GREEKS TAKE SZOMBATHLEY

FINA 18U World Champs

1 Greece
2 Spain
3 Hungary
4 Serbia
5 Italia
6 Croatia
7 Montenegro
8 Australia
9 USA

MVP Papanikolaou Nikolaos-Sry (GRE)
Best Goal Keeper Unai Aguirre Rubio (ESP)
Top score Bernat Sanahuja Carné (ESP)

Greece made it, in an exciting final they managed to beat Spain for the title and became Youth World Champion for the first time. Hungary and Serbia produced an outstanding battle for the bronze, the host side came from behind to clinch the third place. This led to a rare scene at the victory ceremony of a major men’s water polo event: no former Yugoslav team made the podium – among the youth it happened once in 2014, at other levels only in the mid-90s. The new rules tested at the tournament gained big success, can help to make water polo an even more thrilling and electrifying game.

The final day couldn’t have produced any more excitements: all four matches were decided by a single goal, or, as in the game for the 5th place, a penalty shootout.

Greece outsmarted Spain in a tactical battle for the gold medal where the eventual winners might enjoy the benefit of coming first in the prelims which gave them an extra day off – something can become crucial when 17-18 years old boys had to take important decisions.

In that process the Greek did the better job, they were more effective in man-ups in the most crucial moments and ultimately that brought them the victory. In the final, they managed to jump a 3-goal lead by halftime and even though the Spaniards fought pretty hard their chasing game burnt too much energy before they could narrow the gap to one goal. Once Bernat Sanahuja managed to score for 8-9, his 6th goal, there were 4:55 minutes to play but they could create their best chance only 1:44 from time, a man-up.

However, the hero of the semis, Lluc Bertan (netted 5 against Hungary) couldn’t beat the Greek goalie, and inside the last minute Oscar Asensio, who hit the game-winner from the center a day earlier, couldn’t pull the ball in under pressure from close range. Though the Greeks scored their last goal late in the third, they could withstand the pressure in the last 11:31 minutes, conceded only two goals, so just proved the good old saying: offense wins matches but defense wins titles.