After a decade-long wait, Hungary’s water polo team has claimed the world championship title.

In an exhilarating final today, the Hungarians triumphed over Greece with a score of 14:13 after five tense matches, having ended the regular time tied at 10:10.

This victory marks Hungary’s fourth title, allowing them to equal Italy’s record, largely thanks to goalkeeper Vogel’s outstanding performance in the goal.

The game began with Greece taking an early lead at 1:0, but Hungary quickly turned the tide, establishing a two-goal lead that they maintained until halftime. However, they experienced a scoring drought, which Greece capitalized on, with Genidunias scoring two goals to shift the momentum to a 6:5 lead for Greece.

From there, both teams exchanged goals, and in the fourth quarter, Jansik’s score helped Hungary reclaim the lead at 8:7.

As the match neared its conclusion, the teams were locked at 10:10, during which Vogel made a crucial save against Kakaris, while Hungary hit the crossbar on their subsequent attempt.

The match proceeded to a series of five-pointers, where Vogel emerged as the hero. He concluded the game with 12 saves and was awarded the title of the best player in the championship.

For Greece, this silver medal is their first since 1997 at the World Water Polo Championship.

In terms of scoring, Hungary’s Vamoš and Zalanki each netted four goals, while Manherc contributed three. Fekete, Varga, and Janšik each scored once.

On the Greek side, Genidounias was the top scorer with five goals. Papanastasiou added three, while Giuvecis and Fontoulis each scored two, and Skumpakis contributed one goal.

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