Greece settles for silver in women’s water polo

The Greek women’s water polo team ended up second in the European Championship in Barcelona, going down 6-4 to the Netherlands in Friday’s final.

The Dutch led 2-0, the Greeks equalized 2-2 and 3-3, but the Netherlands went ahead again 5-3 as the Greek attack went quiet for almost two quarters.

The impressive performance of Greek keeper Chrysi Diamantopoulou was not enough to give her team the edge, as the Greeks missed numerous chances in the extra player, against the team that had also beaten them at the group stage of the tournament.

The Greek players often seemed hesitant to shoot and lost possession quite often under the strong pressure by the Dutch who played a very physical defense.

This is the third silver medal Greece has earned in the European Championships, after those in 2010 and 2012.

The men’s team will fight for the fifth spot against Montenegro on Saturday, but has already snatched a ticket to the World Championship of 2019.