Greece finally won a medal – the Hellenes will remember Belgrade fondly

Pedja Milosavljevic/STARSPORT

This time we saw fewer goals, but Greece was once again the better team. Kalogeropoulos stepped up, causing serious problems for the Italian goalkeeper.

Although goalkeepers on both sides performed at a higher level than in the first period—particularly De Lungo—Zerdevas was simply unbeatable, conceding just one goal, and that with three seconds remaining.

Italy had no solution for Greece’s play, as the Greeks continued to score through man-advantage situations. After the first half, the Hellenes held a convincing 7–2 lead.

The third period was no better for the Italian national team, which failed to find its proper level of play.

The Greeks also had a bit of luck during these moments, scoring through their centers Kakaris and Nikolaidis, who came to the forefront in the third period.

The Hellenes kept increasing their lead, while the Italians could not find a way past Zerdevas, who delivered what was certainly his best performance at this European Championship.

The only thing Italy managed to do differently compared to the previous two quarters was score two goals, but that meant little, as Greece held a 10–4 advantage heading into the final quarter.

The Greeks deliberately slowed the tempo in the final period, with the first goal coming only after four minutes of play. Argyropoulos scored, and at that moment it was clear that Greece would finally reach a medal at the European Championship.

By the end of the match, Greece added two more goals and Italy one, for a final score of 12–5 and a Greek victory in the third-place match at the European Championship.

This is the first European Championship medal in Greek history.