Though
Spain forced a tight match in the final, Hungary still sailed away with an 11-8
win to secure another gold medal for this generation of players. The Hungarian
class of 2006-2007 remained unbeaten in the past three years while finishing
atop at the U15 Europeans in 2021, at the U16 Worlds in 2022 and now at the U17
Europeans in Manisa.
Final:
Spain v Hungary 8-11. Bronze medal: Greece v Italy 7-6. For places 5-6th:
Israel v Netherlands 4-6. For places 7-8th: Croatia v Turkiye 12-10.
Final
rankings: 1. Hungary, 2. Spain, 3. Greece, 4. Italy, 5. Netherlands, 6. Israel,
7. Croatia, 8. Turkiye, 9. France, 10. Slovakia, 11. Serbia, 12. Malta, 13.
Great Britain, 14. Romania, 15. Ireland, 16. Switzerland, 17. Ukraine
After
breathing through the prelims, Hungary had a rematch first with Italy in the
semis (won by six again), then they faced Spain once more, after a 15-8 rout in
the opening round. However, unlike the semi-final, the gold medal match
unfolded differently. At least in the first half Spain managed to hold off the
Hungarian scoring machine, limiting them to three goals so it stood 3-3 at
halftime. What’s more, two minutes into the third, the challengers took the
lead again at 4-3 from a 6 on 5.
Then… the
Magyars got going – two fine action goals in 35 seconds kicked in the engine
and after killing a woman-down, they added two more in just 17 seconds. Then
again, the Spaniards were denied in their 6 on 5, the ensuing counter ended in
a penalty, Kata Hajdu – member of Hungary’ senior World Championship team –
buried it. In 3:13 minutes the Magyars virtually had it, thanks to their 5-0
rush. Though Spain bounced back somewhat, netted two from their following two
possessions, but Panna Tiba reset the three-goal gap 23 seconds before the last
break.
And they
hit another one right away in the fourth to go 6-10 up. Spain tried to stage a
late surge, but they needed three more minutes to pull one back, then were
unable to come any closer. Instead, the Hungarians could force a penalty with
2:37 remaining, Hajdu converted it again, it was her 4th in the match, and at
7-11 it was over. A late goal for Spain gave them something to cheer for but
this championship ended the same way as the previous two for the class of
2006-2007: Hungary finished atop, expanding their unbeaten run for three years,
an amazing feat.
Greece
edged out Italy for the bronze – it was a balanced battle till the end. Just
like the final, this match also stood 3-3 at halftime, then the Greeks gained a
two-goal lead, but the Italians managed to level the score in 30 seconds late
in the third. While Italy missed a couple of crucial extras, the Greeks could
score twice from their dying 6 on 5s to go 7-5 up and this time their rivals
couldn’t come back to even. They pulled one back with 2:44 on the clock but the
equaliser never came in the remaining time.
The
Netherlands had some tough moments before they could prevail against Israel
while Croatia could down Turkiye in a match of twists and turns. The hosts
could come back from 6-1 down to 8-8 by the end of the third, but the Croats
hit three early in the fourth leaving no second chance for the home side which
had become the first team in the new two-division format which managed to bring
down the opponent from the top-flight in the crossovers.
LEN water
polo action continues in three days’ time when the boys’ U17 Europeans kick off
at the same site in Manisa.
For more
details, visit https://len.microplustimingservices.com/LENU17WPC2023W/index_web.php?cal=1
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