Match 71. 1-4 Semifinal.
FRANCE 11 MONTENEGRO 15 (2-4, 3-6, 2-2, 4-3)
France’s dreams of qualifying for Sydney’s finals were dashed by a dominant Montenegro, which quickly went about dismantling its rival. The French could only watch as the Montenegrins flexed their muscles and established a five-goal advantage by halftime (5-10). Captain Thomas Vernoux fought a lone battle for France, firing in seven goals, but he needed support as Montenegro kept finding holes in his team’s defence. Nikola Moskov struck six times, including twice in the final 65 seconds after France cut the gap to two (11-13) late in the fourth.
Match 72. 1-4 Semifinal.
GEORGIA 19 GERMANY 13 (4-3, 4-3, 5-1, 6-6)
Georgia grasped the last remaining ticket to Sydney by grinding down Germany in the third quarter. A 4-0 surge finally shook off the resilient Germans and created clear daylight between the two sides ahead of the fourth (13-7). Captain Denis Strelezkij’s red card at 10-7 for violent conduct also contributed to Germany’s downfall. Aware of Australia’s late collapse against the same opponent in the quarters, Georgia made sure it didn’t fall into the same trap and expertly kept the Germans at arm’s length until the final buzzer. Besarion Akhvlediani led the way, hitting four goals, while Khvicha Jakhaia and Stefan Pjesivac each scored three.
Match 69. 5th-8th Classification.
NEUTRAL ATHLETES B 12 ROMANIA 16 (2-5, 1-4, 2-4, 7-3)
Neutral Athletes B crashed to a disappointing defeat against Romania, even if a late rally made the score appear more respectable. Vlad-Luca Georgescu and Andrei Neamtu caused most of the damage, rifling in five and four goals respectively, as the Romanians bossed the first three quarters to move firmly out of sight (5-13). Neutral Athletes B sparked into life in the fourth, but by then it was far too late.
Match 70. 5th-8th Classification.
UKRAINE 15 AUSTRALIA 21 (5-4, 5-6, 2-8, 3-3)
Ukraine recovered from a slow start (0-3) to edge ahead at the first break, but the scores were locked by halftime (10-10). Midway through the third, the Aussie Sharks took control once again, hammering in six without reply after 13-12 to take the game away from Ukraine, which failed to reel its rival in a second time. Australia’s Jacob Mercep was a constant thorn in Ukraine’s side, top scoring with six goals.
Match 67. 9th-12th Classification.
BRAZIL 12 MALTA 13 (2-2, 4-3, 3-5, 3-3)
Malta produced one of the biggest upsets of the day by beating Brazil, a team that sits 10 places above it in the world rankings. Ivan Nagaev was the danger man once again for the host, netting a game-high five goals to help push the Maltese over the line. Nagaev’s fourth and fifth strikes gave Malta a 12-10 lead midway through the fourth, but Brazil fought back to equalise. Jake Cachia then proved to be the hero, converting on man-up with 1:43 on the clock to edge his side back in front, and ,despite Nagaev missing a late penalty, Malta managed to hold on.
Match 68. 9th-12th Classification.
CANADA 14 SLOVAKIA 12 (4-4, 4-1, 3-6, 3-1)
Canada set up a final-day clash with host Malta for the ninth place after it edged a thrilling encounter with Slovakia. Leading 8-4 late in the second quarter, the Canadians looked on track for a comfortable afternoon, but the Slovaks refused to surrender and battled back by equalising three times in the third. The North Americans were stunned, yet never trailed, and stepped up a gear in the fourth to earn a narrow victory. Some clinical finishing on man-up (7/11) and four goals from Jeremie Coté made the difference, but Slovakia’s Adam Furman should feel unfortunate to end up on the losing side after scoring seven.
Match 65. 13th-16th Classification.
PORTUGAL 15 ARGENTINA 20 (3-3, 4-5, 3-7, 5-5)
Image Source: Goalkeeper Octavio Salas (ARG) v Portugal/Chareace Camilleri/World Aquatics
Argentina dictated the middle two periods against Portugal (12-7) and stood firm in the fourth to progress to Monday’s 13th-place final, where Turkiye awaits. The Portuguese may have been prolific with their man-up shooting, burying 10 of their 12 chances, but it still wasn’t enough to derail the South Americans, who were only six from 13 on extra. With the likes of Carlos Camnasio blasting in seven goals, Argentina totally outclassed its opponent on action shots — 9/15 compared with 2/13.
Match 66. 13th-16th Classification.
TURKIYE 22 CHINA 19 (4-5, 8-3, 5-6, 5-5)
Image Source: Haiyun Ouyang (CHN) and Efe Kuloglu (TUR)/Chareace Camilleri/World Aquatics
A poor second quarter proved costly for China, as Turkiye seized control and remained in front for the remainder of the game. Despite closing the gap to two early in the third (13-11), China’s efforts to get back into the match fell flat as it wasn’t able to get any nearer. Yusa Duzenli was the standout performer for the Turks, smashing in a stunning triple hat-trick.
Match 64. 17th-18th Classification.
SLOVENIA 11 POLAND 7 (3-1, 2-2, 2-1, 4-3)
Image Source: Polish captain Bartlomiej Kowalewski v Slovenia/Chareace Camilleri/World Aquatics
Slovenia flew out of the blocks with a 3-0 start, but was soon pegged back, as Poland replied with its own three-goal burst to level the score early in the second quarter. Slovenia then had another go, mustering a second hat-trick of unanswered goals to wrestle back the lead, and this time never let it go. Late in the fourth, the gap had widened to five (11-6), thanks mainly to three goals from Marcel Lipnik, as Poland slipped away and Slovenia secured 17th place.
Match 63. 19th-20th Classification.
KAZAKHSTAN 14 SINGAPORE 11 (5-3, 4-2, 3-1, 2-5)
Kazakhstan claimed the 19th spot after a commanding performance against Singapore. Wen Zhe Goh rattled in five goals for the Asians, but they were mere consolation strikes, as his team fell three behind inside the first five minutes and was forced to chase the game from there. Kazakhstan stretched its lead to six (12-6) by the last quarter and could afford to ease up in the final minutes as the outcome was already sewn up.
Match 62. 21st-22nd Classification.
GREAT BRITAIN 18 SOUTH AFRICA 8 (2-2, 5-2, 5-1, 6-3)
Two early Charles Kingsmill penalty goals put Great Britain on course for its only victory in Malta. South Africa levelled before the first break, but wasn’t able to keep up after that. Both teams were guilty of poor decision-making in a sluggish opening half, but Tim Dunsbee’s squad was more clinical and moved three clear (7-4). A day’s rest may have helped Great Britain, as it dominated proceedings after the turnaround, firing in five goals in the third, while only giving up one, and South Africa continued to fade in the fourth.
Day 7 Schedule
1st-2nd final
Montenegro v Georgia
3rd-4th final
France v Germany
5th-6th Classification final
Romania v Australia
7th-8th Classification final
Neutral Athletes B v Ukraine
9th-10th Classification final
Malta v Canada
11th-12th Classification final
Brazil v Slovakia
13th-14th Classification final
Argentina v Turkiye
15th-16th Classification final
Portugal v China
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