The last Round 5 game (on May 8, 2009) of the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League preliminaries in Europe ended with a loss for Spain, which will nevertheless remain in second place in the Group 3 ranking (behind Croatia, which has qualified for the Super Final).
Russia 5 – Spain 4
(1-1, 1-0, 0-1, 3-2)
This game saw a young Spanish team lose by a goal to a powerful Russian team. This victory at home in St. Petersburg was needed by Russia (they had yet to win a game in this year’s World League). The game was defined by the equality between the teams, and the low-scoring play. Spain was behind by just one goal at half, and the left-handed Blai Mallarch (ESP) was playing superbly, generating chances. Thus, Spain tied it up in the third (0-1) for a total score 2-2 But in the last quarter, the additional pressure of the Russians proved too much. Composed and effective, Russia scored three times to take the win, despite two more for Spain on behalf of Mallarach. Good performances were had by players Antipov and Zheltovskiy on Russia’s side.
Scorers for Russia: Vitaly Yurchik (1), Y. Zheltovskiy (3), D. Antipov (1).
Scorers for Spain: B. Mallarach (3), O. Carrillo (1).