Italy thrashes Russia in Women’s semi-final: Day eleven – European Water Polo Championships
Italian national squad thrashed Russian team in the Women’s semi-final round on day eleven of the ongoing 2012 European Water Polo Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands on Thursday, January 26 at the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swim Stadium.
The audience went wild with the nerve-wrecking performances of both teams in the four-quarter game, where Italy managed to snuggle victory over Russia with a 13-12 effort in the 32-minute game.
These European Championships are of noteworthy value as they pave the way for the 2012 London Olympic Games and provide a chance to all players to overcome their weaknesses before the mega stage of sports.
The first quarter of the game was very tough, where both teams tried hard to prove their dominance but failed to do so. Russian players went full rampant and scored first goal of the game but Italy responded by accomplishing two goals. In the meantime, Russian
team managed to stroke another goal in the last three minutes of the round, making the score 2-2 after the first quarter.
The same continued in second quarter, where both teams demonstrated their ruthless aggression but failed to ascend on the points table. Both teams accomplished four goals in the second round and the score remained 6-6 after the halftime.
The arena saw a significant improvement in the strategy of Italian team in the third quarter, which overpowered their opposing team by notching up three goals. In contrast, Russian players managed to achieve two goals only and the score went up to 9-8 after
the third round.
The Russian athletes elevated their struggles in fourth quarter and tried to outsmart Italy by striking four goals. Nevertheless, their effort was chased by Italian players, who also accomplished four goals in the fourth round and secured their cage until
the end of the game.
Tania di Mario of Italy was declared player of the match as she raked five goals to ensure her team’s win. In addition, Italy is now scheduled to compete with Greece for the crown of the tournament while Russia will play against Hungary for bronze medal
on Saturday, January 28.
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