Italian
The Settebello wins the third match of the group against Croatia and secures a spot in the final phase of the World Cup in July in Sydney
ALESSANDROPOLI (GREECE) – The Settebello goes three for three and finishes at the top of Group B in the preliminary tournament. After the victory against the World Champions of Spain, and the most decisive one against the United States, the Azzurri also defeat the Olympic silver medalists from Croatia 13-11.
An Italy always in the lead, even up by 4, finds in Iocchi Gratta the star of the day with 3 goals to his name. Thanks to this success, the Azzurri have secured their place in the final phase of the World Cup in Sydney, Australia, from July 22 to 26. The preliminary round will continue until Sunday with the new group C in which Italy will face Greece, the second in group A, today at 4:30 PM.
The statements
These are the words at the end of the match from coach Campagna:
“We showed great water polo and achieved our goal, which is the superfinal in Sydney. It was a battle, a physical match with many expulsions from the first half, and the guys did well to play with focus and dedication. Now we will play more strong matches that we should approach with the same mindset“.
The scorecard
ITALY-CROATIA 13-11
ITALY: M. Del Lungo, F. Cassia 2 (1 penalty), S. Guerrato 1, G. Cannella 2, F. Ferrero 1 (penalty), E. Di Somma 1, V. Dolce 1, T. Gianazza 1, M. Iocchi Gratta 3, L. Bruni, E. Campopiano, A. Carnesecchi 1, G. Nicosia, J. Alesiani. Coach: Campagna
CROATIA: M. Bijac, R. Buric 1, L. Fatovic, V. Toncinic 1, F. Lazic 2, R. Akrap, T. Radan 1, M. Zuvela, V. Pavlic 2 (1 pen.), T. Brubnjak 1, Z. Butic 1 (pen.), K. Kharkov 2 (1 pen.), M. Cubranic, M. Curkovic. Coach Tucak
Referees: Zwart (NED) and Kis (SRB)
Note: partial scores 2-1, 5-6, 4-2, 2-2. Out for foul limit Guerrato (I), Di Somma (I) and Kharkov (C) in the third period, Dolce (I) in the fourth period. Power plays: Italy 7/16 + 3 penalties and Croatia 6/19 + 3 penalties. Bijac (C) saves a penalty from Iocchi Gratta in the fourth period. Campopiano (I) sent off for protests at 7’13” of the second period with a score of 7-6. Coach Tucak (C) booked in the third period. In the third period, Del Lungo (I) replaces Nicosia, who returns in the fourth period.
Ranking and schedule
World Cup 2026 – Division I
Group A: Hungary 8, Greece 6, Serbia 3, Netherlands 1
Group B: Italy 9, Spain 6, Croatia 3, United States 0
Wednesday, April 8
Group A
Serbia-Hungary 10-12 (3-2, 3-2, 5-3, 1-3)
Netherlands-Greece 11-14 (3-4, 4-4, 2-2, 2-4)
Group B
Italy-Croatia 13-11 (2-1, 5-6, 4-2, 2-2)
Spain-United States 15-8 (2-3, 5-1, 6-1, 2-2)
previous
Monday, April 6
Group A
Serbia-Netherlands 15-11 (5-4, 2-2, 4-4, 4-1)
Hungary-Greece 13-12 (3-2, 3-5, 4-3, 3-2)
Group B
Italy-Spain 12-10 (2-3, 2-1, 3-3, 5-3)
Croatia-United States 16-7 (4-1, 5-1, 4-3, 3-2)
Tuesday, April 7
Group A
Netherlands-Hungary 15-16 dtr (4-3, 0-3, 3-2, 4-3; tr 4-5)
Greece-Serbia 16-15 (3-4, 4-7, 6-3, 3-1)
Group B
Spain-Croatia 14-10 (4-3, 5-2, 2-2, 3-3)
United States-Italy 8-15 (3-4, 0-3, 4-5, 1-3)
Thursday, April 9
Group D
12:30 Serbia-United States
14:30 Croatia-Netherlands
Group C
16:30 Italy-Greece
18:45 Hungary-Spain
Saturday, April 11
Group D
12:30 Croatia-United States
14:30 Serbia-Netherlands
Group C
16:30 Hungary-Greece
18:45 Italy-Spain
Sunday, April 12
Group D
08:00 Serbia-Croatia
10:00 Netherlands-United States
Group C
12:00 Greece-Spain
14:00 Hungary-Italy
Photo Aniko Kovacs/World Aquatics
