SYDNEY, July 23 — Greece’s water polo World Cup campaign advanced to the semi-finals after a 14-13 quarter-final victory over Montenegro.
Early surge builds commanding lead
Greece’s water polo World Cup bid imposed a high tempo from the opening minutes. The side pressed hard defensively and moved the ball effectively in attack. As a result, the Greeks scored eight goals in the first 9.5 minutes. This opened an 8-3 lead.
After that early surge, Greece managed only one more goal before half-time. Stelios Argyropoulos converted a penalty. Meanwhile, Montenegro closed the gap to 9-6.
Quarter scores stood at 7-3 and 2-3 at the break. Greece entered the contest off a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Olympics and second place at the 2025 World Cup Finals.
Montenegro mounts strong third-period fightback
Montenegro continued to chip away early in the third period. Gojkovic reduced the deficit to 9-7. However, Argyropoulos ended a 10.5-minute Greek scoring drought. Gkiouvetsis then converted a penalty. This restored a four-goal cushion at 11-7.
Montenegro rattled off three unanswered goals. Two came with a man advantage. Stupar added a counter-attack. The score became 11-10. Therefore, Spahic restored breathing room with a power-play goal five seconds before the period ended. Greece led 12-10.
The third quarter finished 3-4 to Montenegro. Italy earlier defeated Georgia 18-12 and awaits Greece in the semi-finals.
Greece holds firm through tense final period
In the final quarter, Greece survived two close calls. Shots from Vuckovic and Gojkovic hit the post. Additionally, goalkeeper Panagiotis Tzortzatos produced an outstanding save in a one-on-one against Matkovic.
Spahic scored again after a rebound. Chalyvopoulos made it 14-10 with 4.5 minutes remaining. Montenegro refused to give up. The side pulled back to 14-12 and then to 14-13. A successful coach’s challenge resulted in an exclusion for Chalyvopoulos and a goal by Slanovic.
Greece ran down the shot clock but left Montenegro seven seconds and a timeout with a 7-on-6 advantage. Vasilije Radovic’s final effort missed the target. The last quarter ended 2-3.
Argyropoulos leads scorers as Vlachos praises effort
Stelios Argyropoulos led the scoring with four goals for Theodoros Vlachos’s side. Semir Spahic netted two crucial goals. Goalkeeper Panagiotis Tzortzatos made several key saves in the final period.
Greece’s roster featured: Tzortzatos; Chalyvopoulos 1, Skoumpakis 1, Gkiouvetsis 2, Argyropoulos 4, Papanastasiou 1, Pouros, Kalogeropoulos 1, Alafragkis 1, Kakaris 1, Nikolaidis, Gardikas, Andreadis, Spahic 2.
Coach Vlachos later said: “We deserved to win.” Greece will face Italy in Saturday’s semi-final on 25 July at 8:15 pm AEST at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
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Photos Copyright Nick Bourdaniotis / Greek City Times
