Greece’s water polo team lost to Serbia (12-11) on Wednesday and missed the chance to qualify for the semi-final of the Paris Olympics where it would have faced either the US or Australia, the sport’s superpowers.
It was a tense game that was decided four seconds before the end when Serbia clinched the victory.
The teams were all square in the first quarter at 3-3. The Greek goals were scored by Ioannis Fountoulis, Angelos Vlachopoulos, and Nikolaos Papanikolaou.
In the second quarter, Serbia took the lead for the first time and kept it until the end of the period (6-5) despite goals from Konstantinos Kakaris and Alexandros Papanastasiou.
Dimitrios Skoumpakis with three goals and Konstantinos Genidounias gave the lead back to Greece in the third quarter at 9-8.
Two goals by Nikos Gillas Angelos Vlachopoulos in the last quarter were not enough to secure the victory for Greece as Serbia scored 4 seconds before the end with the match finishing: Serbia 12 – Greece 11.
The road to the quarters of water polo in the Olympics
The Greek team had an excellent run in its group, winning first place. With 4 wins and just 1 loss, it successfully secured qualification to the quarter-finals. Serbia, with 2 wins and 3 losses, ended up in fourth place in its group.
To reach the clash against Serbia, Greece secured a nail-biting victory against Italy on Monday.
The match between the two Mediterranean teams was held at the stunning Aquatics Centre of the French capital. There, Greece managed to overcome the formidable Italian team with a final score of 9-8.
With this important victory against Italy, Greece sent a clear message to the other teams in the tournament that the Greeks are still here and aiming high this time.
Earlier in the tournament Greece defeated the USA 13-11, marking their third consecutive win in Group A.
Greece has a strong presence in competitions
Greece has a long tradition of strong presence at the international level, with their major successes being the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games and three bronze medals won at the World Championship in 2005, 2015 and 2022.
It has participated 16 times at the Olympic Games, always present in the tournament since 1980. Their best result is the 2nd place at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, after losing 13–10 to Serbia in the gold medal game. The Greeks have secured a quarter-finals’ presence in six occasions.
The Greeks have also won a silver medal at the World Cup in 1997, three bronze medals at the World League in 2004, 2006 and 2016, as well as one silver (2018) and four bronze medals (1951, 1991, 1993, 2013) at the Mediterranean Games.
Moreover, they have closely missed a medal in the 2016 European Championship, the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2003 World Championship and the 1999 European Championship, ending up in the 4th place in all four of them.