Spain responded emphatically to the disappointment of missing out on a European Championships medal for the first time since 2012, overwhelming Croatia 23–9 in the 5th/6th place playoff in Funchal. Earlier in the day, Israel closed their campaign in style with a commanding 20–12 victory over France to secure seventh place.
Women’s 2026 European Water Polo Championships – Funchal
Day 10 – Wednesday, 4 February
Classification finals
5th/6th place: Croatia 9–23 Spain
7th/8th place: Israel 20–12 France
Spain 23–9 Croatia (5th/6th place playoff)
(4–8, 1–5, 1–5, 3–5)
Spain may have fallen short of their usual medal standards this week, but their response in the classification rounds left little doubt about their quality. After dismantling France in the 5th–8th semifinals, the Olympic champions produced another ruthless display to sweep aside a resilient Croatian side.
The tone was set early, with Spain racing to eight goals in the opening quarter. Captain Bea Ortiz opened the scoring with a powerful six-metre strike, sparking a wave of Spanish pressure that Croatia struggled to contain.
By the second period, Spain had stretched their lead to eight (5–13), with Elena Ruiz completing her hat-trick shortly before the break. Iva Rožić offered brief resistance for Croatia with two goals, but the gap continued to widen.
Croatia showed their trademark fighting spirit early in the third quarter, highlighted by Ria Glas’ spectacular block and a thunderous perimeter strike from captain Jelena Butić. Spain, however, quickly reasserted control, firing in five unanswered goals to lead 18–6 at the final break.
The Spanish dominance continued into the fourth as Croatia’s intensity dipped. Spain went on an 8–0 run, holding their opponents scoreless for nearly nine minutes before Rožić finally broke the drought on the counter. By then, the outcome was long decided.
Ortiz finished with five goals, moving her to the top of the tournament scoring charts on 25, one ahead of Rožić (24). Ruiz added three to take her total to 16 for the competition.
Despite the heavy defeat, Croatia still leave Funchal with their best-ever finish at a European Championships, improving on previous eighth-place finishes achieved in 2010, 2022 and 2024.
For Spain, fifth place represents a rare dip by recent standards. Their last failure to reach the semifinals came in 2012 in Eindhoven — the same year they also finished fifth — after six consecutive top-four finishes, including titles in 2020 and 2022.
Israel 20–12 France (7th/8th place playoff)
(7–3, 3–2, 6–5, 4–2)
Israel ended a difficult week on a high, producing their most complete performance of the tournament to defeat France and claim seventh place.
Maria Bogachenko opened the scoring from the first power play, before Tahel Levi doubled the lead with a deft lob. France responded through Valentine Heurtaux, but Israel quickly regained momentum, establishing a four-goal cushion by the end of the opening quarter (7–3).
The second period followed a similar pattern. After early exchanges, Shunit Strugo struck from centre, and Alma Yaacobi added another fierce effort to stretch Israel’s advantage. A late Ema Vernoux penalty reduced the deficit to five at half-time, offering France a glimmer of hope.
France twice cut the gap to four in the third quarter, but Israel closed the period strongly. Goals from Noa Sasover and Noga Levinshtein pushed the score to 16–10 heading into the final eight minutes.
Israel remained in control throughout the fourth, adding four more goals while limiting France to just two. Vernoux finished with six goals — taking her tournament tally to 22 — but it was not enough to prevent France slipping to eighth.
The result marked Israel’s second-ever European Championships victory over France, and a significant improvement on their 16–8 loss to the same opponents in the group stage two years ago. Israel improved from ninth to seventh compared to Eindhoven, while France dropped from sixth to eighth.
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