Will the Greeks clinch their first title?

It is very difficult to follow all sports intensively. The World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, are hardly shown at all on German TV. Due to the time difference, public interest in Central Europe is rather low. Nevertheless, we will not miss the opportunity to report on a special highlight, because the World Cup final in water polo is scheduled for Saturday. In our Greece vs. Hungary tip, we check who will take the crown.

Even before the final it is clear that there will be a new world champion. The defending champions from Spain were dethroned by the Magyars in the semi-finals. Thus, the Hungarian selection has the opportunity to win the World Championship title again after ten years and to secure the fourth gold medal in total at World Championships. It would be another highlight in the glorious history of Hungarian water polo.

The Greeks have also been among the world’s best for many years. Actually, it is more than astonishing that the Hellenes have yet to win a single title at a major tournament. Apart from the Olympic final last year, making it to the final in Fukuoka is the biggest success for the Ethniki.

But that’s not all, as betting provider Bet365 even sees the Greeks as favourites in this match. But that is not an assessment we would share. From our point of view, the Hungarians have made at least as good an impression in Japan. We think that in the match between Greece and Hungary, the prediction has to go more towards the Magyars winning the title.

Greece – Statistics & current form

Is the time finally ripe for a major water polo title for the Greeks? In 2020, they finished third at the World Cup. In 2021, the Hellenes took silver at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Last year, they also finished third in the World League. Now Theodoros Vlachos’ team is going for the big title and wants to make their compatriots at home happy, who are suffering from great heat and fires.

Last defeat to Hungary

At the World Cup in early July, which served as preparation for the World Cup, the Greeks conceded a 4:6 defeat against Hungary. Ten goals in water polo are rather rare, but it is also an indication that both teams are very stable defensively and perhaps that is why one should rather keep an eye on the odds of less than 19.5 goals in this final between Greece and Hungary.

Since that narrow defeat to the Magyars, however, the Ethniki have not lost again. Most recently, there were seven wins in a row. With the exception of the narrow 10:9 victory in the quarter-finals against Montenegro, all the victories were very commanding. Especially in the semi-final against Serbia, Theodoros Vlachos’ team delivered a gala performance and won 13:7 in the end.

The match-winner was once again keeper Emmanouli Zerdevas, who saved 63 per cent of the balls, which is absolutely world class. Stylianos Argyropoulos Kanakakis and Konstantinos Kakaris were the most successful offensive players with three goals each. But the Greeks will need at least a performance like that to prevail against the Hungarians and take revenge for the defeat earlier this month.

Predicted line-up of Greece:
Zerdevas, Tzortzatos – Genidounias, Skoumpakis, Gkiouvetsis, Papanastasiou, Dervisis, Argyropoulos Kanakakis, Alafragkis, Kakaris, Nikolaidis, Gkillas – Coach: Vlachos

Hungary – Statistics & current form

One could argue that the heart of water polo beats in the Balkans. But if you look at how many titles the Hungarians have won in this sport, the Magyars are rather the centre of the water polo world. They have won Olympic gold nine times alone. In addition, there are titles at World and European Championships, at the World Cup or the World League.

Magyars dramatically disenchant the world champion

The Hungarian team has never lost touch with the world’s best. Their last title, winning the European Championship, was just three years ago. Many of the players in Zsolt Varga’s squad know how to win big games and have been through a lot of steel baths in international water polo. That’s why we think we’re more likely to stick with a prediction of a win for the more experienced Magyars between Greece and Hungary.

The Hungarians have won eight of their last nine games and only had to bow to the then still considered invincible world champions from Spain at the World Cup. However, this nimbus has been broken in the meantime, because after Zsolt Varga’s team prevailed against Croatia at the World Cup and had the upper hand against the strong team from the USA in the quarter-finals, they went into the pool again against the Spaniards in the semifinals.

Again, a match developed that was hard to beat in terms of drama. The defending champions were on their way to the final at 6:4 at half-time. Even shortly before the end, the Spaniards were still one goal ahead before the Hungarians turned the game around in a brilliant final phase and finally came out of the water with a 12:11 victory. When you win matches like that, you can expect anything.

Predicted line-up of Hungary:
Levai, Vogel – Angyal, Manhercz, Vigvari, Vamos, Nagy, Zalanki, Fekete, Nemet, D. Varga, Jansik, Molnar, Coach: Z. Varga

Greece – Hungary Direct comparison / H2H-Balance

Since the 2013 World Cup, i.e. in the last ten years, the national teams from Greece and Hungary have crossed paths a total of 17 times. During this period, the Magyars have fared much better and are 11-3 ahead after victories. Three other duels ended in a draw. However, the last Greek victory was just over two years ago, when they won 9:6 in the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics.

The last two direct duels, however, went to the Hungarians again. The last encounter was less than a month ago. At the World Cup in Los Angeles, the Magyars won 6:4 in the quarter-finals, but the Hungarians still only managed fourth place. The Hellenes finished the tournament in fifth place. At the time, no one would have guessed that these two teams would meet again in the World Cup final just three weeks later.

Greece – Hungary Tip

The Greeks really deserved to finally win a major title for once. That’s how long the Hellenes have waited to lift a trophy into the air. Most recently, they narrowly failed to win it three times. But in sport, there’s just no such thing as having your turn. Other teams work just as hard and are perhaps a little further along in their development. That could be true for the Hungarians.

The Magyars inflicted their last defeat on the Greeks shortly before the World Cup. At the World Cup, both teams are in top form. The two finalists have beaten and eliminated numerous major water polo nations.

We expect a very dramatic, but not necessarily spectacular match. There shouldn’t be many goals because both defences have put in some excellent performances throughout the tournament. Bets on sub-par goals make sense, but also on the Magyars winning the title. In the end, we decided to play the betting odds on a Hungarian victory in regulation time between Greece and Hungary.