London 2012 Water Polo: Men’s Tournament Day #1 – 2

It is quite hard to question the primary importance, and attractiveness, of the Hungary v Serbia match in the opening day of the men’s water polo tournament at the London Olympic Games. This clash has always been a classic in the history of water polo, especially in th 1960s and 1970s, when the Magyars and the then-Yugoslavs battled for gold medals at the European and World Championships and, needless to say, at the Olympic Games.

by Simone Pierotti

Expectations were definitely high for this game and water polo fans were not disappointed. Well, at least the Serbian ones. The team coached by Dejan Udovičić won with a sensational 14-10 over the reigning Olympic champions, who on their part are seeking the four gold medal in a row. The Balkans coach has confirmed the squad who sealed the European triumph in Eindhoven last January and Pro Recco driver Andrija Prlainović made his day with five personal goals. Left-handed Filip Filipović and centre-forwards Slobodan Nikić and Duško Pijetlović put two balls into the net each other.
It should be underlined that Hungary coach Dénes Kémeny still relies upon veterans Tamás Kásás and Gergely Kiss, who were supposed to be retired from the national team following the gold medal in Beijing. Tight until the second period, the match turned to be dominated by the Serbs as they scored five times in 12 minutes without conceding goals to their rivals.

Similar judgements could not be made speaking of the following match, although home fans may disagree. Great Britain played their first Olympic match in 56 years as they faced Romania. The hosting nation managed to keep the plot of the encounter unpredictable at least in the beginning, for they were losing 2-1 before the start of the second half. Then, the Britons failed to score for 17 minutes, giving Romania the opportunity to end their debut in a comfortable hammering (13-4) marked by the four goals of Oradea driver Nicolae Diaconu. On the opposite side the Britons, who are curiously coached by Romanian Christian Iordache, netted thanks to the brace by Rob Parker, captain Craig Figes and Jack Waller. Read more:

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