Italian
With the Super Final pass in Australia already secured, the Setterosa is defeated by the United States 13-3 and will go to the World Cup in July as fourth
ROTTERDAM (NETHERLANDS) – Another painless defeat for the Setterosa. In the last match of Division I, the women’s national water polo team succumbed 13-3 to the United States. A result that does not affect the final positioning, with the Azzurre already certain of their spot to compete in the Super Final in Australia from July 22 to 26.
Italy was now also mathematically sure of the fourth place, which will see them face the hosts on Thursday, July 22 at 8:15 PM local time (10:15 AM Italian time).
Against the Americans, Setterosa started off five goals down, with goals from Bettini and Giustini breaking the ice in the second half, which ended 6-2. The third period saw the Americans extend their lead by scoring four more goals in a row. The final quarter featured a penalty converted by Ranalli, but the Americans added two more goals for a final score of 13-3.
In addition to qualifying for the final phase of the World Cup, there was also the satisfaction of individual awards. World Aquatics awarded the blue goalkeeper Olimpia Sesena as the best young player of the tournament in Rotterdam.
The statements
These are the words of the coach Maurizio Mirarchi:
“I’m sorry for these last two matches. We should have closed this tournament better. However, there are many positive aspects to take away. First and foremost, the qualification for the final phase, which was not a given. Just think that Greece, the world champion, is out of the Super Final. This shows the level of this tournament. We achieved qualification already in the first group with the three strongest teams, and that is also a very positive aspect. Out of six matches, we played four at a really high level; in the last two, we physically dropped, suffering from the physical prowess of the Dutch and the Americans. It’s a very positive assessment because it allows us to go to Sydney and play three beautiful, intense matches that will help us for the future“.
The scorecard
ITALY-USA 3-13
ITALY: A. Condorelli, C. Tabani, M. Leone, C. Malluzzo, V. Gant, L. Cergol, S. Giustini 1, R. Bianconi, D. Bettini 1, C. Ranalli 1 (pen.), A. Cocchiere, G. Gagliardi, O. Sesena, L. Papi. Coach: Mirarchi
USA: A. Longan, A. Stryker 1 (pen.), T. Prentice, R. Fattal 4, J. Flynn 1, E. Woodhead, J. Raney, R. Neushul 1, J. Roemer 3, E. Lineback, E. Ausmus 1, J. Sekulic 1, I. Williams, R. Gazzaniga 1. Coach: Krikorian
Referees: Daskalopoulou (GRE) and Nishihara (JPN)
Notes: partial scores 0-3, 2-3, 0-4, 1-3. Exits for foul limit Raney (U) and Ranalli (I) in the fourth quarter. Power plays: Italy 0/10 + one penalty and USA 1/9 + one penalty. Coaches Krikorian (U) in the second quarter and Mirarchi (I) in the third were cautioned. In the stands for Italy were Cabona and Klatowski.
The format
Qualified for the final phase of the World Cup scheduled in Sydney, Australia, from July 22 to 26 are the top two teams from groups A and B, namely Spain, United States, Netherlands, and Italy. Despite the qualification, the tournament continues in a second grouping to determine the positions from 1st to 4th place, which is crucial for the composition of the quarter-final draw.
The third and fourth placed teams have joined another group that is competing for the fifth and final spot for the Final Eight. The sixth and seventh participating nations have come from Division 2 held in Malta, with Russia and China securing their spots, while Australia is already qualified by right as the host country. A placement of the Oceanic teams among the top five in Division I would free up a slot for the sixth-placed team from the Rotterdam tournament.
World Cup 2026 – Division I
SECOND PHASE
Group 1st-4th place: United States 9, Netherlands 6, Spain 3, Italy 0
Group 5th-8th place: Australia 6, Hungary 6, Greece 6, Japan 0
Monday, May 4
5th-8th Place Group
Hungary-Greece 9-14 (2-1, 2-3, 3-4, 2-6)
Australia-Japan 22-10 (7-3, 6-3, 5-3, 4-1) – officiated by Ferrari
1st-4th Place Group
Netherlands-United States 10-12 (2-1, 2-5, 4-3, 2-3)
Spain-Italy 14-12 (3-3, 3-3, 5-3, 3-3)
Tuesday, May 5
5th-8th Place Group
Australia-Greece 17-6 (8-1, 4-3, 2-2, 3-0)
Hungary-Japan 28-13 (6-1, 7-6, 8-1, 7-5)
Group 1st-4th place
Netherlands-Italy 12-2 (3-0, 2-1, 2-0, 5-1)
Spain-United States 5-7 (2-0, 1-2, 2-2, 0-3)
Wednesday, May 6
5th-8th place group
Hungary-Australia 9-7 (3-4, 4-1, 0-1, 2-1) – officiated by Ferrari
Japan-Greece 16-22 (5-3, 2-8, 4-5, 5-6)
Group 1st-4th place
Spain-Netherlands 7-8 (1-2, 4-2, 1-1, 1-3)
Italy-United States 3-13 (0-3, 2-3, 0-4, 1-3)
FIRST STAGE
Group A: Spain 8, United States 7, Hungary 3, Japan 0
Group B: Netherlands 6, Italy 5, Australia 4, Greece 3
Friday, May 1st
Group A
United States-Hungary 12-8 (3-1, 0-2, 6-2, 3-3)
Japan-Spain 10-26 (1-7, 4-4, 2-8, 3-7) – officiated by Ferrari
Group B
Netherlands-Australia 14-8 (3-4, 4-1, 4-1, 3-2)
Italy-Greece 11-15 (3-4, 1-3, 2-3, 5-5)
Saturday, May 2
Group A
Hungary-Japan 16-12 (5-4, 4-3, 3-2, 4-3)
Spain-United States 17-15 dtr (2-3, 6-4, 2-3, 2-2; tr 5-3) – officiated by Ferrari
Group B
Greece-Netherlands 8-12 (1-3, 3-4, 1-4, 3-1)
Australia-Italy 14-15 dtr (3-1, 4-1, 2-5, 1-3; tr 4-5)
Sunday, May 3
Group A
United States-Japan 28-8 (6-2, 9-1, 7-1, 6-4)
Hungary-Spain 9-15 (3-2, 4-5, 0-3, 2-5) – officiated by Ferrari
Group B
Italy-Netherlands 12-10 (3-3, 2-2, 1-3, 6-2)
Greece-Australia 10-13 (4-4, 2-3, 3-4, 1-2)
Photo Aniko Kovacs / World Aquatics
