Greece’s men’s national water polo team made history on Sunday by winning its first-ever gold medal at the World Cup, defeating Hungary 15-14 in a thrilling final in Australia.
The decisive moment came just 12 seconds before the final whistle, when Argyrόpoulos scored the winning goal to give Greece the lead and seal a historic victory over one of the sport’s strongest teams.
The triumph marked Greece’s first gold medal in the history of the competition and came in the team’s sixth final appearance across major international tournaments, including the World Championships, Olympic Games, European Championships and World Cup.
Greece holds off Hungary in dramatic final
Coached by Thodoris Vlachos, Greece started the match strongly and quickly built an advantage. Argyrόpoulos opened the scoring with a penalty, while Papnastasiou and Kakaris helped the team establish a two-goal lead.
Hungary responded throughout the game, but Greece maintained control in the opening period, ending the first quarter ahead 5-3.
The second quarter saw both teams exchange goals, with Hungary repeatedly closing the gap. Greece managed to stay in front at halftime, leading 7-6.
Skoumpakis leads Greece’s charge
The third quarter brought another intense battle, with Hungary briefly taking the lead for the first time in the match. Greece responded through Gkiouvetsis and Dimitrios Skoumpakis, who played a key role in keeping the team ahead.
Skoumpakis scored several crucial goals and helped Greece enter the final quarter with an 11-10 advantage.
In the last period, Greece appeared to be moving toward victory after extending its lead to 14-11, but Hungary fought back. Zalanki kept Hungary alive with important goals, and Manhercz equalized at 14-14 with 45 seconds remaining.
Argyrόpoulos delivers the golden goal
With the match level, Vlachos called a timeout and Greece organized its final attack. Kakaris earned an exclusion for Hungary, allowing the Greek team to patiently build its final opportunity.
Argyrόpoulos scored with just 12 seconds remaining to put Greece ahead 15-14. Skoumpakis then produced the decisive defensive play, blocking Hungary’s final shot and securing the historic gold medal.
Skoumpakis finished as Greece’s standout player in the final, scoring five goals and playing a decisive role in both attack and defense.
Final score
Hungary 14-15 Greece
Quarter scores: 3-5, 3-2, 4-4, 4-4
Source: tovima.com
