European champion Spain sent reigning Olympic champion to the wall for the second time in two days, winning their Group B encounter 15-11. Australia continued its winning run with a 9-8 upset of host nation France and Hungary sent off Japan 17-10. In Group A, Greece beat United States of America 13-11, Italy needed a penalty shootout to defeat Montenegro 11-9 after it was locked at 8-8 and Croatia downed Romania 11-8.
DAY 6 MATCHES
Match 13, Group A, GREECE 13 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 11 (4-4, 3-1, 4-3, 2-2)
Greece went to the top of the group with a third victory and consigned USA to equal third position with one win from three matches. Greece won the match on its defence of extra-man plays, denying USA 10 times, making it hard for the North Americans to be there at the end.
Greece had the edge at halftime after a tied opening quarter. USA went to the lead at 1-0 and 2-1 with Greece responding with three unanswered goals for the 4-2 advantage. Alex Bowen on penalty and goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg with a last-gasp, full-length shot that bounced in past Emmanouil Zerdevas, had the crowd on its feet and the match squared. It was a wishful shot that reaped rewards. Dimitrios Nikolaidis drove into centre forward and then spun and backhanded his first goal in Paris to open the second quarter at 4:34, showing how hard it was to get a goal. Nikolaos Papanikolaou sent in a short shot off the left post from a near pass for 6-4. Max Irving crossed a shot from the top right to grab one back. Stylianos Argyropoulos sent in a missile from downtown for 7-5 and in the dying minute after a USA shot went wide right, the USA player chased the goalkeeper and forced him to push the ball under for a penalty shot, which was hotly contested and gained a yellow card for Greek head coach Theodoros Vlachos. Marko Vavic converted for 7-6.
The second half went the way of USA at the beginning with two goals, at centre forward for Dylan Woodhead and Ryder Dodd (18) snapping in a rebound from the left-post position over the goalkeeper’s head. Argyropoulos and Bowen traded penalty goals for 9-8 in USA’s favour and then Greece stepped up with three straight — Ioannis Fountoulis grabbing two from the deep left on extra and Argyropoulos nabbing his third from the same position. Despite a USA timeout at 0:35, there was no further scoring.
The final quarter produced plenty of action and no goals until Fountoulis snared his third from his favoured position at 4:26. Dejan Udovicic, USA’s long-term head coach and former Serbian coach, gained a yellow card and swapped his goalkeepers. Drew Holland came in for the first time in Paris and watched team-mate Luca Cupido shoot a six-metre goal. On the first Greek attack he suffered the disdain of Argyropoulos, who thundered in a goal from the top to restore the three-goal margin. Both teams went to a timeout and the only occurrence was a double exclusion to settle some late-match frustrations. Greece slowed the match down and played out the time for the victory.
Match Heroes
Greek goalkeeper Zerdevas with a spectacular 16 saves was the star of the show. Argyropoulos was awesome with his four goals and captain Fountoulis was equally impressive with his three from the bottom left. Bowen and Irving netted twice each for USA.
Turning Point
Greece in the first quarter, USA early in the third and Greece taking charge later in the third period.
Stats Don’t Lie
The extra-man stats are critical and Greece scoring five from 10 and thwarting USA by defending 11 of 12, left nothing for USA to cheer about. It did convert all three penalty attempts while Greece converted twice. USA had an incredible 40 shots to 26. Enough said.
Bottom Line
Greece has the edge on USA and is here to make the top four and medal. USA is hoping to do so, but needs to clean up some areas of its game. After all, it was only a two-goal difference.
What They Said
Ioannis FOUNTOULIS (GRE) — Captain and Three Goals
On the team's aspirations after taking silver at Tokyo 2020:
"When you are so close to a gold medal, you want to have a second chance. And we are looking to make it happen (this time). We are dreaming of the gold, like many teams. Also, this tournament is really competitive. Eight, nine teams can reach the gold medal. We are here to fight with all our heart. We want to live this experience again."
Konstantinos GENIDOUNIAS (GRE) — Goal Scorer
On if momentum is growing after winning its first three group matches:
“Absolutely. We really showed up in defence today. Our five-on-six defence was amazing, especially at the end of the game. We made lots of extremely good blocks, and Emmanouil Zerdevas did some great stops in goal. In order to move on in this tournament, you need to build the momentum, especially in defence. In the past, that is what has given us wins and medals, and if we want to get there again, it's great defence that'll make that happen.”
Ben HALLOCK (USA) — Captain
On his team scoring only one extra-man goal from 12 attempts: “It's a theme of the two games we’ve lost so far. Scoring one from 12 is not going to cut it. It's pretty incredible being one from 12 on extra and still being in a two-goal game with Greece. If we can pick that up, we'll be in a lot better position next game.”
On the defeat:
“The little things added up, whether in defence, offence or transition, but I was proud of how we kept fighting. But, in the end, we tried to finish so many high-percentage shots.”
On their next game against Montenegro on Saturday:
“It's a decisive game and could decide who's going to move on from the group. It could be win or go home, we know that.”
Adrian WEINBERG (USA) — Goalkeeper
On his team scoring only one extra-man shot from 12 attempts:
“Definitely something we have to look at. Me personally, there were a couple of blocks I could have made to help our team out. It doesn't help when I don't do my job. I have to look at myself first and see where I can improve.”
Match 14, Group B, SERBIA 11 SPAIN 15 (3-4, 3-3, 3-3, 2-5)
European champion Spain came through with a 5-2 final quarter to fend off Olympic champion Serbia and make it three straight. Serbia now has two losses and in danger of relinquishing its crown.
Serbia was nothing like the team that went down by five goals to Australia two days earlier. It stood up to Spain and had as many goals in the first quarter as the entire last encounter. Goals were traded from Felipe Perrone’s opener on counter to Nemanja Ubovic’s spectacular centre-forward strike at 0:31. However, Bernat Sanahuja blasted from the top to give Spain the edge by quarter time. Spain went three up early in the second quarter with Martin Famera on extra and Alberto Munarriz from the right side of the pool. Serbia nullified Spain’s dominance with three goals, captain Nikola Jaksic on extra, Dusan Mandic with a rocket from the left and Milos Cuk from the penalty line. Munarriz replied, seven seconds from halftime, with an accurate thread of the defence from the left-hand-catch position.
Captain Perrone converted extra from the top to start the third period and give Spain a two-goal buffer again. Alvaro Granados, possibly Perrone’s heir apparent, launched in a penalty shot for 9-6, a foul earned by Perrone. Mandic scored his 10th goal of the tournament with another left-handed explosion while Alejandro Bustos nailed his first goal in Paris, driving into the left post on extra and accepting a cross pass to take Spain out to 10-7. Nikola Dedovic repeated the action at the other end and two minutes later Mandic rose high to score and narrow the margin to one, which held until the final break.
Sanahuja and Granados regained the three-goal lead in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Soon after, Mandic converted a penalty foul with 4:27 left on the clock, plenty of time for Serbia to come back. However, Perrone steered in a cross pass at centre forward for 13-10 at 3:12. Ubovic converted extra, tapping in a cross pass to the right post, but 20 seconds later Granados made the most of extra — Mandic’s third major foul — firing in a rocket from the top left for 14-11 at 2:24. Serbia called a timeout at 1:38 and a pass slipped out of the hand, Spain snapped up, sent to the breaking Granados, who was fouled by Nikola Jaksic. Granados played the ball and swam up, taunting the goalkeeper to score for 15-11 at 0:56, the final nail in Serbia’s coffin.
Match Heroes
Granados with four goals for Spain, followed by five-time Olympian Perrone with three. Eduardo Lorrio, playing his first match, had a stellar day with 11 saves. Mandic fired in four goals as Serbia’s best.
Turning Point
Spain going three up and Serbia levelling in the second quarter and then Spain’s final-quarter flourish.
Stats Don’t Lie
Spain converted seven from 12 on extra and stopped five from nine. Serbia landed both its penalty attempts. Both teams shot 30 times.
Bottom Line
Spain is the form team and Serbia is not. Serbia was much better today, but Mandic still needs assistance.
What They Said
Alvaro Granados (ESP) — Four Goals
On the win:
“Serbia are a very strong team. They had a lot of pressure for this game (after losing their previous game against Australia) and they started with an extremely hard rhythm. In the end, our tactics and our team prevailed. We're happy for the result, but being honest, I think this team has to improve a lot of things. I'm also optimistic and think we are on the correct path."
On what his team needs to improve:
“We need to adapt to this environment as the Olympic Games are not like usual games. I think we all feel that, so we need to relieve some of this pressure and play like we know how to play. We're doing great; we won three out of three games, but if we want to win these Olympics, which is our objective, we still need to improve a lot.”
Dusan MANDIC (SRB) — Four Goals
On approaching Serbia’s last two group matches with a 1-2 record:
"In two days, the Olympics starts for us. We must win for survival. It's now or never."
On what went wrong for the defending Olympic champion:
"We know the mistakes we made, and we need to eliminate them. It's as simple as that."
Milos CUK (SRB) — Two Goals
On his team’s performance:
“It wasn’t enough to beat a team like Spain, which is a favourite contender for the gold medal, but personally I am glad that we were able to bring back our energy after that catastrophic loss against Australia. I think that is very important.”
On the rest of the group phase and needing to finish in the top four to qualify for the quarterfinals:
“We now have two remaining matches that we have to win and I think we can do it. We still have some things to iron out in our game, to be more precise with our defence and offence, but with this energy we will be able to do it. We need to maintain this level of aggressiveness and will in our game, but I think everything will fall into place in two days in our game against France.”
Viktor RASOVIC (SRB) — Athlete
On the loss and only winning once so far at Paris 2024:
“In the last few Olympics, we were also fighting a lot in the group phase. We are not losing confidence because of this defeat. We know that we still have a big chance and we need to take it.”
Match 15, Group B, FRANCE 8 AUSTRALIA 9 (0-1, 3-3, 2-3, 3-2)
Australia made it two wins in a row after the spectacular 8-3 defeat of Serbia on day four while French fans are reeling from the loss. The win was made even more special as the Aussie Stingers managed to imprison the scoring skills of Thomas Vernoux by keeping him scoreless while at one stage holding a four-goal advantage. This was a clash between the fourth-ranked French and 11th-ranked Aussies who had been knocked out of quarterfinal qualification in the last two world championships by the French.
The opening quarter was about the teams squaring off and making sure of not having one swim away early as many teams have done in Paris. In fact, there was only one goal in the period and that came at 1:34 from Aussie Shark Angus Lambie at centre forward, bringing himself forward to the ball, leaving his defenders and scoring at will. The first minute of the second quarter had France in front with Michael Bodegas dragging a cross pass down from the right-post position on extra and captain Ugo Crousillat countering for 2-1. Milos Maksimovic countered for the Sharks and Matthew Byrnes fired in a shot from wide right to regain the lead, something it never conceded. France took a timeout and subsequently Emil Bjorch scored off a cross pass at centre forward to level. This was countered by Aussie co-captain Blake Edwards from his usual deep-left-wing position on extra for the halftime lead.
The huge French crowd was stunned in the third period as Australia scored through Jacob Mercep from deep right and Maksimovic from deep left for 6-3. Australia called a timeout and the play yielded a goal to Luke Pavillard from very deep right, using his left arm to fantastic use with a snap shot when all seemed quiet. It was now 7-3 with France facing a long haul back. It was up to the task as Crousillat on extra and Bjorch snapping in a rebound on extra from right in front, 18 seconds from the final break.
Alexandre Bouet made it 7-6 on extra to start the fourth period with Maksimovic replying from top left. Bjorch narrowed it to one on extra from the right-post position on cross pass and at 8-7 with 5:31 remaining, France was back in the match. Vernoux swam up to take a penalty shot at 4:29 to level the score, however, Aussie goalkeeper Nic Porter had different ideas, sending the ball rocketing skyward off his right arm. Australia went to a timeout and then France when Nathan Power collected his third foul, joining his fellow co-captain Blake Edwards on the sidelines. France’s shot grazed the crossbar and Australia breathed a sigh of relief. With 24 seconds on the clock, Chaz Poot took a foul outside and sat up to fire in the most important goal of his life for an unbeatable 9-7. Crousillat came to the rescue of France with a consolation goal from eight metres at 0:06, too late to force a shootout.
Match Heroes
Maksimovic with three goals and Porter with 10 saves, including the all-important penalty. Crousillat and Bjorch scored three apiece for France.
Turning Point
Turning 3-3 into 7-3 by late in the third period. France’s chance to make it 8-8 was thwarted but showed how close this match was.
Stats Don’t Lie
France had the better of extra-man with seven from 14 while Australia went three from eight. France missed its one penalty chance and had 30 shots to 26.
Bottom Line
After beating Serbia by five, the Aussie Sharks were determined to maintain the momentum and now sit equal second with Hungary, in the box seat to make the quarterfinals. France now has two one-goal defeats.
What They Said
Chaz POOT (AUS) — Goal Scorer
On the win:
“It was tough. France are a very good team. We talked a lot about them before the Olympics started. We were pretty focused on beating France in France.”
On the loud home support inside the Aquatics Centre:
“We knew it was going to be a big game, and that was special. It was crazy, but I think a lot of us thrived off it. We wanted to embrace the atmosphere as we're not used to playing big games like this in Australia. So, it's nice to have that crowd.”
On another impressive defensive performance by the team:
“We put a big emphasis on blocking, and we try to channel all our defence — blocking and steals — into our offence. It's paying dividends. It was just a really solid defence. The way the game is played now, there's a lot of high-scoring games, so to keep teams in single digits is always impressive.”
On his decisive goal to make it 9-7 with 24 seconds left to play:
“There were a lot of good goals that got us to that point but, for me personally, it was a good first Olympic goal. Hopefully there’s plenty more to come.”
Milos MAKSIMOVIC (AUS) — Three Goals
On the victory:
"We knew it (was) going to be a hard game against France here in Paris, but we believed in ourselves. We know how hard we worked for this. I think we had an amazing game. We just need to keep this (momentum) going."
On what the difference was between the two teams:
"Our difference (was) big blocks. That's it. Our goalkeeper was amazing."
On his three goals in the match, the most on the Australia team:
"I didn't actually think about that; I just tried to play 100 per cent and be there for the team. Whatever the coach wants from me, I am there to give my 100 per cent."
Romain MARION VERNOUX (FRA) — Athlete
On the loss:
“We didn't play a very good game. We didn't deserve to control the attack as we were too narrow. We now want to go further in these Olympics and we need to win the two next games and hopefully make the quarterfinals.”
On the popularity of water polo in France:
“Water polo is not a big, big sport in France’s history, but with this Olympics we've seen the interest going up a lot, and it's put a lot of energy and a lot of atmosphere in with the public. We all hope that continues after the Olympics.”
On how the France men’s water polo team has improved:
“Each year, we develop, we add more and more good results. Year by year we are finishing higher and we're in a good place.”
Match 16, Group A, ITALY 11 MONTENEGRO 9 in penalty shootout FT: 8-8. Pens: 3-1 (2-2, 2-2, 3-3, 1-1)
Italy stumbled to its third win, needing a penalty shootout to get across the line against a stubborn Montenegro. The match was levelled at every number to eight and it took only three Italian goals to win the match after five penalty attempts failed to find their mark.
Montenegro opened the scoring with Italy coming back with the next two before Dusan Matkovic converted extra for 2-2, 30 seconds from the buzzer. Italy scored the go-ahead goal through Tommaso Gianazza with a strong centre-forward turn. Vlado Popadic converted two extra-man goals to give Montenegro the lead again. Italy took a timeout late in the half and captain Francesco di Fulvio made sure of the 4-4 equaliser.
Goals were traded in the third period with Matteo Iocchi Gratta leading the way on counter. Popadic also countered and Nicholas Presciutti converted extra from wide right. Duro Radovic from the deep right wing and di Fulvio from top left had the score at 7-6 in Italy’s favour. Montenegro took a timeout to no effect, but a minute late Jovan Vujovic nailed the extra goal for 7-7.
The heat was turned up in the final quarter as Gonzalo Echenique, the former Argentinian and Spanish international, rocketed one in off his left hand four minutes into the period. Di Fulvio had a chance to put the match away from the penalty line, only for the shot to find the bottom left of the upright. This opened the door for Montenegro and Matkovic drilled a six-metre foul shot from eight metres, slipping and sliding into the bottom left with Gianmarco Nicosia accidentally helping it over the line. It was 2:34 with plenty of time to atone. However, Italy lost a ball in the dying minute and Montenegro’s attempt found Dejan Lazovic, sending the match to a shootout.
What a shootout this was! Italy started and the first three shots found the net. The next five shots all found the keepers or the crossbar while Francesco Condemi — Italy’s fifth shooter — made sure of victory with a conversion and 11-9. What an epic shootout!
Match Heroes
Captain di Fulvio and Echenique scored twice each for Italy in the quarters. Popadic finished with three and Matkovic one for Montenegro.
Turning Point
The penalty shootout, so close were these teams.
Stats Don’t Lie
Both teams struggled on extra with Italy going three from 12 and Montenegro six from 14. Italy converted one of two penalty attempts and had 26 shots to 21.
Bottom Line
Italy is the team that can go far in the competition. It has three wins and Montenegro has three losses — two from shootouts after day four’s loss to Greece.
What They Said
Gianmarco NICOSIA (ITA) — Goalkeeper
On the victory:
"It's maybe the first time we won at the end in the penalty shoots (shootout). We are happy. We are a little bit tired. And we are happy because we are now on eight points in this tournament, and we can think about the next match more easily. We are going to take it step by step. This tournament is so long, so we have a rest day tomorrow (Friday) and then we will prepare for the next match against Romania."
On handling the pressure of being goalkeeper in the penalty shootout:
"I was angry at the ball. I wanted to smash the ball. That's it. The most important thing is (you tell yourself there is) no pressure, and staying focused on the ball. I was angry at the ball. I wanted to bite the ball. I wanted to bite it because I am like Hulk. You know, when he wants to smash someone.
"I thought of just one word, 'Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast'. And I said, 'I (will) try to block some goals and today is going to be good'. In the next match, I hope I will play. But now I have to rest because I am dead. I could maybe have pizza now... two or three pizzas."
On his favourite superhero character:
"It is Hulk. He is the strongest, not in the world, but in the universe. He smashes everything. I am like him. I am like this (points to his burly physique) — big like a bear."
Gonzalo ECHENIQUE (ITA) — Two Goals
On goalkeeper NICOSIA's match-winning efforts in the penalty shootout:
"He is the best. He is a great goalkeeper. During the penalties, he was our hero. Without him, we wouldn't have won today."
Match 17, Group A, ROMANIA 8 CROATIA 11 (0-3, 3-3, 4-5, 1-0)
World champion Croatia notched a second victory with a solid showing based on a 3-0 opening quarter. Romania came within two twice, but Croatia held the reins. Romania nearly missed the Olympics and here it is just three goals behind the world’s best team.
Croatia kept Romania scoreless in the first quarter and landed three on extra-man attack. Goals were traded in the second quarter with Romania leading the way and Croatian captain Maro Jokovic finishing the first-half scoring for 6-3 — incidentally with nine different scorers.
Silvian Colodrovschi became the 10th different scorer as Romania drew to within two, snapping in a cross pass to his right-post position on action. Loren Fatovic netted his second on penalty and Luka Bukic made it 8-4 on counter. Tudor-Andrei Fulea grabbed a second from the top on extra and Jerko Marinic Kragic drilled from the top as well for 9-5. Andrei Tepelus (19) finished off extra for 9-6 only for Jokovic from the deep right and Marinic Kragic with a rocket off a Jokovic pass from the top left bringing up 11-6. Sebastian Oltean took a six-metre opportunity and it paid off for 11-7, the last score of the third period.
Goals were hard to come by as both teams fought valiantly on defence. The breakthrough came from the towering Tepelus with his second from the top right at 1:24, the final score of the match.
Match Heroes
Fulea and Tepelus grabbed two each and goalkeeper/captain Marius-Florin Tic pulled in 11 saves. Fatovic, Jokovic and Marinic Kragic scored twice each and goalkeeper/captain Marko Bijac made 11 saves, as well.
Turning Point
The opening quarter gave Croatia the buffer it required to enjoy the match.
Stats Don’t Lie
Croatia made five from 11 and Romania four from seven on extra. Both teams scored a penalty and both had 28 shots.
Bottom Line
Croatia has two wins from three matches and Romania, yet to see a win, is improving with every match.
What They Said
Jerko MARINIC KRAGIC (CRO)
On the win:
"The key was we did not underestimate the Romanian team. We knew if we didn’t give 100 per cent and be completely serious, they could make problems for us. We analysed them well and that can be seen in the result. The defeat against Italy (in its previous match) disturbed us a little, as we did not expect it. We came here to win every game if possible. At the world championships (where Croatia took gold in 2024), we got better and better as the competition went on. I hope that will be the case here, too."
On his daughter Maris inspiring him at Paris 2024:
"She’s only nine-and-a-half months, but she watches me on the TV and reacts when she sees me. She is giving me lots more motivation to do well. Everyone says parenthood is everything and you only realise that when you become a father. I don’t just play water polo for myself now, I also play for my family."
Match 18, Group B, HUNGARY 17 JAPAN 10 (5-2, 4-2, 3-2, 5-4)
Hungary made sure of a second victory and edge closer to the quarterfinals, using a bold start to have the match sewn up at the halfway mark. Hungary was in top form and Japan was not allowed to trick Hungary into playing its style. There appeared to be no disruption to the Hungarian rhythm.
As with many other matches, Hungary went three up at the start, faced two Japanese goals and then delivered another pair to be 5-2 ahead at the first break. Japan pulled it back to 6-4 before Vince Vigvari with a pair and veteran Denes Varga with a drilling shot from the top for 9-4 at the long break.
Captain Szilard Jansik slid into a free spot at the bottom left to score the first goal of the third quarter. Seiya Adachi responded on extra and Adam Nagy and Vigvari, for his third, stretched the margin to seven from the deep left. Japan went to a timeout and Yusuke Inaba, the wonder scorer, netted his first of the encounter and 13th in Paris.
In the final quarter, with the match well and truly in Hungary’s grasp, goals were traded to 14-8 at 3:48. Krisztian Manhercz then converted from the penalty line, followed by an Inaba penalty. The next penalty was a failure for Denes Varga. He hit the crossbar, fired in the rebound, only to be blocked by the goalkeeper. He made sure of a counter-attack goal soon after as he was nearly the only player in the Japanese half. Vigvari netted his fourth on extra, receiving a pass at four metres to close the match at 17-9.
Match Heroes
Youngster Vigvari topped with four and veteran Varga with three goals for Hungary. Taiyo Watanabe was best for Japan with three while Adachi and Inaba chimed in with two each. Katsuyuki Tanamura claimed nine saves in his three quarters in the water.
Turning Point
The opening three goals and then moving from 5-3 to 12-5 late in the third period.
Stats Don’t Lie
Hungary produced one of the best results of the Games with six from seven on extra while defending eight from 12. It converted one from two on penalty with Japan scoring its one. Hungary shot 35 times to 32.
Bottom Line
Hungary needed to make a statement in this match, for a second win and to reset after losing out to Spain on the second men’s day of competition. It’s back on track and Japan, after two one-goal defeats and today’s wider margin has a tough task to make the quarterfinals.
Progress Points
Group A: Greece 8, Italy 8, Croatia 6, USA 3, Montenegro 2, Romania 0.
Group B: Spain 9, Hungary 6, Australia 6, France 3, Serbia 3, Japan 0.
Day 8 Schedule — Men
Match 19. 10:30. Group B, Spain v Japan
Match 20. 12:05. Group A, Croatia v Greece
Match 21. 15:00. Group B, Australia v Hungary
Match 22. 16:35. Group A, Montenegro v United States of America
Match 23. 19:30. Group B, Serbia v France
Match 24. 21:05. Group A, Italy v Romania