Italy “Out” as Serbia’s Victory over the USA Sends the “Sharks” to the Balkans
Photo: Federazione Italiana Nuoto
The Balkan tri-color team held their own for two quarters, matching up well against the strong Italian side. However, “Setebelo” found their groove and efficiently completed the task…
Italy’s water polo team took down Romania with a score of 16:9 in the third round of Group D at the World Championship, securing a playoff spot in second place.
This implies that, should Serbia win against the United States today at 15:30, they will face Romania, who finished third in their group, in the knockout round.
Conversely, if the Americans outplay Serbia, the “sharks” will face a daunting challenge against Italy to secure a place in the quarterfinals and qualify for the Olympic Games.
The Romanian team demonstrated today that they could be formidable opponents, playing closely with Italy until the third quarter (the halftime score was 8:7 in favor of Setebelo). By the end of that period, Campagna’s squad pulled away to 13:9, decisively wrapping up the match.
Italy faced challenges with penalties, converting only two of their seven attempts against Mariusz-Florin Tico.
Leading the Italian effort was Francesco di Fulvio, who netted five goals, while Lorenzo Bruni, Francesco Condemi, and Matteo Jocchi Grata each scored twice for Romania.
In the second half, Vlad-Luka Georgesku added three goals, and Tico recorded a total of 11 saves.
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