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 the fourth place of the group B, on a tie with Italy and France. The hosts were eliminated from the next round. They would go through if they lost by eight goals, but it seemed that the Greek players did not chase this.
How Greece’s water polo team qualified for the quarters of the Olympic Games
Although the national team started 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), with the Greek team remaining without a goal for eleven minutes. France even missed a penalty (saved by Raikro) and wasted four chances with more players, before Xenaki found a solution 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 “locked” the victory of the national team.
Because of World Aquatics’ strange rules, the French knew they were eliminated by losing by one to seven goals, while they qualified if they lost by eight goals or more (in which case Italy would go out). The French team did not compete and the score reached 11-4.
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 very 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.
By securing their place in the quarterfinals, the Greek women’s water polo team has positioned themselves 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.
