World water polo championships, Settebello finishes seventh

Italy finished seventh at the water polo world championship in Singapore, beating the United States 9-8 (3-3, 2-1, 2-2, 2-2) in the last challenge. Spain won the gold, beating Hungary 15-13 in the final, and Greece rounded out the podium, beating Olympians Serbia 16-7.

“The team played with discipline, gave 100 percent, gave their souls, regained motivation – the words of coach Alessandro Campagna -. I am sorry I was not able to lift the group after the disappointment of the quarterfinals in time to play on equal terms also the semifinal for fifth place against Montenegro.”

“Motivation must’always be high, but you also have to transmit the right values. The level of play has grown a lot, it is crazy. Staying out of the top four positions in two competitions in a row is not a drama.”

“You have to educate to understand that building a team takes time, and quarterfinals, which generate emotion and stress, can lead to mistakes more easily than other matches. No one likes the result, but the growth of players also passes through these defeats and disappointments. The Settebello is there’it”.