The women’s water polo team of Greece secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympic Games with a decisive 11-4 victory over France. This win sets the stage for a showdown with Australia, the top team in the other group on Tuesday.
Greece finished in fourth place of group B in a tie with Italy and France. The hosts were eliminated from the following round. France did not proceed to the next round due to goal differential.
How Greece water polo team qualified for Olympics quarters
Although France’s national team started off very concentrated in defense and took a 2-0 lead, the familiar offensive dystopia appeared with bad choices, while the goalkeeper Maia Raikro made some great saves.
The home team found solutions at some point, and with a 3-0 run, it went ahead (3-2). Greece’s team did not score a goal for eleven minutes. France even missed a penalty (saved by Raikro) and wasted four chances with more players, before Xenaki found a way to make it 3-3 at halftime.
The players of coach Alexia Kammenou found the energy they needed from the defense to take control of the match. They kept the French women “off the ball” for about twelve minutes and were able to “break out” offensively, finding two goals from the perimeter and one from Yiannopoulou on the counter. The overall Greek streak reached 4-0, and Greece led 6-3 before Vernou reduced it with a penalty in the last minute of the third period.
Two quick goals from Vaso Pleuritou and Xenaki at the beginning of the fourth period practically secured the victory of the national team.
Because of peculiar rules of the international federation of World Aquatics, which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the governing body of international water sports competitions, the French knew they were eliminated by losing by one to seven goals. They would have qualified had they lost by eight goals or more (in which case Italy would have been eliminated). The French team did not compete, and the score came to 11 to 4.
It turned out that this was not a preferred scenario for Greece. Winning by more than 8 goals would bring the Greek team up against the consistently strong Netherlands. Thus, despite winning a dismissal in their last attack, the Greek players preferred to throw the ball to the side and essentially “choose” Australia as their opponent in the following game.
By securing its place in the quarterfinals, the Greek women’s water polo team has positioned itself for a strong finish at the Paris Olympics.
The Greek women’s water polo team accomplished a remarkable feat earlier in the year by winning the bronze medal at the European Championship in the Netherlands. They defeated Italy, 7-6. This victory ensured their participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics.