Italy has signed the long-awaited vendetta. After being eliminated by Spain in the European semifinals a month ago, the Italian team beat David Martín’s team 6-8 in a disputed semifinal match at the World Cup in Doha. Thus, the Spanish say goodbye to the World Cup final and will have to fight for bronze against France, who lost in a penalty shootout against Croatia by 11-11 (17-16).
“It was an uncomfortable game, they put it that way. A game with a lot of grip, not much fluidity. Our throwers had a very bad time, they put a lot of pressure on us,” explained the Barcelona coach. “They took the game to their own ground and it turned out well,” added Martín, who was satisfied with his players: “Even though it wasn’t a brilliant game, we fought until the end.”
The match got off to a hasty start, with intense pressure from the Italian team. The first eight minutes were very even, with the defenses of both teams very engaged and the goalkeepers Unai Aguirre and Marco Del Lungo as the undisputed protagonists. Spain opened the scoring with a goal from Marc Larumbe, but Alessandro Campagna’s team equalized with 55 seconds left thanks to a well-positioned Francesco Condemi.
Italy dominated the second quarter from the start. Alessandro Velotto took advantage of the team’s third advantage and scored 1-2 with a lucky shot. David Martín’s men regained the tie thanks to Alberto Munarriz, who signed a splendid trademark goal. Francesco Di Fulvio took a perfect shot from his sleeve, raising the score to 2-3, and Andrea Fondelli confirmed the superiority of the Italians by converting a penalty committed by Álvaro Granados, making it 2-4.
The third period complicated things for the reigning European champions. Lorenzo Bruni easily scored the fifth goal for Italy, which made it 2-6 after a save by Aguirre that ended in nothing. The Spanish were inferior, with more uncertain and forced shots. It took more than ten minutes for them to score again. It was Larumbe who ended the goal drought, making it 3-6 with a minute and a half left and giving much-needed oxygen to the team.
The last quarter looked black, with Italy dominating and an unbreakable defense. The first moments, tense and tied, ended with a hopeful goal from Granados (4-6), the result of a counterattack. Spain regained its breath and had possibilities again. Munarriz further reduced the score with a powerful shot that touched the water and made it 5-6. Di Fulvio scored the seventh goal for the transalpines. However, after a post, Bustos pushed a dead ball on the goal line that made it 6-7. However, with one minute remaining, a very clear penalty was taken by the Italian Fondelli, who scored the final score 6-8.
Until today’s match, the Spanish team had won all of its matches, having an immaculate first phase. Having lost the semifinals, Spain will try to defend the bronze medal it won in the 2023 Fukuoka World Cup.
Spain: Aguirre; Munárriz (2), Granados (1), Sanahuja (-), De Toro (-), Larumbe (2), Famera (-), Cabanas (-), Tahull (-), Perrone (-), Mallarach (-) and Busts (1).
Italy: Del Lungo; Di Fulvio (2), Damonte (-), Marziali (-), Fondelli (2p), Echenique (-), Presciutti (-), Bruni (1), Di Somma (-), Velotto (1), Condemi (2 ) and Iochi (-).
Referees: Margeta (SLO) and Kun (HUN). Eliminated: Sanahuja and Presciutti.
Partials: 1-1, 1-3, 1-2, 3-2.
