Host nation Türkiye pulled off a historic upset on Day 4 of the Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championships in Istanbul, defeating Serbia 17-10 to book their place in the quarter-finals and secure promotion to Division 1 for the next edition of the competition.
The crossover stage featured four matches, but only one shock result – as the Turkish side, buoyed by home support, came from behind to overpower Serbia with a dominant 5-0 surge in the second quarter. The Serbs never recovered, and Türkiye’s spirited performance sees them rewarded with a last-eight clash against Greece.
Elsewhere, the Netherlands, Germany, and Croatia all delivered convincing wins to progress. The Dutch overcame a slow start to crush Czechia 25-6, while Croatia raced to a 12-0 half-time lead en route to a 22-8 win over Romania. Germany faced early pressure from Ukraine but pulled away in the second half for a 15-8 victory.
Quarter-final schedule (Tuesday, 1 July – Istanbul local time):
16:00 – Greece vs Türkiye
17:30 – Italy vs Netherlands
19:00 – Spain vs Croatia
20:30 – Hungary vs Germany
All eyes now turn to the quarter-finals, where favourites like Hungary, Spain, and Italy await their challengers – but if Türkiye’s heroics are anything to go by, anything can happen in Istanbul.
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