, but it was not easy (to continue the pace) as it was a very long tournament..”

On how this helped for Paris 2024 where France is the host team:
“We want to medal in Paris. It is our big goal.”

Classification 7-8

MONTENEGRO 15 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 17 in penalty shootout (FT: 12-12. Pens 3-5)

United States of America beat Montenegro in penalty shootout after suffering a second violence foul against one of its team members in the third period. Chase Dodd was shown the red card in a match where captain Ben Hallock was returning from his one-match suspension, scoring five goals to help steer USA into the shootout and scoring the winner.

Neither team gained a major break in the first half with USA going 2-1 ahead and having a penalty attempt hit the crossbar. Montenegro came back and went ahead through Stefan Vidovic before Luca Cupido levelled from the top for 3-3 at quarter time. Max Irving was caught free in the bottom right and USA as 4-3 up. Vidovic and Kanstantsin Averka shifted the lead to Montenegro. Hannes Daube blasted in the penalty foul conversion for 5-5. Montenegro went ahead through an action goal and one on extra-man attack for a 7-5 advantage at 2:00. This was wiped out by halftime with Irving on penalty and Dylan Woodhead from the top with three seconds remaining on the clock. USA head coach Dejan Udovicic was given a yellow card.

Alex Bowen and Johnny Hooper, on counter, had USA 9-7 ahead. Montenegro closed the gap through Aleksa Ukropina on extra and Vasilije Radovic. Hallock converted extra-man attack off the left-post position for 10-9 at 3:12. Nearly three minutes later, USA was struck by the red-card curse when Chase Dodd was sent for allegedly striking his opponent in the face. Duro Radovic converted the penalty and Montenegro had four minutes on extra, like a kids in a candy store. Vladan Spaic converted the extra-man off the left-post position. Hallock responded on, wait for it, extra man. Yes, USA gained simultaneous exclusions, so found itself in the unusual position of being five on four. Averka scored from the deep left for 12-11 at 3:01. Super star Hallock scored a fantastic centre-forward goal, using both hands to get the ball settled and pushed into goal while heavily guarded. Just brilliant. It brought up 12-12 at 2:46 and despite both teams taking a timeout — Montenegro having two shots in the dying seconds — the plays failed to find the net, sending the match to a shootout.

USA started and was flawless. It was third rotation Vidovic who creased the head of USA goalkeeper Drew Holland, spearing over the crossbar, that made the difference. The last two Montenegro shots were true, but USA won 17-15, negating the need for a fifth Montenegrin to shoot.

Match Heroes:
Hallock, back in the fold,  finished with five goals, including the winner in the shootout, and took out the top award. Daube netted three. For Montenegro, Radovic scored three.

Turning Points:
USA turning from two down to two ahead in a four-minute period over the halftime break. Also, being able to sustain a 1-1 four-minute exclusion period after the violence penalty.

Stats Don’t Lie:
USA, so heavily fouled against, converted four from seven on extra-man attack and defended nine of 14. It scored two from three on penalty to Montenegro’s one. USA shot less at 27 to 35, yet still won.

Bottom Line:
USA deserved a break, some would say. It was sixth in Budapest last year and this year at least it leaves ion a winning note. Montenegro was also eighth in Budapest.

What They Said:

UDOVICIC Dejan  USA  Head Coach

“I definitely think we did not deserve to play for seventh place. Everything that happened to us was frustrating. I’m proud of my players. It is difficult to swallow. We are capable to do even better. Two very bad decisions instead of (playing) top four. Playing for seventh — everyone knows we are better than that. Something happened here that people will remember for a very long time. I am saying that as a positive thing for us.”

HALLOCK Ben  USA  Player Of The Match/Five Goals

On coming back from a match suspension for violence foul:
“I think it definitely motivated me personally. It was disappointing to watch and not play for much of the quarterfinal and the semifinal for fifth where I missed the match. I didn’t want to think about this. I had a few days to think what I would do in the last match for about 30 days. I came out to show the world that maybe something could have been different if there was no brutality call.”

GOJKOVIC Vladimir  MNE  Head Coach

“Lot of mistakes with wrong decisions when we had the possibility to score. Big change in the last two quarters. We can’t be satisfied with this.”