The Hungarian women’s water polo team has secured a spot in the final of the Doha World Championships. The team, led by coaches Attila Mihók and Sándor Cseh, achieved a 13–11 victory against Greece on Wednesday, as reported by the Hungarian state news agency MTI.
Just like in the quarter-final against the defending and European champions, the Netherlands, the Hungarian team did not make any mistakes in the penalty shootout, while the Greeks made two mistakes. The Hungarian national team last competed for gold on Margaret Island in Budapest in 2022, where they were defeated by the Olympic champion US team.
The Hungarian team is set to face the Americans again on Friday in Qatar.
Attila Mihók, co-head coach of the Hungarian women’s water polo team, commented that both teams managed to disrupt each other’s game somewhat in the semi-final. He stated: ‘We tried to impose our game on the Greeks, and they did the same to us, resulting in both teams playing with a lot of mistakes.’
Alda Magyari, the goalkeeper of the Hungarian national team and one of the heroes of the semi-final, said after the game that she anticipates a very challenging match against the United States in the final.
‘The USA is motivated because they didn’t reach the final in Japan, and were not even among the four best teams. Regardless, I am convinced they are the best team in the world. My idol is in the opposing goal (Ashleigh Johnson—ed.). She consoled me after the 2022 World Cup, now I want it to be the other way around,’ said Alda Magyari.
Dorottya Szilágyi, who scored a crucial goal at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, expressed confidence regarding the final: ‘Undoubtedly, facing the Americans is always a formidable challenge, but I believe that whoever our opponent is, we have the ability to emerge victorious.’
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