08/11/2024 Sunday 12:05 PM
The Hungarian men's water polo team finished fourth at the Paris Olympics after losing to the United States 11-8 in the bronze medal match in the 5m freestyle on the final day Sunday.
This was the last farewell performance for the still active Hungarian Olympic polo champion Dennis Varga in the national team. Before that, the last time the Hungarian team lost at the Olympic Games was in 1996 in Atlanta.
The Americans scored first, and two minutes later, Johnny Hooper's shot bounced off the crossbar and behind the goal line. The Hungarians equalized with their first chance, with Zalanky firing over the bar with ease. The opponents regained the lead when the ball fortunately returned to the American midfield after a shot that had almost been saved. The goalkeepers played the main role for several minutes, and then Olympic champion Dennis Varga, who was playing his last match for the national team, sold the advantage with lightning speed. However, the Americans won the first quarter, selling the advantage off the wall at the last moment before the break (2-3).
At the start of the second quarter, the Hungarian shooters unleashed fireworks in one attack, but twice on the goalkeeper, and once both the block and the post stood in the way of the ball. The opponent doubled their advantage by selling another goal, and then the difference could easily have been three, but this time the goalpost helped Vogel. Manhertz scored a wonderful goal from a counterattack. 40 seconds before the end of the first half, Zalanki fired a shot from five meters, but Denis Varga hit the crossbar – considering the semi-final match against the Croats, the team missed four five-pointers in a row (3-4).
After the turn, the Hungarian equalizer came immediately, as Varga put Zalancı's wonderful pass into the net in man advantage. After a defensive lapse, Harai advanced, but Manhertz and Zalancı's shots did not yield results either. After the counterattack, the Hungarians were able to attack again to take the lead and in addition it was a goal that Fejvari sold. The Americans scored again after a long period, as Ben Hallock, the world-class midfielder of Pro Recco, twisted into the net with Fejket hanging on his neck and his head almost underwater. The opponent quickly reversed, and Max Irving beat Vogel with a beautiful shot. In the last minute of the quarter the difference remained thanks to the Hungarian goalkeeper, the world and European champion.
The last eight minutes of the Hungarians in Paris were led by Nagy's brilliant saves, followed by Vogel's saves, even “screaming” Haluk's head after reading the midfielder's thoughts. With the man advantage, Zalancı found his way into the net amidst a forest of hand saves, and the Hungarians gained the advantage again. With a two-goal lead, the Hungarians were able to attack with the advantage of the players, and Zalancı again appeared as a setter, and Angyal hit his perfect shot from the wall. After the timeout, the Americans gained the advantage almost immediately, and Vogel could only block Alex Bowen's shot. After a counter-referee, he gave his opponent another chance and equalized with 1:59 left.
On the other hand, Harai, who was in his fourth Olympics, brought the show, Zsolt Varga asked for some time, then the goalkeeper saved Fejvari's shot, which was a bit wide. Vogel came out of his goal and scored, and the goalkeeper saved Zalanky's shot. The ball remained in the Hungarians' hands, but the score did not change, and it was possible to come from five meters away.
Varga was the first Hungarian to hit the crossbar again, and the American goalkeeper saved Vejvari's shot. Vogel failed to save this time, and Zalanki hit the post, thus ending the clash.
