Spain’s water polo players have dethroned world champions Italy and won World Cup gold for the third time.
In the new edition of the 2019 final, the Olympic fourth-placed won the final in Budapest 15:14 (3:3, 3:0, 2:3, 1:3, 6:5) after a penalty throw and won for the first time in 21 years the title again.
In front of 7,000 spectators at the Alfred Hajos Swimming Stadium on Margaret Island, the Spaniards pulled away three goals in the second quarter, but gave up that lead two minutes before the end. Alvaro Granados converted the decisive penalty. Olympic silver medalist Greece secured bronze with a 9:7 (1:0, 4:3, 3:2, 1:2) against London Olympic champion Croatia.
Hosts and record Olympic champions Hungary had already failed in the quarter-finals against Italy. The heavily rejuvenated German team with the new national coach Petar Porobic had missed the knockout games with three defeats in the preliminary round and had to settle for 13th place in the end.
The USA confirmed their dominance among women. The Olympic champions secured their seventh World Cup gold since 2003 with a 9-7 win over Hungary. Since 2014, the Americans have won every title in world water polo.