Reigning champion Spain blew Serbia away 13-2 on the opening day of the World Aquatics U16 Women’s World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Elsewhere, Hungary – runner-up two years ago – began its campaign with a powerful 22-4 victory against Romania while there were also lopsided wins for several other nations.
First Round League Phase Match Reports
Match 1. CANADA 16 ZIMBABWE 2 (5-0, 3-0, 6-2, 2-0)
Canada totally outclassed Zimbabwe in the opening match of the tournament, rattling in 11 goals before the Africans finally managed to get off the mark late in the third quarter. Zimbabwe was on the back-foot from the start, falling 8-0 behind in the first half, as it struggled to build any attacking momentum. A much tougher challenge awaits the Canadians on Day 2, as the United States lie in wait for the highly anticipated North American derby.
Match Heroes
Canada’s clinical Jing Jing Xia was a thorn in Zimbabwe’s side throughout, firing in four goals from four shots – two from counter attacks, one penalty and one from the centre. Jennika Linthicum was also in fine form, matching Xia’s total with four strikes of her own.
Stats Don’t Lie
Canada’s two goalkeepers enjoyed a relatively quiet morning, facing just six shots on target, with most of the action taking place down the other end. Zimbabwe’s red caps left the pool with just three saves combined.
Match 2. SPAIN 13 SERBIA 2 (3-1, 2-1, 5-0, 3-0)
Reigning champion Spain’s grip on its world crown looks to be tight after a dominant performance against Serbia. A defensive masterclass restricted the Serbs to just two goals in the opening 16 minutes, before the Spanish backline completely slammed the door shut in the last two quarters. Serbia may have scored first, and remained close at 3-2 midway through the second quarter, but it was all Spain from there, as the title holder hit 10 without reply to finish comfortable winners.
Match Heroes
Spain star Ivet Sulla was unstoppable at times, hammering in six goals, while compatriot Paula Pineda also enjoyed a fruitful start to her campaign, hitting a hat-trick.
Stats Don’t Lie
Spain overpowered Serbia in every department, with the shot count highlighting the difference in class – 23 for the Spaniards and just nine for the Serbs.
Match 3. ITALY 7 RUSSIA 11 (2-2, 0-4, 2-2, 3-3)
Russia produced the perfect response to conceding twice in the opening five minutes by hitting six goals without reply to move four clear by halftime. That attacking burst, combined with some outstanding defending, proved decisive, as the Italians were unable to find a route back. The momentum stayed with Russia, who stretched its lead to seven (4-11) late in the fourth, before Italy hit three consolation goals to make the score appear more respectable.
Match Heroes
Russia’s Taisia Apokina top scored with a stunning hat-trick, with her first goal – a penalty – starting the pivotal 6-0 surge at the end of the first quarter, while Italy goalkeeper Sofia Zampini did her best to keep her team in contention, finishing with a 55.6% save percentage (5/9).
Stats Don’t Lie
Italy’s misfiring attack proved costly, fluffing all their shots on extra (0/3) and both penalties (0/2).
Match 4. ISRAEL 12 SOUTH AFRICA 7 (3-2, 3-2, 4-1, 2-2)
Israel battled back from 2-0 down by hitting five goals without reply to take charge of its clash with South Africa. The gap was reduced to two at the turnaround (6-4), but the Israelis found another gear in the third quarter, winning that 4-1 to move five clear (10-5) ahead of the final eight minutes. South Africa kept fighting and cut the deficit to four on two occasions, but were unable to get any closer.
Match Heroes
Yaheli Rokach and Ori Grodman led the way for Israel with three strikes each, while South Africa’s Kyla Hall was unfortunate to end up on the losing side after her game-high five-goal haul.
Stats Don’t Lie
Israel’s shot count was far greater (28 to 16) and the South Africans were ultimately unable to withstand that type of pressure.
Match 5. GREECE 25 MEXICO 3 (8-0, 8-1, 4-1, 5-1)
Greece got off to an emphatic start by storming past Mexico. The far superior Greeks were 11 goals clear before the Mexicans eventually got off the mark late in the second quarter, and by then the result was already decided. After shipping 16 goals in the first half, the Mexicans tightened up its defence a little in the second, conceding nine, but it was still dealt a tough lesson from one of the international powerhouses.
Match Heroes
Greece’s Sofia Lampropoulou (five goals) and Ifigeneia Manousaki (four goals) caused most of the damage, despite only playing 12:39 and 10:14 minutes respectively.
Stats Don’t Lie
Mexico’s defence had no answers to Greece’s ruthless and relentless attack, which scored 25 times from its 31 shots.
Match 6. HUNGARY 22 ROMANIA 4 (3-1, 5-1, 9-1, 5-1)
Hungary, who won the first edition of the U16 World Championships in 2022 and finished runner-up two years ago, hit the ground running with a real show of strength. Romania was simply blown away by the Magyars, who pulled away after 4-2 midway through the second quarter, smashing in five goals and building an unassailable 9-2 advantage early in the third. Things only got worse for the Romanians, as after 9-3, Hungary’s free-scoring attack rifled in another 11 unanswered strikes to help wrap up a resounding victory.
Match Heroes
Hungary forward Mandula Mihok may have only been in the water for just under 10 minutes (9:41), but she still had time to score six goals from six shots. Reka Tordai, Zsofia Kokany and Brigitta Nagy also displayed some clinical finishing with three goals apiece.
Stats Don’t Lie
Hungary’s potent attack dominated in every aspect – action (4/5), extra (6/7) and especially on the counter (8/8) – as Romania’s two goalkeepers failed to register a single save.
Match 7. CHINA 12 BRAZIL 7 (4-2, 4-2, 2-1, 2-2)
China edged the early exchanges with some pinpoint shooting, taking an early lead against Brazil and never surrendered it. Facing a four-goal deficit at half-time (8-4), the South Americans dug deep and briefly reduced the gap to three at the start of the third, but was unable to trouble its opponent further.
Match Heroes
China captain Zhu Yinqi arrowed in a game-high six goals (including five penalties) and was ably supported by Cheng Yanke, who hit four. Meanwhile, Maya Moura led the resistance for Brazil with four goals.
Stats Don’t Lie
Each side took 23 shots, but China proved far more clinical, including scoring six of the seven penalties Brazil’s defence gave away.
Match 8. NETHERLANDS 17 GERMANY 4 (5-1, 4-2, 4-1, 4-0)
Netherlands bossed its clash with Germany and was already moving out of sight by half-time (9-3). The second half followed a similar pattern, with the blunt German attack breaking through the Dutch defence just once in the final 16 minutes. After 11-4, the ruthless Netherlands kept pushing forward and closed out the game with an impressive 6-0 surge.
Match Heroes
Imke Claessens led the scoring for the Dutch with three goals, while Liz Van Kooten, Laura Renkers, Iris van Langelaar and Pien Walstra each struck twice.
Stats Don’t Lie
Eleven of the 12 Netherlands outfield players ended up on the scoresheet, highlighting the fierce firepower of the Dutch squad.
Match 9. CROATIA 8 TURKIYE 9 (2-2, 1-1, 2-3, 3-3)
The opening day’s most entertaining encounter saw Eda Moroglu’s late penalty, with just 26 seconds remaining, win the game in dramatic fashion for Turkiye. Neither side was able to open up more than a one-goal advantage throughout a close, end-to-end battle, that saw the lead change hands on several occasions. Croatia went ahead twice in the fourth quarter (7-6 and 8-7) and looked on course for victory with 1:20 on the clock, but a fine finish from Mina Bozkurt 19 seconds later, then Moroglu’s 5m shot sparked some wild celebrations for the Turks.
Match Heroes
Türkiye captain Moroglu proved to be the match winner, completing her hat-trick after making no mistake with her late, high-pressure penalty. Her team-mate Melis Basimir also produced some heroics, top-scoring with four goals,
Stats Don’t Lie
Croatia had the most attempts on goal (26 versus 23), but the performance of Turkiye’s Ceren Hergul was key, after edging the goalkeeper stats (7/15, 46.7%) compared to Sara Ivancevic’s (5/14, 35.7%).
Match 10. AUSTRALIA 16 UKRAINE 4 (5-0, 2-2, 2-1, 7-1)
Australia raced into a 6-0 lead against Ukraine and never looked back, despite easing up in the middle two quarters. The Ukrainians scored three during that spell and enjoyed some success, but were powerless to stop the Aussies running riot in the final period and cruising to a huge victory.
Match Heroes
Australia’s Ella Morrison (five goals) and Sophie Zampech (three goals) cut through the Ukrainian defence whenever they were in the water, almost scoring from every attempt.
Stats Don’t Lie
Ukraine was unable to match Australia’s explosive power, especially in the centre, where they conceded five, while scoring none at the other end in that position.
Match 11. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 20 PERU 0 (4-0, 6-0, 5-0, 5-0)
United States, who finished seventh two years ago in Manisa, totally demolished Peru as it began its search for a first medal at this event. The game was a total mismatch, with the South Americans failing to register a single goal, while having to pick the ball out of its own net on 20 occasions.
Match Heroes
Juliana Horton and Gia Jacob each scored three for the United States and will probably be disappointed they didn’t add more to their tallies.
Stats Don’t Lie
Eight of the United States team hit two or more goals, as Peru were completely defenceless to stop the rout.
Match 12. NEW ZEALAND 11 CZECHIA 7 (2-1, 4-1, 3-3, 2-2)
New Zealand expertly held Czechia at arm’s length in the second half to ensure it got off to a winning start in Zagreb. A 4-0 rush after 2-2 helped establish a 6-2 advantage at the turnaround and the Czechs were forced to chase the game from there. The deficit was briefly reduced to two (6-4) early in the third, but this provoked a strong response from the New Zealanders, who slammed the door shut with a 3-0 surge to take back control.
Match Heroes
Emily Rope and Jean Gibson were New Zealand’s sharp shooters, striking three times each, while Lucie Bakalova shone for Czechia with four goals.
Stats Don’t Lie
Czechia took the most shots (21 compared to 20), but goalkeeper Vanda Strnadova struggled to keep the New Zealand attack out, saving just four of the 15 shots on target.
Progress Rankings
1. Russia 90.4%
2. Türkiye 84.2%
3. Netherlands 83.4%
4. Greece 82.2%
5. Australia 81%
6. Israel 80.8%
7. Spain 79.8%
8. China 79.6%
9. Canada 77.4%
10. Hungary 76.2%
11. USA 75%
12. New Zealand 73.6%
13. Brazil 54%
14. Serbia 51.4%
15. Mexico 50.2%
16. Romania 47.8%
17. Croatia 47%
18. Peru 46.6%
19. Czechia 44.4%
20. South Africa 43.2%
21. Ukraine 43%
22. Germany 41.8%
23. Zimbabwe 40.6%
24. Italy 30%
Day 2, First Round League Phase Schedule
10:00: Canada v United States of America
11:30: Spain v Netherlands
13:00: Italy v New Zealand
14:30: Israel v Hungary
16:00: China v Australia
16:05: South Africa v Russia
17:30: Zimbabwe v Germany
17:35: Ukraine v Mexico
19:00: Croatia v Greece
19:05: Turkiye v Brazil
20:30: Peru v Czechia
20:35: Serbia v Romania