Greece’s men’s and women’s national water polo teams have both reached the semifinals of the World Championships after impressive quarterfinal victories.
The men’s team delivered a dominant 17-11 win over Italy, with their momentum boosted by a rare four-minute man advantage following the ejection of Italy’s Luca Gratà for an underwater knee strike.
Coached by Thodoris Vlachos, Greece is now one win away from a medal and two from its first-ever world title. They will face the winner of Spain vs. Montenegro on July 22.
Greece has consistently been among the sport’s elite, claiming silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and last year’s World Championship, but has yet to win gold.
Meanwhile, the women’s team edged out Australia 8-7 in a thriller sealed by a last-second goal from Maria Myriokefalitaki.
The win avenged past defeats to Australia and secured a semifinal berth against either the USA or Japan.
Under coach Charis Pavlidis, Greece’s women showed tactical discipline and resilience, holding off a late Australian comeback in one of the tournament’s most dramatic matches.
