World Championships Men’s Water Polo: Hungary Outlasts Italy in Shootout
Hungary outlasted Italy in a penalty shootout Wednesday at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, the reigning world champ surviving a classic affair.
The U.S. got its first win of the tournament with an 18-5 decision over Japan. Spain bested Croatia, 10-6, in the undercard to the Hungary-Italy tilt of European powers, while Serbia claimed the Balkans battle with Montenegro, 14-6.
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It took eight rounds of the shootout for Hungary and Italy to separate, in a game where neither team led by more than two goals. Hungary led by two in the shootout after Italy missed its first two attempts, but Hungary missed its last two with the chance to close it out. Eduardo Di Somma and Vincenzo Renzuto, who missed earlier in the shootout, capitalized on the second life by scoring in the sixth and seventh rounds, respectively. But Gonzalo Echenique was saved in the eighth by Soma Vogel, and Gergo Zalanki buried his second penalty of the shootout to win it.
Zalanki scored four times, as did Krisztian Manhercz, who shot 4-for-4. Marton Vamos tallied a hat trick. Vogel stopped 14 shots.
Echenique and Francesco Di Fulvio scored three times each, but they shot a combined 6-for-19. Di Somma scored twice. Marco Del Lungo made nine saves.
Italy led by two goals on three occasions in the second half, including 7-5 with 1:42 left in the third. But goals by Vince Vigvari and Vamos got Hungary back on level terms heading into the fourth. A six-minute drought for Hungary paired with goals by Di Fulvio and Andrea Fondelli to put Italy up 9-7 as the game ticked under two minutes.
But Di Fulvio committed his second and third exclusion fouls, the latter of which allowed Szilard Jansik to get Hungary within 9-8 with 90 seconds left on the man advantage, then Zalanky scored 17 seconds later on a fastbreak. Vogel stopped Di Somma twice in the final minute with chances to win it.
Defense did the job for the U.S. in its first win of the tournament, holding Japan to one first-half goal and 5-for-24 shooting (21 percent) on the day. Drew Holland made 11 saves in goal.
Johnny Hooper scored six goals. Ben Hallock added five. Max Irving paired three goals with five assists.
Spain had seven steals, and Eduardo Lorrio made eight saves, as a third-quarter shutout helped it muzzle Croatia. Alvaro Granados paired three goals with four assists. Alberto Munarriz and Bernat Sanahuja scored twice each. Loren Fatovic led Croatia with three goals and an assist.
Radoslav Filipovic came up with 11 saves for Serbia in beating Montenegro. The Montenegrins trailed 4-1 after one quarter and never quite caught up. Dusan Mandic led Serbia with four goals and two assists.
France scored seven times in the fourth quarter to pull away from China. Thomas Vernoux scored six times for the second straight game, and Ugo Crousillat (five assists) and Alexandre Bouet tallied hat tricks. Hugo Fontani made 11 saves.
Greece gave up three first-quarter goals, then shut the door the rest of the way in a 23-4 defeat of Brazil. Stylianos Argyropoulos and Ioannis Fountoulis scored four goals each, the former on 4-for-4 shooting.
Australia rode six Blake Edwards goals to a 29-7 demolition of South Africa. Jacob Mercep and Marcus Berehulak scored five times apiece. Tudor-Andrei Fulea and Andrei Prioteasa scored five times each as Romania downed Kazakhstan, 25-3.