Francesco Di Fulvio and Italy obtained the 2019 world championship in men’s water polo, establishing themselves as gold medal contenders for the Olympics. Then the coronavirus pandemic arrived.
A Twelve months after the Video games were speculated to happen, Di Fulvio sees a gigantic-delivery competitors in Tokyo.
“We are the identical crew. We enact the identical play, the identical game,” he acknowledged. “But now, in Tokyo 2020, perchance, here can desire, in my witness, six, seven teams. They toughen their game. We did the identical. So I ponder there could well be nice video games.”
Italy carried out a form of nice video games Thursday in opposition to the United States, rallying for a dramatic 12-11 victory. Di Fulvio scored 5 times as the Italians jumped over the Americans in Community A with 5 components after playing to a 6-6 draw in opposition to Greece on Tuesday.
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5 years after Serbia obtained gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics as the reigning world champion, there could be not any superpower towering over the 12-country field in Tokyo. Proper a ton of chances.
“I’ve by no means viewed eight teams, nine teams strong that can desire medals,” Italy coach Alessandro Campagna acknowledged. “So every match is a fight, every match.”
Campagna’s crew is totally among these medal contenders. Italy is trying to search out its first Olympic title since 1992 and No. 4 total. It obtained silver in 2012 and bronze in Rio.
The U.S. performed 10th in Brazil, nonetheless it picked up some momentum with a runner-up conclude in this Twelve months’s World League Tremendous Excellent that integrated a 10-8 victory over Italy. It then obtained its first two video games within the Olympics in opposition to Japan and South Africa.
Taking a witness to toughen its living for a that you simply need to perchance well also imagine berth within the quarterfinals, the U.S. scored the first four goals in opposition to Italy and led 11-9 with 5: 22 left. But it couldn’t abet on.
“I ponder that we’re going so that you simply can also honest mild desire the game,” U.S. coach Dejan Udovicic acknowledged. “We bought as soon as or twice to abet out the game and we didn’t and they punished us.”
Di Fulvio tied it at 11 with a penalty shot with 2: 22 left, and Nicholas Presciutti bought the game-winner when he remodeled a rebound with 1: 40 to head. The U.S. had one closing likelihood within the closing seconds, nonetheless turned it over.
“At the tip we had the energy, we had the focus and we had the eagerness to carry up for the very most curious moment to head in entrance,” Campagna acknowledged.
The U.S. mild appears to be like to be in a convincing living to come, nonetheless it closes neighborhood play with video games in opposition to Hungary on Saturday and Greece on Monday.
“I ponder while you catch to the quarterfinals, I ponder anybody can beat anybody,” U.S. goaltender Drew Holland acknowledged. “There’s various very most curious teams and it be the Olympics and we’re getting roughly to the nitty-gritty point. But over again, create via the neighborhood play stage and be playing our simplest water polo for the crossover.”
Hungary, Spain and Croatia additionally obtained on Thursday. Hungary routed winless South Africa 23-1, and Spain moved to three-0 with a 16-4 victory over Kazakhstan. Loren Fatovic scored three goals to manual Croatia to a 13-8 desire over Montenegro.
