Greece wins in Hungary, Great Britain beats Spain in FINA Women's Water Polo World League Preliminary Round

Photo © waterpolophoto.com

Water Polo World: April 23, 2014 -In the final day of action in the women's World League preliminary round in Europe it was Greece who took a big 8-10 win from Hungary finishing their campaign on a positive note and second place in group B.

All effort was not enough to get the Greek women into the Super Final though as the goal difference with group A's second ranked Russia still is in the world's number four favour as they grab the final Super Final spot out of Europe. But a strong second-half performance by Greece in their match-up with Hungary saw the 2011 world champs turning the game around from trailing 6-5 at half-time to winning by two.

Another side who closed out their campaign on a positive note was Great Britain. Although 'a positive note' is perhaps not enough to describe their best result ever on the international stage. In Manchester, in front of the home crowd, reigning world champions Spain were defeated 9-7 in a performance that does not only serve as great finish of the World League preliminaries but also as a strong response to the recent blow the team received when learning of the fund withdrawal by UK Sport last month.

The home side took a big 4-1 lead at half-time but saw Spain making a comeback to even tie the game at 7-7 after a Jennifer Pareja goal in the fourth quarter. But consecutive goals by standout Ciara Gibson Byrne (4 total) and Chloe Wilcox, both from the penalty spot and drawn by Angie Winstanley-Smith, secured the sensational victory for the Brits.

In May, Riverside, Southern California (USA) will host the first-ever FINA Intercontinental Tournament. The event will qualify four teams for the women's Super Final, and brings together some of the world's top teams, including 2012 Olympic gold medallist USA, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Australia, 2013 World League winner China and 2016 Olympic Games host Brazil.

FINA Women's World League 2013-2014
Europe Preliminary Round

Day 6 fixtures and results

Tuesday 22 April:

Hungary vs. Greece 8-10 (3-2, 3-3, 1-3, 1-2) - in Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Hungary scorers: Rita Keszthelyi 3, Dóra Czigány, Hanna Kisteleki, Gabriella Szücs, Ildikó Tóth, Barbara Bujka.

Greece scorers: Cristina Tsoukala 3, Alexandra Asimaki 2, Triantafyll Manolioudaki 2, Eleftheria Plevritou, Ioanna Chydirioti.

Great Britain vs. Spain 9-7 (1-0, 3-1, 3-4, 2-2) - in Manchester, Great Britain
Great Britain scorers: Ciara Gibson-Byrne 4, Ella Chadderton 2, Kathryn Fowler, Lisa Gibson, Chloe Wilcox.

Spain scorers: Jennifer Pareja 2, Maica Garcia 2, Lorena Miranda, Ona Meseguer, Anni Espar.

Final standings:

Group A

1. Spain* 4 - 9 pts
2. Russia* 4 - 6 (54-47: +7)
3. Great Britain 4 - 3

Group B

1. Italy* 4 - 9 pts
2. Greece 4 - 6 (42-41: +1)
3. Hungary 4 - 3 (41-45: -4)

* qualified for Super Final
World League Super Final 10-15 June, 2014 in Kunshan, China.

The Intercontinental qualification tournament, which includes teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, will kick off on 19 May in Riverside, Los Angeles (USA).