In the end it was an easy game for the team from Iran. The Iranians took fifth place at the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup in Berlin on Sunday afternoon with a 15:9 (2:2, 4:3, 3:0, 6:4) over the team from Malta. The Iranians hadn’t competed in the World Cup or World League since 2010, but on their comeback on the world stage after more than a decade, they showed a strong tournament in Berlin.
At the beginning of the game, there was a neck-and-neck race for a long time. Both teams had significant problems passing the ball and repeatedly gave away chances to score in front of the opponent’s goal. The first quarter ended 2:2.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Malta was able to pull away a little, but Iran always managed to equalize. Shortly before the end of the half, Iran went ahead and went into the break with a 6:5 lead. This trend continued with the start of the third quarter. Iran now played more energetically, converted their chances better and thus continuously increased their lead. Malta found it increasingly difficult to counter and failed to score a single goal in the third quarter. That was the early decision in this game. The Iranians continued to dominate the game in the final section as well. Iran’s Mehdi Yazdankah scored five goals and was honored as player of the game.
At the beginning of the game, there was a neck-and-neck race for a long time. Both teams had significant problems passing the ball and repeatedly gave away chances to score in front of the opponent’s goal. The first quarter ended 2:2.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Malta was able to pull away a little, but Iran always managed to equalize. Shortly before the end of the half, Iran went ahead and went into the break with a 6:5 lead. This trend continued with the start of the third quarter. Iran now played more energetically, converted their chances better and thus continuously increased their lead. Malta found it increasingly difficult to counter and failed to score a single goal in the third quarter. That was the early decision in this game. The Iranians continued to dominate the game in the final section as well. Iran’s Mehdi Yazdankah scored five goals and was honored as player of the game.
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