A match that started badly, without probably any incentive. After the masterpiece against Greece here it is a Settebello with a different face against a Hungary without all its stars who won the World Cup in the summer in Fukuoka. The Azzurri, in the third match of the European water polo championships in Zagreb, they lose clearly to the Hungarians 10-5, slipping to second place in Group B for the separate ranking (Greece is third and will have to go through the playoffs).
An absolutely unexpected resultwith the Azzurri therefore not having to play the quarter-finals with Serbia, as was originally planned, but probably Montenegro (who will face Croatia this evening in the last match of Group A).
First quarter full of balance where the defenses reign supreme. The result was unlocked by the Azzurri’s numerical superiority with Luca Marziali scoring off the post. In goal for the Hungarians there is the young Gyapjas who excels: he saves practically everything, including a penalty from Cannella (Fondelli had missed one in the first quarter). In the second quarter, Hungary took advantage of an imprecise Italy in all areas and spread, taking the lead 3-1.
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Campagna tries to give the team a beating, but the Azzurri don’t react and end up 5-1 down before the penalty this time scored by the youngest of the team, Francesco Condemi. With Dolce the Settebello temporarily returns to -2, but then the Magyars extend again to +4. Velotto’s superior goal brings the score back to -3 at the end of the third quarter. The pace drops terribly in the final period but the Hungarians continue to push and right when they end up in superiority they take first place. For the Azzurri now Croatia or Montenegro in the quarter-finals, not Serbia as everything suggested after the victory over the Greeks.
Hungary-Italy 10-5
Ungheria: Banyai M., Tatrai D., Varga V., Pohl Z., Vigvari V. 2, Nagy A. 2, Fekete G. 3, Burian 1, Kovacs P. 1, Vigvari V., Vismeg Z., Harai B. 1, Gyapjas V. . Under. Varga Z.
Italy: Del Lungo M., Condemi F. 1, Damonte L., Marziali L. 1, Fondelli A. 1, Cannella G., Renzuto Iodice V., Echenique G., Presciutti N., Bruni L., Velotto A. 1, Dolce V. 1, Nicosia G. . Annex Campaign A.
Referee: MARGETA B., SEGURANA FERRE P.
Note
Halftime: 0-1 3-0 4-3 3-1 Di Somma (disqualified) and Di Fulvio in the stands. Captain: Del Lungo. Vismeg (U) out due to fouls in the third half. Numerical superiorities: Hungary 6/13 and Italy 2/12 + 3 penalties. Fondelli (I) misses a penalty (crossbar) in the first half. Gyapjas (U) saves a penalty from Cannella (I) in the second half.
Photo by Francesco Pasquale Mesiano / DBM