Day 4: First thriller arrives, but favorites stay on course

The fourth day of the 2026 European Men’s Water Polo Championships in Belgrade delivered the first truly exciting contest in Groups B and D. While there were moments of drama and resistance, the favorites ultimately prevailed across the board.

In Group D, Romania were pushed to the limit by a spirited Türkiye side but held on for a thrilling 20–19 victory. Italy, meanwhile, were not at their best against Slovakia, yet the outcome was never in serious doubt as the Settebello claimed a 17–12 win.

Group B followed a more predictable script, with Croatia defeating Georgia 18–7 and Greece cruising past Slovenia 23–8.

With these results, Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Romania have all mathematically secured qualification for Group Phase II. The remaining two spots in Group F will be decided on Thursday, when Slovakia face Türkiye and Georgia meet Slovenia. Based on what was shown on Wednesday, the Slovakia–Türkiye encounter promises to be a compelling battle.

2026 European Men’s Championships – Belgrade

Day 4 Results

GROUP B

Georgia 7–18 Croatia

(2:3, 0:4, 2:5, 3:6)

Georgia scorers:
Shushiashvili 2, Bitadze 2, Pjesivac 1, Vlahovic 1, Razmadze 1

Croatia scorers:
Kharkov 4, Bukic 3, Fatovic 2, Loncar 2, Lazic 2, Vrlic 2, Butic 1, Zuvela 1, Biljaka 1

Georgia entered their matches against Greece and Croatia without realistic expectations of points, but there were hopes they could show greater resistance given their experienced core.

The Georgians made a brighter start than in their opening match against Greece, scoring first and later levelling at 2–2. However, Croatia quickly imposed control. Between the 4th and 18th minutes, Georgia failed to score while Croatia struck six times, opening an 8–2 lead. From there, the Croatians steadily extended their advantage.

An unusual moment came in the final minute when Croatia head coach Ivica Tucak experimented with a 7-on-6 attack without a goalkeeper. Croatia missed their first attempt, allowing Georgian goalkeeper Razmadze to score into the empty net for 7–17. Bukic, however, responded in the final second, again from the 7-on-6 setup, to close the scoring.

Slovenia 8–23 Greece

(2:7, 1:5, 2:7, 3:4)

Slovenia scorers:
Troppan 2, Potocnik 2, Stefanovic 1, Kadivec 1, Canc 1, Stromajer 1

Greece scorers:
Argyropoulos 4, Nikolaidis 4, Genidounias 3, Papanastasiou 3, Gkillas 3, Kakaris 2, Skoumpakis 1, Gkiouvetsis 1, Kalogeropoulos 1, Chalyvopoulos 1

Slovenia fought bravely, but the difference in quality was clear as Greece dominated from early on. The Slovenians briefly led twice in the opening three minutes (1–0 and 2–1), but Greece quickly found their rhythm and led 7–2 at the first break.

Early in the second half, the gap widened dramatically. Argyropoulos made it 13–3 with a long-range effort before Kakaris added another from close range. With the outcome decided, Greece eased off in the final eight minutes, though Slovenia continued to compete until the final whistle.

GROUP D

Romania 20–19 Türkiye

(4:5, 7:5, 7:5, 2:4)

Romania scorers:
Georgescu 5, Neamtu 4, Fulea 3, Iudean 2, Lutescu 2, Prioteasa 1, Gheorghe 1, Belenyesi 1, Luncan 1

Türkiye scorers:
Caner 6, Duzenli 5, Oguzcan 2, Acar 2, Naipoglu 2, Gemalmazoglu 1, Alpman 1

Romania, participants at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the previous two World Championships, were heavy favorites, especially after their convincing win over Slovakia. However, Türkiye—back at the European Championships after missing the 2022 and 2024 editions—proved to be a formidable opponent.

Romania opened the scoring, but Türkiye quickly took control. By the 7th minute, the Turks led 5–3 and extended their advantage early in the second quarter with three goals in under three minutes to make it 8–4. Romania head coach Bogdan Rath called a timeout, but Türkiye maintained their momentum, regaining a four-goal lead at 9–5.

Romania responded with a strong finish to the half, levelling the score at 10–10 with 59 seconds remaining before Neamtu gave them an 11–10 lead just before the break.

The third quarter was marked by intense physicality, with a total of 33 exclusions and penalties (18 committed by Romania, 15 by Türkiye). Romania edged ahead, building a 16–13 lead and later extending it to 18–15 at the final break.

Türkiye refused to surrender. Midway through the fourth quarter, they cut the deficit to a single goal, raising the tension inside the arena. With 1:30 remaining, Luncan scored on a counterattack for 20–18. Türkiye had one final chance on a man-up but failed to convert. Gemalmazoglu scored with 21 seconds left, but Romania calmly retained possession to secure the victory.

Romania converted 8 of 11 man-up opportunities, while Türkiye scored 7 goals from 14 attempts with an extra player. From the penalty line, Romania scored twice and Türkiye four times.

Slovakia 12–17 Italy

(2:5, 3:3, 4:5, 3:4)

Slovakia scorers:
Balaz 3, Durik 2, Maros Tkac 2, Mihal 1, Tisaj 1, Furman 1, Bielik 1, Caraj 1

Italy scorers:
Di Somma 4, Ferrero 3, Bruni 3, Condemi 3, Dolce 2, Alesiani 1, Del Basso 1

After a disappointing showing against Romania, Slovakia delivered a much-improved performance and took advantage of Italy’s inconsistency. Still, the Settebello maintained control despite fluctuating rhythm.

Italy raced to a 4–0 lead in the opening four minutes and defended two early man-down situations. They led 5–2 after the first quarter, but Slovakia gradually closed the gap, with Balaz converting a penalty in the 14th minute to make it 6–5.

Italy missed several chances in the second quarter, including two counterattacks, but regained a three-goal cushion with quick goals from Bruni and Alesiani. A similar pattern followed in the second half: Italy stretched the lead to 13–8, only for Slovakia to respond immediately.

In the fourth quarter, the teams traded goals until Condemi sealed the result with Italy’s 17th goal in the 31st minute.

While Slovakia can take encouragement from their display, Italy—playing without Matteo Iocchi Gratta—will need to tighten their defence. However, the match did provide a valuable test of their man-down play, with 23 personal fouls committed.