Belgrade 2026: Sell-out crowd witness Serbia edge 29-goal thriller with Hungary to secure semi-final ticket

Serbia became the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the European Championships after winning an epic battle with Hungary on Sunday night at the Belgrade Arena. It was the hottest ticket in town and the action in the pool didn’t disappoint, as Serbia roared back from 3-0 down to take a five-goal lead (8-13) by the end of the third quarter. The Hungarian warriors were far from finished, though, and carried on fighting, cutting the gap to one twice in a frantic finale that delivered drama right until the last buzzer. Earlier, Montenegro had to dig deep to come from three goals behind to beat the Netherlands, and Spain showed their class by sweeping France aside.

Men’s 2026 European Water Polo Championships – Belgrade
Day 9, Sunday 18 January

Group Stage II

Group E

France 8-14 Spain
Montenegro 15-11 Netherlands
Hungary 14-15 Serbia

Classification 13th-16th

Malta 14-13 Slovenia
Slovakia 11-8 Israel

Final 13th-16th places

13th Malta
14th Slovakia
15th Slovenia
16th Israel

Group E

France 8-14 Spain
(1-2, 2-3, 3-5, 2-4)

France fought hard and maintained their great defensive level for two and a half quarters, but Spain, forced into a real battle, stepped up when it really mattered, pulled away by four shortly before the last break, and cruised home with an important win.

A great pass to Alexandre Bouet and a fine one-timer gave France the lead right away – but they soon realised it was this level of perfection that’s required to break through the well-organised Spanish defence.

For a while, the French also did well at the back. Hugo Fontani came up with great saves, including in back-to-back man-downs, but the French were unable to capitalise at the other end as key assists lacked precision, although that also underlined the world champions’ robust defending.

After 5:14, Sergi Cabanas’ fierce shot from the perimeter broke the ice for Spain, and within 42 seconds they went ahead with a calm finish by Pol Daura in a man-up.

The second period also began with strong defending, including a killed man-down at both ends. Then Miguel del Toro used all his experience to fire in from centre, and after a turnover foul, the Spaniards appeared to gain control with Alejandro Bustos’ easy put-away on the counter.

It was a 4-0 run while the French were shut out for over 11 minutes.

A great feed to Thomas Vernoux on the 2m line in a man-up, following a time-out, finally ended the French drought, but Bustos was also set up at the post and restored Spain’s three-goal lead.

The French then denied another man-down and, again, when Bouet received a perfect pass, he slipped the ball past Unai Aguirre from the wing for 3-5.

That scoreline remained at half-time, as Spain’s final six-on-five was also shut down.

Bernat Sanahuja missed another shot early in the third – he had started the game with a disastrous 2-of-18 and added four more unsuccessful attempts, something almost unbelievable from such a world-class athlete.

Still, Roger Tahull managed to score from the centre to make it 3-6. Not for long, though, as Romain Marion-Vernoux hammered one in from the perimeter, and after further strong defensive efforts, Lorris Canovas converted a six-on-five for 6-5.

Spain suddenly looked in trouble, but great teams are known for finding a way out even on weaker days – and the title-holders did just that.

Marc Larumbe sent a pinpoint shot into the net during their next six-on-five, then Alvaro Granados, who had been limited early by two fouls, patiently waited for his moment and scored from action when it was most needed.

The French tried to take risks, but back-to-back turnover fouls pushed them deeper, allowing Spain to force a penalty that Sanahuja, who had earned it, finally converted to the delight of his bench.

Vernoux blasted one in from a man-up right away, but Sanahuja added a second goal within 36 seconds, putting away Spain’s final man-up for 6-10 with 0:18 on the clock.

Those four Spanish goals in a span of 2:10 at the end of the third killed the French momentum, and they were unable to recover.

Del Toro netted Spain’s first six-on-five of the fourth, Aguirre stopped Bouet’s attempt in a French extra, and Larumbe finished brilliantly from the wing for 6-12.

It was over. Two more goals came in the remaining five minutes for both sides, and the final score, 14-8, may suggest an easy victory for the Spaniards, but it was anything but comfortable.

Their 9-2 surge after falling behind 5-6 was a clear demonstration of the class this team represents.

Still, they must wait until the final round to see what result they need against Hungary to reach the semi-finals.

Group E

Montenegro 15-11 Netherlands
(1-3, 6-6, 3-1, 5-1)

In one of the most extraordinary games so far at the championship, Montenegro pulled off an outstanding comeback in the final 11 minutes.

Down and out, trailing by three and facing two more man-downs, the Montenegrins found their momentum and staged a stunning 7-0 run, while the Dutch, who had scored brilliant goals in the first half, completely lost their composure and failed to score for 13 minutes.

That collapse cost them a match that might have been decisive in the race for World Championship qualification.

The Dutch took a flying start with two fine goals in three minutes and some rock-solid defending. They killed four man-downs as the Montenegrins struggled to find the right solutions.

Finally, Dmitrii Kholod, their Russian veteran, put away their fifth six-on-five in its dying seconds to open their account, 48 seconds before the first buzzer.

The reply came immediately, however, as Sebastian Hessels sent a fierce shot into the net from the perimeter for 1-3.

After a period that could be labelled an ode to defending, especially at the Netherlands’ end, came eight minutes of pure madness.

Six goals apiece, offences in full flow, helpless goalies, and roars from the stands as the crowd began pouring in for the big match following this clash.

The next quarter kicked off in style – five possessions, five goals in a span of 1:38. The Montenegrins geared up, and Vasilije Radovic’s blast brought them level at 5-5, but the Dutch kept scoring.

A lucky rebound and second attempt by Mart van der Weijden for 7-6 marked the 1,000th goal of the tournament, but it soon seemed of even greater importance that Lars ten Broek hit two huge shots from distance in 46 seconds to put his side up by three at 9-6.

After the Montenegrins missed an extra, the Dutch had the last possession of the quarter, but Petar Tesanovic, who had looked lost earlier, not only stopped Kas te Riele’s shot, but also noticed the Dutch goalie trying to hunt down a possible long pass in the ensuing counter. He sent a 24-metre shot straight into the net to pull one back with three seconds left, making it 9-7.

Two minutes into the third, the Dutch earned a penalty and ten Broek buried it for 10-7.

What followed turned out to be a decisive three-minute stretch. Both sides had two man-ups apiece, but all were denied by the defences.

Had the Dutch converted, the gap would have grown to four, but instead, Miroslav Perkovic finally found the back of the net for 10-8, triggering a completely new phase of the match.

Tesanovic stopped Sebastian Hessels’ shot on the next man-down, Dusan Matkovic converted a six-on-five, and after a steal, Strahinja Gojkovic levelled the score at 10-10 with 58 seconds left in the quarter. The Dutch missed their final extra of the period, their fourth in succession.

The final break did nothing to change the trend. After another strong defensive stand, Gojkovic added a man-up goal just 55 seconds into the fourth.

Montenegro then killed two more man-downs before Matkovic’s action goal doubled the lead to 12-10.

Seconds later, Gojkovic swam through after a steal and finished the counter, a block denied the seventh Dutch six-on-five in a row, and with 2:32 on the clock, Balsa Vuckovic buried a penalty to close down the contest at 14-10.

It was a devastating 7-0 run by the Montenegrins and a complete meltdown by the Dutch – or rather a blackout, as their coach described it in his post-game interview.

After some sparkling shot-making, they remained scoreless for exactly 12:59.

When Sebastian Hessels finally converted a man-up after seven consecutive misses, only 1:04 remained, and Jovan Vujovic still had time for one more strike.

It was an 8-1 comeback after trailing 7-10, an explosive 11-minute stretch that may well have sealed Montenegro’s place at the 2027 World Championships.

Group E

Hungary 14-15 Serbia
(4-4, 3-4, 1-5, 6-2)

As expected, the two giants produced another 29-goal epic battle in an unforgettable atmosphere where the sold-out crowd pushed the Serbs to a narrow win.

The hosts, after a disastrous start, caught the wave and stormed to an 8-13 lead before the Magyars came up with a big surge in the fourth and, in the end, they had the ball to level it up, but it didn’t reach the goal and the Serbs could celebrate a huge win which sent them to the semi-finals.

How it all began was astonishing. The Hungarians hit three action goals from their first three possessions to go 3-0 up inside the opening two minutes.

The fans got louder when Serbia captain Nikola Jaksic opened their account from a man-up, but Vendel Vigvari also had a clean shot in their six-on-five to make it 4-1 in less than four minutes.

Jaksic then forced a penalty from the following extra, Dusan Mandic buried it, and then the Hungarian offence started losing their earlier edge.

They missed back-to-back six-on-fives, while Milan Glusac came up with a couple of saves after conceding four in a row.

In contrast, Hungary keeper Soma Vogel couldn’t add any more to his initial two catches, though he barely had any chance to stop Sava Randjelovic’s close-range shot and after another killed man-down, Nikola Jaksic earned an exclusion and beat the buzzer with a rocket which blew up the Arena as, after their disastrous opening, the Serbs were back at 4-4.

And the hosts took the lead for the first time as Vasilje Martinovic put away their next extra too. It was Adam Nagy who finally halted the Magyars’ slide with a great finish in a man-up, then, after some fine defending, Szilard Jansik finished off a one-on-one to swing the lead back to Hungary at 6-5.

The Serbs had a six-on-four to come back level again, the next man-down was killed by their rivals’ defence, but after the rebound, Petar Jaksic remained unmarked and had an easy finish from the wing.

The reply came again, it was Adam Nagy once more who sent the ball home from an extra for 7-7, but Dusan Mandic also had an open angle with 1:21 remaining. At the end, a disallowed centre-hit angered the Hungarian camp, leaving the half-time score at 7-8.

The second half saw a tremendous battle where no goals came with ease. Compared to that, Milos Cuk’s smart hit from the perimeter was exceptional, and it gave a two-goal lead to the Serbs for the first time.

Leftie Akos Nagy pulled one back in a man-up, but Nikola Jaksic was unstoppable in front of goal when the home side could play six-on-fives. In 58 seconds, in another extra, Nikola Dedovic managed to put away one more for 8-11.

The Hungarians seemed to be cracking under the pressure, while the Serbs took all their chances from the two-metre line in man-ups.

Jansik’s close-range shot was well saved by Glusac, whose count stood at 12 stops at this point.

The Magyars were unable to play their fast counter-attacking game and their perimeter shots weren’t bringing them any closer, while Cuk put away another man-up.

Indeed, they converted three from three in this period, and 30 seconds from time, Mandic buried another penalty to make it 8-13, which seemed to have ended the contest.

Krisztian Manhercz had other ideas, though. He needed only 12 seconds in the fourth to create an open chance with an incredible move, and that triggered something in his team.

They killed two man-downs with great blocks, then Vince Vigvari’s bounce shot also ended up in the net.

Soon after, the Hungarians earned a six-on-five and Peter Kovacs sent it home. With 3:52 on the clock, the Magyars trailed by only two at 11-13.

However, next came Strahinja Rasovic with a brave move in their dying possession, and his one-timer somewhat killed the Magyars’ momentum.

Still, they fought on. Adam Nagy smashed his fourth from the wing for 12-14, then tensions ran high with around 10 players involved, which led to a red card for Nikola Lukic, so the game could resume (it was just an expulsion, with no further consequences).

The Serbs didn’t want to risk anything. The Hungarians made a steal, got another six-on-five and Jansik this time netted it from close range, and with 1:40 on the clock, it looked like an open match at 13-14.

All the Hungarians would have needed was to kill another man-down, but they couldn’t hunt down the ball and Strahinja Rasovic was left unmarked at the end, his lob proving to be the winner with 1:09 remaining.

Hungary still did not give in, and Gergo Fekete fired one in from their last extra for 14-15.

With 40 seconds to go, they could look for one last chance, provided they could survive the next 28. They did that, but with no time-out left, they had to launch the final assault from their own goal, and even though Fekete got a free throw in the last seconds, in the heat of the moment he went for an Argyropoulos-style backhander that hit the defender and never made it to the goal.

The Arena erupted at the final buzzer and the Serbs wildly celebrated a big win that sent them to the semi-finals.

The Magyars, despite their six-goal comeback in the fourth, were left disappointed, but still have a chance to advance – it will be nothing less than a rematch of the World Championships final with Spain.

Classification 13th-16th

Malta 14-13 Slovenia
(3-4, 5-4, 3-3, 3-2)

Malta claimed their third victory in a row and won this 13th-16th classification mini-tournament by a mile. Their last game may have been tight once again, but they managed to keep the Slovenians at bay with a strong fourth-period.

Malta kicked off their last game with a blast, scoring in their first possession to go 3-1 up, but the Slovenians managed to tighten their defence and shut out their rivals for the remaining six minutes of the quarter.

With two fine shots from Enej Potocnik and Vukasin Stefanovic respectively, they turned it around to lead 4-3 at the first break.

Once more, the start of the second quarter was packed with great attacking play, as seven more goals came in less than five minutes, but it was even at 7-7, and it remained tied at half-time at 8-8.

The third period didn’t bring much change. The Maltese took the lead three times, but the Slovenians managed to equalise each time.

At 10-9, Malta had three man-ups in a row to double their lead but missed all of them before Marcel Lipnik hit a fine action goal from the wing for 10-10.

Even though Ivan Nagaev finally put the fourth six-on-five away with 37 seconds left, Lipnik was also on target with 0:12 on the clock to make it 11-11 heading into the final eight minutes.

Nagaev put Malta ahead again by netting an extra early in the fourth. Then Liam Galea missed a one-on-one, but the Slovenians’ re-counter ended in a hurried shot, and Galea got a second chance for a clean finish. This time he delivered, and Malta were up by two at 13-11.

Nace Stromajer pulled one back, but Nagaev hit his fifth of the game from 6m right away to restore the two-goal gap with 4:47 to go.

Malta could have closed down the contest as they had two more extras to lead by three, but they missed both, and Jasa Kadivec’s blast threw the Slovenians a lifeline at 14-13 with 2:09 remaining.

However, those final two minutes didn’t see any more goals. The Slovenians had a late man-up, but a poor finish denied them a third shootout contest in as many days, and the Maltese could celebrate their best-ever finish at the Europeans.

Classification 13th-16th

Slovakia 11-8 Israel
(3-2, 3-1, 3-2, 2-3)

Slovakia saved the best for last and dominated the game from the beginning. They won their first match on their final day, and that propelled them to 14th place, while Israel had to settle for another 16th-place finish after 2024.

Two fast goals showed that the Slovakians had bounced back from their heavy loss to Malta the previous day. With their giant centre-forward Lukas Durik returning from suspension, their attack looked a lot sharper, but what made the real difference was their defence.

They jumped to a 2-0 lead early on and shut out the Israelis for more than six minutes. Then back-to-back man-ups offered the chance for Or Schlein to put his side on the scoreboard at last.

Ronen Gros levelled it 34 seconds later from another extra, but Maros Tkac fired one in from the perimeter, and Slovak goalkeeper Felip Balogh came up with two big saves in the final man-down before the first break.

Balogh went on delivering great stops, then Durik hit a big one from centre to double the Slovaks’ lead early in the second quarter.

Again, it took six minutes for the Israelis to strike back, a second attempt in a dying extra brought them closer, but Balaz, who had struggled with his shots a day earlier but not now, sent the ball home from the next six-on-five.

A fine steal and, a bit later, a pinpoint shot from Adam Furman gave the Slovaks a 6-3 lead at half-time.

It was a question whether they would show any sign of fatigue in the second half while playing their fourth match in as many days, but the answer was clear in the third.

No, they were up to the task, and despite conceding an early goal from a penalty, Balaz hit another one from distance, and then Matej Caraj’s strike from the 2m line gave them an 8-4 lead.

Amir Shafrir pulled one back from action, but that was a rare exception as the Slovak defence stood firm most of the time.

Furman’s pinpoint shot from the perimeter restored the four-goal gap with 0:41 on the clock at 9-5. The Slovaks killed their third man-down in a row shortly before the penultimate buzzer, and it was hard to see any major change happening in the fourth.

Indeed, Balaz kicked off the final quarter with another blast, and Balogh’s arms seemed to reach everywhere.

Heading into the final minutes, the Slovakian goalie stood at an astonishing 73% save percentage at one point.

It dropped to 60% in the last two minutes as the Israelis hit three, but the Slovaks’ win was never in danger.

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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