Italian
In the second day of Division I of the World Cup, the Settebello wins 15-8 against the USA. The match against Croatia today is crucial.
ALESSANDROPOLI (GREECE) – Good also the second. After the victory in the debut of the Division I of the World Cup taking place in Alessandropoli, the Settebello wins convincingly against the United States 15-8. Excellent debut for the left-handed Eduardo Campopiano, who scored a hat-trick. Three goals also for Filippo Ferrero, thanks to two penalties.
A very hard-fought first half with the blues managing to take the lead 4-3 thanks to the first penalty by Ferrero. In the second half, there is no contest, with only one team in the pool for a decisive score of 3-0. First Alesiani, then twice Campopiano for 7-3 at halftime.
The third period sees Del Lungo in goal instead of Nicosia. Italy continues to rack up goals with Balzarini, Guerrato, and Ferrero, bringing the score to a final 15-8.
Another performance to remember for Italy, which had already managed to win 12-10 against the Spain world champion and also holder of the World Cup. Now the Azzurri lead Group B with 6 points, three more than the Iberians and Croatia. The latter will be our last opponent in the group today at 14:30.
Crucial match to secure the top spot and access to the final phase of the competition scheduled in Sydney from July 22 to 26. The matches are streamed on a paid basis on the Recast platform.
The statements
These are the words of the coach Alessandro Campagna: “The first half was balanced, they surprised us with some high-quality plays. The 3-0 run in the second half was very good. We also performed well in the third and fourth periods, although there were some mistakes. We need to improve our game and we know where. We will analyze the match and then prepare for the game against Croatia, which is crucial to finish in the top two of the group“.
The scorecard
UNITED STATES-ITALY 8-15
UNITED STATES: A. Weinberg, B. Brinkema, M. Vavic, N. Saveljic 1, H. Daube 2, P. Castillo, B. Liechty 1, L. J. Nelson, C. Dodd, R. Dodd, M. Irving 3, C. Mills, R. Ohl 1, D. Brown. Coach: Udovicic
ITALY: M. Del Lungo, F. Cassia 2, S. Guerrato 1, G. Cannella 2, F. Ferrero 3 (2 penalties), A. Balzarini 1, V. Dolce 1, T. Gianazza, M. Iocchi Gratta, L. Bruni 1, M. Del Basso, E. Campopiano 3, G. Nicosia, J. Alesiani 1. Coach: Campagna
Referees: Zwart (NED) and Ercse (HUN)
Notes: partial scores 3-4, 0-3, 4-5, 1-3. Excluded for foul limit Cassia (I) and Del Basso (I) in the third period, Guerrato (I), Saveljic (U) and Dolce (I) in the fourth period. Power plays: United States 5/23 and Italy 5/12 + 2 penalties. Del Lungo (I) substitutes for Nicosia in the third period. Coach Udovicic (S) cautioned in the fourth period. In the stands for Italy Di Somma and Carnesecchi.
Ranking and schedule
World Cup 2026 – Division I
Group A: Hungary 5, Greece 3, Serbia 3, Netherlands 1
Group B: Italy 6, Spain 3, Croatia 3, United States 0
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)
Italy – United States 15-8 (3-4, 0-3, 4-5, 1-3)
Wednesday, April 8
Group A
12:30 Serbia-Hungary
16:30 Netherlands-Greece
Group B
14:30 Italy-Croatia
18:45 Spain-United States
Thursday, April 9
Group D
12:30 3A-4A
14:30 3B-4B
Group C
16:30 1A-2B
18:45 1B-2A
Saturday, April 11
Group D
12:30 3B-4B
14:30 3A-4A
Group C
16:30 1A-2A
18:45 1B-2B
Sunday, April 12
Group D
08:00 3A-3B
10:00 4A-4B
Group C
12:00 2A-2B
14:00 1A-1B
Photo Aniko Kovacs/World Aquatics
