Greece secured the first European Men’s Championships medal in its history with a commanding 12–5 victory over Italy in the bronze-medal match at Belgrade Arena.
The Greeks were in complete control from the outset, combining disciplined defence with clinical execution in man-up situations, converting six of nine power-play opportunities. They stormed to an early 4–0 lead and stretched their advantage to 7–2 by halftime. By deep into the third quarter, Greece had opened up a 10–3 lead, leaving Italy with no path back into the contest.
After defensive lapses in the semi-final loss to Hungary, Greece responded with a far more composed performance. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Zerdevas was key, denying Italy on several occasions as the Italians hit the posts and failed to convert exclusions. Italy finally broke through in the seventh minute when Ferrero converted a penalty, but Greece remained firmly in control.
Greek centre-forwards once again caused major problems for the Italian defence, as they had earlier in the tournament. Konstantinos Kakaris scored from close range with a backhand effort, while three of Greece’s first four goals came with an extra player. The strong start proved decisive.
Greece continued to dominate in the second quarter, defending resolutely and capitalising on its chances at the other end of the pool. Konstantinos Kalogeropoulos extended the lead to 7–1 in the 14th minute. Just three seconds before halftime, Italy scored with an extra player through Condemi, reducing the deficit to 7–2.
Greece’s efficiency in power-play situations proved crucial, converting five of six opportunities in the first half, compared with Italy’s one goal from eight attempts.
Early in the third quarter, Dimitrios Nikolaidis increased Greece’s lead to seven goals, making it 10–3 after finishing a rebound following Del Lungo’s save from a Papanastasiou power-play shot. Ferrero pulled one back for Italy to make it 10–4 before the end of the quarter, but the outcome was already decided. Several hundred Greek fans in Belgrade began celebrating long before the final whistle.
Greece head coach Theodoros Vlachos underlined his team’s satisfaction after winning the bronze medal.
“We reacted well after our loss to Hungary in the semi-finals. Our expectation was to play in the final, but we didn’t deserve that opportunity; Hungary was better than Greece,” he said.”Today, we managed to showcase the style of play we are known for: our defence was solid, we created many scoring opportunities, and ultimately, we won our first medal at the European Championships. “Our defence was crucial to our victory. When you allow a team like Italy to score only two goals in the first half, your team’s confidence increases. We kept pushing forward and proved that we deserve to be among the top three teams in Europe. I hope we will fight for gold next time.”
Dimitrios Skoumpakis also highlighted the team’s defensive effort.
“We faced some tough times after the loss to Hungary. We had to pick ourselves up. It seemed like it was an easy win , but it wasn’t. We put in a lot of effort on defence, and that ultimately led us to the bronze medal.”
Quarter scores: 4–1, 3–1, 3–2, 2–1
Italy scorers: Ferrero 2, Condemi 2, Balzarini 1
Greece scorers: Argyropoulos 4, Gkiouvetsis 2, Kalogeropoulos 2, Kakaris 2, Nikolaidis 1, Papanastasiou 1