Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands finished with maximum points in the group stage as quarterfinal line-ups were confirmed in the Canoe Polo tournament at The World Games Chengdu 2025.
In the men’s category, defending champions Germany will face off against Poland, while European champions Denmark have been handed an easy fixture against hosts China.
Italy will face Spain, and France will battle it out against Great Britain for a place in the semi-finals.
Germans showed great resilience against Great Britain to post a 2-1 comeback win in a game that was all about sheer force and power on Thursday.
While both teams could not find the back of the net in the first half, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Together, they finished with 24 shots, and all three goals came in the last five minutes.
It was Santanam McCutcheon who capitalised on a fast break to put Great Britain in front. A few minutes later, Lennart Unterfeld and Leon Max Paul Konrad slotted in from close range.
When everyone inside the Jianyang Cultural and Sports Center thought the teams were going to share the spoils, Konrad and skipper Jonas Vieren combined in spectacular fashion as the Germans edged the game.
In their second game of the day, the Germans brushed past China 13-0. It was yet another difficult day for the hosts, who lost 18-0 against the Italians earlier.
Italy also finished strong, getting the better of Great Britain 4-2. It was an even competition until the last five minutes when the Italians turned on the style.
With the score line reading 2-2, Andrea Bertelloni took advantage of a counter to give the Italians the lead.
Credit to Great Britain as they gave it all to hit back, but with just seconds remaining on the clock, Tommaso Gaetano Lampo put the game beyond doubt and won 4-2.
European champions Denmark secured a 2-1 win over France first, before a thrilling 5-4 victory against Spain. France and Spain beat Poland 10-4 and 8-5, respectively.
The women’s quarterfinals will feature Germany against Denmark, the Netherlands against China, Italy versus Iran, and reigning world champions New Zealand against Spain.
Among women, the Dutch continued to entertain the crowds as they played out a 10-goal thriller against Spain.
Blink and one could have missed a goal, as that’s how eventful the first half was with seven goals, each from a different player.
Both teams were taking turns to score, with Nuria Canas, Sonia Martinez, Lore Nieto, and Raquel Calvente on target for Spain, while the Dutch had Alisha Van Den Berg, Linda Van As, and Astrid Van Der Maas to thank as the Spaniards led 4-3 going into the second half.
Van Den Berg and Van As bagged their brace in the second half, but it was Canas who had the last laugh with a cheeky finish to make it 5-5.
Italy and Denmark drew 2-2, while Germany eased past Iran 7-3.
The biggest result of the day belonged to reigning world champions New Zealand, who scored a whopping 24 goals to beat China, who could not even manage 1.
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