Summary, Day 8 (Men’s Round 5) Montenegro join Hungary in the semis The two finalists of last year’s World Championships clinched the top spots of the respective groups so Montenegro and Hungary already booked their places in the semi finals. Italy, Greece, Serbia and Croatia are through to the quarters. After their draw in the previous round it was clear that the goal-difference might decide the top spot of Group A between Italy and Montenegro. The Montenegrins were in the better position as they faced Georgia, way weaker side than Italy’s last round opponent, Greece. The Montenegrins played with the utmost determination, they wanted to minimise or even kill the excitements of the evening session (when Italy met Greece) by setting the bar as high as possible. Their mission was completed: by routing the Georgians 17-2 – Aleksandar Ivovic scored 6, Mladan Janovic finished with 4 goals – they boosted their goal-difference to +33 so the Italians should have beaten the Greeks by 12 goals which didn’t seem a real scenario. It wasn’t, indeed. The Greeks even led 4-1 in the first, Italy woke up and had a 5-0 rush but couldn’t maintain that level and finally the two sides settled for a 9-9 draw, Italy remained second, Greece finished 3rd. The Romanians had some consolation after their shocking loss to Greece two days ago (conceded two goals in the last 28 seconds), beat the Russians and clinched the 4th place in the group, reserving a fine chance to qualify for the 2015 World Championships. (Depending on the results of the World Cup in August, the 7th and under some circumstances the 8th place might also be worth a berth in Kazan.) In Group B the French upset the Germans in the clash of the two winless sides. This was France’s very first win at the European stage in 23 years. It was a close contest, the French came from behind and scored two goals in the last two minutes to turn the cards (8-7). The most crucial encounter of the day brought a tremendous battle between Serbia and Spain. Though the Serbs were considered the better side, some had in mind how Barceloneta (ESP) tricked Radnicki (SRB) in the Champions League final in May – and a handful of players from those clubs lined up at both ends. However, this time the Serbs proved their superiority. It wasn’t an easy ride, though, the Spaniards always stayed close, it was 3-2 at halftime, and 4-3 after three periods. However they succumbed to the pressure in the last quarter, the Serbs jumped to a 7-4 lead and won the game which also meant an end of the Spanish dreams (the last time they survived the group stage happened in 2006). Hungary woke up just in time to stay in the final clash of the prelims: the hosts launched a successful comeback against the Croats after trailing 0-3 early in the second and levelled the score by halftime (4-4). The second half saw a real fight with plenty of physical play, with great saves, both Viktor Nagy and Josip Pavic were simply brilliant (their respective saving percentages tell the story: 64.7% and 68.2%). Just as in the World League qualifiers this year, it seemed to end in a draw (it happened home and away, there a shootout followed), but perhaps thanks to the boost from the sell-out crowd (6,000 supporters cheered on the stands), the hosts had the last laugh: Balazs Harai’s superb backhanded centre-shot won the game for the Hungarians who marched to the semis with 5 wins out of 5. Results, Day 8 Men’s Round 5 Group A Montenegro vs. Georgia 17-2 Russia vs. Romania 8-11 Greece vs. Italy 9-9 Classification 1. Montenegro 13, 2. Italy 11, 3. Greece 10, 4. Romania 6, 5. Russia 3, 6. Georgia 0 Group B France vs. Germany 8-7 Serbia vs. Spain 8-6 Hungary vs. Croatia 7-6 Classification 1. Hungary 15, 2. Serbia 10, 3. Croatia 8, 4. Spain 7, 5. France 3, 6. Germany 0 Next matches (Wednesday) Quarter finals Italy vs. Croatia Greece vs. Serbia For places 7-12 Russia vs. Germany Georgia vs. France (Note: in the semis Hungary will play with the winner of ITA/CRO, Montenegro with the winner of GRE/SRB.)
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 20:30:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015