*Top Scorers:* Greece: Argyropoulos 5, Skoumpakis 3 Hungary: Manhercz 4, Nagy 3
Spain’s Path to the Final
*Spain 19–14 Croatia* *(8:6, 6:3, 3:2, 2:3)*
Spain, the defending champs, punched their ticket with a relentless offensive display against Croatia. They erupted for 14 goals on 18 shots in the first half, building a 14:9 lead. Croatia clawed back to 14:11 in the third, but Granados and Sanahuja’s quick replies snuffed out the threat. A VAR call late in the fourth disallowed a Granados goal, gifting Croatia a penalty that Basic buried, but Spain sealed it with Valera’s power-play strike.
*Top Scorers:* Spain: Granados 7, Munarriz 4, Sanahuja 4 Croatia: Basic 3, Zuvela 3
Greece’s Moment of Destiny
This is no fluke for Greece. Their semifinal masterclass showcased a team peaking at the perfect time. Argyropoulos, with his five-goal heroics, is the spearhead, but Skoumpakis’ clutch scoring and a rock-solid team defense have turned Greece into a juggernaut. Their 69% man-up efficiency against Hungary signals a nightmare for Spain’s backline. After falling short in past finals, Greece hungers for their first World Cup crown—a victory that would etch their names in water polo lore. Spain’s firepower looms large, but Greece’s resolve could tip the scales in this David-versus-Goliath clash.
**5th–8th Place Semifinals**
*Montenegro 19–15 Germany* *(5:3, 8:4, 3:4, 3:4)*
Montenegro roared past Germany, piling on a 13:7 halftime lead with three 3:0 bursts. Germany battled back late but fell short.
*Top Scorers:* Montenegro: Moskov, Gardasevic 3 each Germany: Strelezkij 5, Gansen 4
*Netherlands 20–15 Japan* *(6:2, 2:5, 7:4, 4:4)*
The Dutch overwhelmed Japan with a 6:2 opening salvo and a third-quarter surge, holding firm despite Japan’s grit.
*Top Scorers:* Netherlands: S. Hassels 4, Te Riele 3 Japan: Inaba 5
**Final Day Lineup (April 13)**
Don’t miss Greece’s charge for glory—stream every splash live on the Total Waterpolo Arena app for real-time updates.
– *7th-Place Match*: Germany vs. Japan – 14:00 – *5th-Place Match*: Montenegro vs. Netherlands – 16:10 – *Bronze-Medal Match*: Hungary vs. Croatia – 18:20 – *Final*: Greece vs. Spain – 20:30
Source: pagenews.gr