Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 7:23 p.m
The Hungarian men’s water polo team also won its second match in the World Cup qualifiers taking place in Bucharest: Zsolt Varga’s team won 15-10 against the French on Tuesday and directly advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament on Friday. The challenge was introduced in water polo.
Men’s Water Polo, World Cup, Group A, Round 2:
Hungary-France 15-10 (1-3, 6-0, 3-3, 5-4)
the scorers of the Hungarian team: Vigvári 5, Burián 3, Nagy Ák. 2, Manhercz, Vismeg, Tátrai Ekler, Nagy Ád. 1-1
The Hungarian team started a little tired, which was not a surprise, since 19 hours earlier they had a big battle with the Spaniards.
The French took advantage of this and scored two goals in the opening quarter. In the second half, the picture of the game changed completely, six Hungarian goals were scored without an answer, and Szakonyi blocked the French shots one after another in the goal, including the attempts of the rival’s greatest talent, Thomas Vernoux.
The picture of the game did not change in the third act either, the Hungarian defense worked well, the French were unable to take Szakonyi’s goal for more than a quarter and a half. Among the Hungarian goals, the goal of Dávid Tátrai, who flicked Ádám Nagy’s perfect pass into the net, should be singled out. With a 9-3 lead, the Hungarian team could have decided the match with a man advantage, but they failed to sell the advantage, and the French caught up with three goals in a row.
The challenge was presented
Before the end of the quarter, however, Gergely Burián scored, so the team could take a reassuring (10-6) lead into the final eight minutes. The fourth quarter dragged on quite a bit, mainly because the coaches tried to take advantage of the newly introduced challenge. The end was 15-10 for the Hungarians. The first six from the tournament advance to the eight-team super final in April, in which the German and Dutch national teams from Division B have already secured their places.
Zsolt Varga after the match:
Source: molcsapat.hu
