Greece sinks Italy 10-9 to reach World Cup water polo final behind Tzortzatos's 21 saves
A 21-save masterclass by goalkeeper Panagiotis Tzortzatos carried Greece past Italy 10-9 in Sydney, setting up a gold-medal match against Hungary and a shot at a first World Cup title.
Goalkeeper masterclass
Panagiotis Tzortzatos delivered a career-defining performance with 21 saves, including 10 in the first period alone from 12 shots on target. His stops included a penalty from Ferrero and several point-blank blocks that kept Greece in the contest after a slow start. Italy led 2-0 early, but the Greek side scored just once in the opening eight minutes while managing 1/3 on extra-man opportunities. Tzortzatos's interventions limited the damage to 2-1 at the first break.
Ejection swing
The pivotal moment came 3 minutes 56 seconds before halftime when Italian centre-forward Del Basso punched Ioannis Papanastasiou off the ball. After a VAR review, the referees ejected Del Basso without replacement, handing Greece a four-minute power play. Argyropoulos missed the subsequent penalty shot but later scored twice on the man-advantage, lifting Greece to a 5-3 lead. Italy fought back to close the half at 5-4 despite being a man down, but the ejection forced the "Settebello" to chase the game for the remainder.
- Italy leads 2-1 despite 10 saves from Tzortzatos; Greece converts 1/3 extra-man chances.
- Del Basso ejected for punching Papanastasiou; Greece scores twice on the power play to lead 5-4 at halftime.
- Giouvestis nets twice to extend lead to 7-4, but Italy closes to 7-6 by quarter's end.
- Greece builds an 8-6 and then 9-6 advantage; Italy answers late but falls short, 10-9 final.
Closing out a thriller
Giouvestis struck twice in extra-man situations early in the third period to push the margin to 7-4. Italy refused to fold and clawed back to 7-6 by the end of the quarter. In the final frame, a converted penalty by Giouvestis made it 8-6 and a long-range strike stretched the lead to 9-6. Italy trimmed the gap to one goal, but Greece held on for the 10-9 victory. The final minutes saw double exclusions and a red card for an altercation, yet Tzortzatos's presence and Greece's defence secured the outcome.
Final showdown with Hungary
Greece will face Hungary in the gold-medal match on Sunday 26 July at 11:00 local time. Hungary advanced by edging Australia 13-12 in the first semifinal, with Gergo Zalanki scoring the winner 1:10 before the end and goalkeeper Viktor Gyapjas saving the last extra-man shot from Negus. For Greece, which has now beaten Italy three times in the past year, the final represents a chance to claim its first World Cup crown and add to a second consecutive appearance in the tournament decider.
