Greece's national water polo team is world champion. The Greeks defeated Hungary 15-14 in the final of the Water Polo Wo...

Greece's national water polo team is world champion. The Greeks defeated Hungary 15-14 in the final of the Water Polo World Cup in Sydney, ending a streak of five consecutive final losses and settling a long score against their most persistent rival. The match was a back-and-forth battle from the opening whistle. Greece led after the first period 5-3, survived a Hungarian comeback to reach halftime at 7-6, then found themselves trailing for the first time in the entire tournament at 9-8 during the third period. They fought back to lead 11-10 by the end of that period and pushed the advantage to 14-11 midway through the fourth. Hungary refused to fold. The Hungarians clawed back from 14-11 to level the score at 14-14, threatening to add one more painful chapter to Greece's history of final heartbreaks against this opponent. Then, with 12 seconds left on the clock, team captain Argyriou scored the decisive goal to seal the 15-14 victory. Skouмpakis was a constant scoring threat throughout the final, while goalkeeper Tzortzatos made several critical saves to keep Greece in front during the tense closing stages. Coach Thodoris Vlachos had his side playing with intensity and discipline across all four periods, even when Hungary's superior efficiency on power plays threatened to swing the game. Greece had reached the final by beating Italy 10-9 in a tense semifinal. Hungary got there by edging host nation Australia 13-12. The Greek team returns home as world champions for the first time after years of coming agonizingly close. #Greece #WaterPolo #WorldCup