Spain and Croatia will contest the final of the European U20 Championships in Varna after producing dominant semi-final victories over Montenegro and Italy.
Spain continued their perfect tournament with a 15-10 win over Montenegro, while Croatia overturned their earlier group-stage defeat to Italy in emphatic fashion, winning 19-11.
Spain took control of the opening semi-final immediately. Montenegro did not score until the closing stages of the first quarter, by which time Spain had already raced into a 5-0 lead.
The Spaniards carried a 9-4 advantage into half-time before extending the margin to six early in the third quarter. Montenegro briefly threatened a comeback, cutting the deficit to three at 11-8 and again at 13-10, but Spain responded to comfortably close out the victory.
Tomas Perrone led Spain with four goals, while Danilo Stupar scored three for Montenegro.
Croatia were even more impressive against Italy.
Italy had won their group-stage meeting 16-13 earlier in the tournament, but Croatia completely reversed that result with a blistering start to the semi-final.
A 6-2 opening quarter set the tone before Croatia extended their advantage to 10-5 by half-time. Italy were unable to find a way back into the contest as the Croatians continued to increase their lead throughout the second half.
Croatia twice moved nine goals clear before eventually completing a 19-11 victory.
Maro Susic scored six goals, while Viktor Tonicic added four. Italy captain Maffei finished with three.
Spain therefore enter the final with a perfect 5-0 record, while Croatia have responded to earlier defeats against Italy and Greece by producing their strongest performances when it has mattered most.
Elsewhere, Serbia and Hungary will meet for fifth place. Serbia defeated Germany 20-15 after scoring nine goals in the opening quarter, while Hungary produced a decisive 7-0 run on the way to a 17-10 victory over Greece.
Malta secured ninth place with a 15-12 win against the Netherlands, while France defeated Turkiye 18-9.
In Division 1 in Oeiras, Israel and Neutral Athletes B reached the final and secured promotion to the Elite Division for the next edition of the European U20 Championships.
Results
Semi-finals
Spain 15-10 Montenegro
Croatia 19-11 Italy
5th-8th place classification
Serbia 20-15 Germany
Hungary 17-10 Greece
9th-place match
Malta 15-12 Netherlands
11th-place match
Turkiye 9-18 France
Division 1 semi-finals
Israel 15-13 Poland
Neutral Athletes B 22-11 Belgium
Homepage
Read more about U20 European Championships
Read more about Youth water polo
Visit the WP360 Shop!
Follow Waterpolo 360 on Facebook, Instagram and X