Get ready for an action-packed Day 8 of the Men's European Water Polo Championships in Belgrade, 2026! Today's matches promise to be thrilling, with some intense rivalries and unexpected twists. Let's dive right in and explore the previews for each game.
The Battle for Supremacy: Italy vs. Georgia
In the first match of the day, Italy aims to continue its flawless record against Georgia. This encounter has become a familiar fixture, with Italy consistently dominating the group stage. Since Georgia's debut in 2014, they've faced Italy in every European Championship, but an upset has always eluded them. The results speak for themselves: 2014 - 15-5, 2016 - 21-1, and so on. However, there was one close call in a World League qualifier in 2017, but Italy prevailed once more. The total score? A commanding 9-0 for Italy.
But here's where it gets interesting: Italy topped the group stage in offense, scoring the most goals and taking the most shots. Yet, their shooting percentage of 47.9% only placed them fifth, behind Hungary, Greece, Croatia, and Spain. So, while Italy is a force to be reckoned with, there's room for improvement in their accuracy.
Greece's Dramatic Win and Türkiye's Historic Advance
Next up, Greece, fresh from their dramatic victory over Croatia, faces Türkiye, who have already made history by advancing to this stage. Usually, Türkiye has competed in the classification matches for the lower ranks, but this time, they're writing a new chapter. These two teams first clashed at the European Championships in 2016, with Greece easily winning 21-6. Their most recent encounter in Barcelona ended in a rout, with Greece claiming a 27-1 victory. Overall, Greece leads the series 7-0.
And this is the part most people miss: the coaches of these teams have a special connection. Greece's Theodoros Vlachos and Türkiye's Konstantinos Loudis, both born in 1969, debuted together at the European Championships in Bonn in 1989. While Vlachos played only one major tournament for the national team, Loudis became a key figure, representing Greece until 2003. As coaches, their paths have diverged, with Vlachos in his 14th season with Greece and Loudis recently taking charge of the Turks, but his impact is already noticeable.
Croatia's Pressure Cooker and Romania's Long Shot
In the evening match, Croatia finds itself under pressure. To secure a semi-final berth, they must win all three matches in the second stage. Romania still has a mathematical chance, but they would need to pull off an upset against both Croatia and Greece, which is highly improbable.
While Croatia boasts a strong record at the Europeans, their head-to-head battles with Romania are surprisingly even, with two wins and two losses. The first encounter was embarrassing for Croatia, upon their debut as an independent country in 1993, but Romania shocked them in the group stage, achieving their best-ever finish (4th place) while Croatia missed the semis. Romania also played a role in Croatia's worst-ever finish at the Europeans, beating them in a shootout after a 12-12 tie. However, Croatia did claim a victory in their home Europeans in Zagreb in 2010, beating Romania 13-7.
Their most recent match was at the Paris Olympics, where Croatia emerged victorious, albeit by a slim margin of 11-8. Three years earlier, they defeated Romania 16-6 at the Qualification tournament.
A fun fact: Both teams have relied heavily on players from their respective capital clubs. Croatia has nine players from Mladost Zagreb, while Romania selected nine from Steaua Bucharest. Interestingly, Mladost is poised to advance to the Champions League Quarter-finals, while Steaua has no chance of reaching the Euro Cup eight-finals, having lost all five matches so far.
Classification Matches: Slovenia vs. Israel and Slovakia vs. Malta
In the classification matches, Slovenia, fresh from their two-point victory over Slovakia on Friday, takes on Israel, who are still seeking their first points in Belgrade after four consecutive defeats. Currently, Israel is the only team in the entire competition with zero points from four matches.
These two teams have met once before, four years ago, when Israel, in their first-ever European Championship, defeated Slovenia 9-5 in the group stage to advance to the top 12.
In the other classification match, Slovakia, who managed to tie Slovenia on Friday but lost the shootout, faces Malta, who defeated Israel in the first round. Slovakia has won all three previous encounters with Malta at the Europeans, each in the playoffs for the 13-16th places. However, Malta did manage to beat Slovakia for the first time in 2024 at the World Cup Division II, winning 15-14.
Don't miss any of the thrilling action live from Belgrade on Eurovision Sport! For the full schedule, results, and tables from the European Championships, visit the European Aquatics website. And be sure to follow their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for more news and live updates.
Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
