{"id":18071,"date":"2026-07-23T12:41:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/23\/greeks-advance-after-14-13-win\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:41:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:41:41","slug":"greeks-advance-after-14-13-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/23\/greeks-advance-after-14-13-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Greeks advance after 14-13 win"},"content":{"rendered":"


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SYDNEY, July 23 \u2014 Greece\u2019s water polo World Cup campaign advanced to the semi-finals after a 14-13 quarter-final victory over Montenegro.<\/h3>\n
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Greece advances to the semi-finals with a 14-13 win over Montenegro<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Early surge builds commanding lead<\/h3>\n

Greece\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Vlachos <\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n

Montenegro mounts strong third-period fightback<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The third quarter finished 3-4 to Montenegro. Italy earlier defeated Georgia 18-12 and awaits Greece in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n

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Greek Water Polo Coach Theodoros Vlachos<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Greece holds firm through tense final period<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s challenge resulted in an exclusion for Chalyvopoulos and a goal by Slanovic.<\/p>\n

Greece ran down the shot clock but left Montenegro seven seconds and a timeout with a 7-on-6 advantage. Vasilije Radovic\u2019s final effort missed the target. The last quarter ended 2-3.<\/p>\n

\"Tzortzatos <\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n

Argyropoulos leads scorers as Vlachos praises effort<\/h3>\n

Stelios Argyropoulos led the scoring with four goals for Theodoros Vlachos\u2019s side. Semir Spahic netted two crucial goals. Goalkeeper Panagiotis Tzortzatos made several key saves in the final period.<\/p>\n

Greece\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Coach Vlachos later said: \u201cWe deserved to win.<\/em>\u201d Greece will face Italy in Saturday\u2019s<\/strong> semi-final on 25 July at 8:15 pm AEST at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.<\/a><\/p>\n

Cheer on the Greek team this Saturday<\/strong> in Sydney with 10% off <\/strong>tickets<\/strong><\/a> for Greek fans! Just enter \u201cGreece\u201d<\/strong> in the promo code section when purchasing to unlock the discount for the Semi-Final. Don\u2019t miss the Water Polo World Cup Semi-Finals.<\/h4>\n

Visit: https:\/\/tickets.oztix.com.au\/outlet\/event\/ef858247-d2dd-42a8-a184-6ec74fd9315b<\/a><\/p>\n

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Photos Copyright Nick Bourdaniotis \/ Greek City Times<\/em><\/p>\n