Never before had the Hellenes won a medal at European Championships, but that wait has now come to an end.In the match for third place, they defeated Italy 12–5, thus winning the bronze medal at this European Championship being held in Belgrade.Argyropoulos led Greece to this historic bronze with four goals, while for Italy, Ferrero and Condemi scored two goals each.The Greeks started the match excellently. They played with great determination to finally claim a European medal.They maintained that rhythm throughout. They opened the game with a 4–0 run, and the man-advantage play worked perfectly for the Hellenes, who made the most of every numerical superiority in the pool. Argyropoulos benefited the most, as he was in great form in this bronze-medal match.On the other hand, nothing went right for the Italians in the first period of the game. They managed to score just one goal, and it did not come from open play but from a penalty shot.They kept hitting the crossbar, then lost the ball to the Greeks; simply put, the Azzurri were out of rhythm and focus.Coach Campagna recognized this and had to call a timeout in an attempt to shake up his players.However, Greece held a clear 4–1 lead after the first period.The picture in the pool did not change during the second period either.Pedja Milosavljevic/STARSPORTThis 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. 
25.1.2026.
18:55
Greece finally won a medal – the Hellenes will remember Belgrade fondly
The Greek national water polo team managed to win its first-ever medal at the European Championship.
Izvor: B92.sport
Autor: B92.sport
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