In an exciting sudden-death penalty shootout, Spain became a three-time champion
In an exciting sudden-death penalty shootout, Spain became a three-time champion. The winner of the Budapest 2022 FINA World Championships men’s water polo tournament was determined by penalties after the defending champion Italy overcame a 9-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to force the shootout after tying the score two minutes before the conclusion.
The fairytale of winning consecutive championships did not come true as Spain defeated England 15-14 in a sudden-death penalty shootout to become a three-time champion. It was placed in Spain for a very long period after the previous championships in Perth in 1998 and Fukuoka in 2001.
Pic Source- https://www.fina.org/news/2666126/spain-and-italy-final
Budapest, classification 1-2: In a sudden-death penalty shootout (FT: 9-9), Italy defeated Spain by a score of 14 to 15. Pens: 5-6)
In the Gwangju 2019 championship final, Spain defeated England in a match of the highest caliber between two elite teams. It was a repeat of Spain’s round-robin match result of 14-12, but this time it was a sudden-death game that determined the 15-14 score. The five-goal rotation for each team’s opportunity to enter sudden death was missed by both teams. Spain sent the first two in and Italy the first, as it was the first shooter.
Spain won the title for the first time in 21 years after Unai Aguirre turned down Giacomo Canella’s shot. Ironically, it will defend its title in Fukuoka when the following edition is held. It’s understandable that Spain would have wanted to celebrate its victory sooner. Prior to the first period’s conclusion, it had early 2-0 and 3-1 leads. As Spain sped up 6-3 at the lengthy interval, a shutout in the second quarter told the story.
Felipe Perrone, the captain, helped it get as far as 7-3. Italy won the following period 3-1 to cut its deficit to two goals at the intermission. With just three goals separating Spain and the winner, the gold medal was tantalizingly close. Spain’s team looked to accidentally touch a button while not in possession, but Italy would have none of that, and the mystical Francesco di Fulvio converted a penalty.
Before starting a timeout, you must control the ball. Italy is down one after Eduardo di Somma was sent off in the water for exerting too much pressure. To make the score 9-8, Vincenzo Dolce scored from the deep left after a rebounded shot. Then, at 2:03, the king of the long shot, short shot, and everything in between, di Fulvio, launched a shot from the top for 9-9, which ended up being the game-changing shot in the shootout. Spain performed quite well there and won the competition.
Alvaro Granados, one of the game’s heroes, scored six goals in the triumph – four during regulation play and two during the shootout. Captain Perrone scored twice in the shootout and once more in the third period, overcoming his growing age and demonstrating why he wants to win five Olympic medals in Paris.
The decisive Spain quarter and the three-goal Italian comeback. With five additional players instead of eight, Italy had the advantage. Spain made five of ten, but they undoubtedly made more field goals.
Italy did well to advance to the final and narrowly missed completing a back-to-back. After losing the previous final and consistently being in the hunt, Spain deserved to come from behind and prevail. Congratulations to head coach David Martin and the entire team for pulling off such a fantastic fear of the international scene. It brought to mind the Olympic victory in Atlanta in 1996 as well as the two world championships.
What they expressed
David Martin (ESP) — Head Coach- ‘At last, we succeeded. We played great and earned this victory. Italy has a great team, so the final period was quite challenging. Greece, Italy, and Hungary were among the top-notch teams in that fantastic competition. There is nothing left to do now, and I am incredibly proud of my players. Everyone on my team wanted to take home this championship. They intended to exact revenge for the previous final, which we fortunately already accomplished.’
Eduardo Lorrio (ESP) — Athlete- ‘Spain has won the world title. It sounds fantastic. Right now, I’m feeling incredibly joyful and proud. Being a part of this winning team is an incredibly emotional experience. Italy is a very, very competitive team, and it showed in this game as well. Despite the fact that we were aware of it, they pushed hard to return to the game. We ultimately received the penalties as a result, but this time, luck was on our side. This was the title we had to win, and we did so spectacularly.’
Alessandro Campagna (ITA) — Head Coach- ‘That game was incredible. I’m fortunate to be watching this game as a coach. I am not allowed to insult my players in any way. They gave their everything. Even though Spain played better in the first two quarters, they poured strength into the water. I had hope that we could return. Even though we were severely depressed, I had faith in it. Anyway, congratulations to Spain and to my team as well.’
Luca Damonte (ITA) — Goal Scorer- ‘Today, I believe Spain performed better than we did. They had a strong beginning. We exerted every effort in the final frame, but the outcome was a draw. There wasn’t much that could be done regarding the fines. It was my first championship, and I’m thrilled with the outcome. Okay, the loss has made it difficult now. But everything here was excellent, including the facility. Because I reside here, I like this city.’
In an exciting sudden-death penalty shootout, Spain became a three-time champion.