The 12 teams applying for a visa to the Olympics started their quest at the women’s Olympic Games Qualification Tournament at the Piscina F Cascione here today.
Only four will get air tickets and the first day’s play pointed to what will be a wonderful week of water polo.
The packed house for the Italy-Russia clash was not disappointed. Here was the Olympic champion against the European champion trying to get a vital win en route to Beijing. Neither could claim the victory as the game ended in an exciting 7-7 draw with much of the high-octane power normally seen in nearby Monte Carlo.
Italian head coach Mauro Maugeri was not too unhappy with the result, saying that his team missed a penalty shot and a certain goal on counter-attack when Sylvia Bosurgi lobbed but was blocked.
“We had the chances to win the game but we only gained a draw.”
While this game may have seemed to be the only major game of the day, there was plenty to keep people on the edge of their seats throughout the two sessions.
Germany opened with an 11-7 victory over Brazil but not before the South Americans showed they deserve to be here.
Olympic silver medallist Greece started slowly against Puerto Rico before swimming away with the game 15-6.
Kazakhstan was after an upset over Spain but the 6-6 halftime score and the 8-7 deficit at the final break turned into a 13-9 loss.
Hungary blew the Czech Republic out of the water with a counter-attack display that will send extra chills down some teams’ backs. The final score was 22-1.
In the final game, Canada had to move from a 6-3 halftime lead to 8-4 and eventually 9-5 against a determined Cuba. At last year’s Pan American Games in Brazil, the teams tied.


Match reports:

Game 1: 09:00, Sunday, February 17
GROUP A
BRAZIL 7 GERMANY 11
Referees: Noel HARROD (AUS), Stephan ROY (CAN)
Quarters: 2-5, 2-1, 2-4, 1-1
Teams:
BRAZIL: Tess OLIVEIRA, Luiza JORDI, Flavia FERNANDES (1), Marina CANETTI (1), Marina ZABLITH (1), Carolina MELO, Amanda OLIVEIRA (2), Luiza CARVALHO (1), Fernanda LISSONI (1), Flavia VINHA, Barbara AMARO, Gabriela MANTELATO, Claudia GRANER. Head Coach: Roberto CHIAPPINI.
GERMANY: Simone BUDDE, Lina ROHE (3), Claudia KERN (1), Mareike KREUZNER, Katrin DIEROLF (1), Claudia BLOMENKAMP (3), Moniker KRUSZONA (1), Jasmin KRIETER, Theresa KLEIN (1), Nina WENGST (1), Carmen GELSE, Mandy ZOLLNER, Hannah HANHOLZ. Head Coach: Andras FEHER.
Match report:
Germany can be thankful for a good start to its Olympic campaign, shooting to 4-0 before Brazil awoke and kept parity for the rest of the match. Brazil took time to gain confidence and prove that it was worthy of a berth at this tournament. Its lack of experience at the top level proved fatal as Germany played in spurts. Brazil came from 4-0 down to three behind at the break and only two behind at halftime. Germany rallied thanks to Blomenkamp with two goals in the third period and at 10-6 it looked curtains for Brazil. When the game went to 11-6 at the top of the fourth, Brazil failed to keel over, shutting Germany down for five minutes before swapping goals. Late in the third period, Oliveira brought Brazil within three in the last 10 seconds but Rohe rocketed the ball off the restart from inside her half to skip the ball into the bottom right with three seconds left. Germany was well served by the likes of Blomenkamp, captain Dierolf and Rohe. If Blomenkamp hadn’t been fouled out in the third quarter, she could have produced an even bigger margin for Germany. Brazil’s best were diminutive captain Fernandes and Oliveira. The good showing by Brazil will help in coming matches.

Game 2: 10:30, February 17
GROUP A
GREECE 15 PUERTO RICO 6
Referees: Michael GOLDENBERG (USA), Tomas REDINA (CZE).
Quarters: 1-1, 5-3, 7-1, 2-1
Teams:
GREECE: Anthoula MILONAKI, Christina TSOUKALA, Angeliki GEROLYMOU (2), Sofia IOSIFIDOU, Kyriaki LIOSI (2), Stavroula KOZOMPOLI (2), Aikaterini OIKONOMOPOULOU (1), Antigoni ROUMPESI (3), Evangelia MORAITIDOU (2), Alkisti AVRAMIDOU (1), Stavroula ANTONAKOU (1), Georgia LARA (1), Maria TSOURI. Head Coach: Kyriakos IOSIFIDIS.
PUERTO RICO: Estefania LABOY, Paola MEDINA (1), Angelica ORTIZ, Amanda ORTIZ (2), Carla MARTINEZ, Osmarie QUINONEZ, Angelica GARCIA (1), Alexandra ORTZ, Mairim ROSARIO, Anaid RALAT (2), Cristina ORTIZ, Caroline MATOS, Reina LOPEZ. Head Coach: Hector PERELES.
Match report:
Even the giants were caught sleeping on the opening day. Athens Olympic silver medallist Greece took time to settle against a spirited Puerto Rico with the score locked at 1-1 by the quarter break. But the Greeks conspired to deny the less experienced Caribbean minnows with a steady stream of goals built on patience. The third period was awesome and with the excellent centre-back defence of Moraitidou and three goals to Roumpesi in the second quarter, Puerto Rico was denied the opportunity to execute many attacks. At 7-1 in the third, the game was over and coach Iosifidou used his bench to give his players valuable water time at this level. Puerto Rico worked tirelessly until the end and was rewarded with a final period of 2-1 against. Greece’s final goal came off a planned attack after a timeout and the goal from Gerolymou came on extra with a second remaining.

Game 3: 12:00, February 17
GROUP B
KAZAKHSTAN 9 SPAIN 13
Referees: Osvaldo GONZALES (PUR), NI Shi Wei (CHN).
Quarters: 2-2, 4-4, 1-2, 2-5
Teams:
KAZAKHSTAN: Galina RYTOVA, Ekaterina VASILIEVA (4), Tatiana GUBINA, Anastassia LIMARENKO, Nataliya KRASSILNIKOVA, Anna ZUBKOVA, Irina TOLKUNOVA (1), Yekaterina GARIEVA, Assel DZHAKAYEVA (1), Marina GRITZENKO (2), Yekaterina SHISHOVA, Nataliya IGNATYEVA (1), Nataliya BIBIKOVA. Head Coach: Andrey SAZYKIN.
SPAIN: Patricia DEL SOTO, Blanca GIL (3), Cristina PARDO, Irene HAGEN, Miriam LOPEZ-ESCRIBANO, Jennifer PAREJA (2), Cristina LOPEZ (1), Anna PARDO (2), Pilar PENA, Laura PEREZ, Carmen GARCIA (1), Laura LOPEZ (4), Anna COPADO. Head Coach: Vicenc TARRES.
Match report:
By rights Kazakhstan should have had the greater experience at international level but in truth Spain has been excelling at the highest level in recent years. That skill shone through in an enthralling match in a game where the scores were tied at 2-2 at the first break and 6-6 at halftime. Three times Spain had the lead in the second quarter only to see Kazakhstan come back to level. Late in the period Kazakhstan went to the lead thanks to Vasilieva for her second of the half. Pardo and Laura Lopez created a two-goal margin for Spain while veteran Tolkunova kept Kazakhstan in the picture with a swimaway lob. At 10-8 down in the final period, the burgeoning crowd was enjoying the spectacle. Gritzenko had a chance to make it 11-9 with a penalty attempt but Del Soto was equal to the task and smacked the ball away. It was Kazakhstan’s last big chance to win the game as Spain maintained the control to finish with a flourish. Gil looked in fine form for Spain, especially at centre forward but even she missed a penalty attempt at 5-5 in the second period. Rytova and Del Soto spiced up the game with their keeping while Pareja and Anna Pardo proved vital links in a team where Laura Lopez was having a grand game with four goals, the same number Vasilieva gleaned for the Asians.

Game 4: 12:00, February 17
GROUP B
HUNGARY 22 CZECH REPUBLIC 1
Referees: Denis DANELON (BRA), Anton BERVOETS (NED).
Quarters: 5-0, 6-0, 6-1, 5-0
Teams:
HUNGARY: Patricia HORVATH, Krisztina SZREMKO (3), Barbara BUJKA, Dora KISTELEKI (2), Mercedes STIEBER (2), Orsolya TAKACS (1), Rita DRAVUCZ (3), Krisztina ZANTLEITNER, Anett GYORE, Aniko PELLE (4), Agnes VALKAI (4), Agnes PRIMASZ (3), Ildiko SOS. Head Coach: Gabor GODOVA.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Martina CHVALOVA, Natalie SEJKOROVA, Karolina FAMEROVA, Lenka HAVRLANTOVA, Lucie VOTAVOVA, Zdena SPERLOVA, Aneta HENDRYCHOVA (1), Michaela BROZOVA, Barbora KRASOVA, Marie ZAMYSLICKA, Petra KRASOVA, Tereza HALOVA, Barbora BODNAROVA. Head Coach: Jaroslav BARTUNEK.
Match report:
Neither team could probably take too much out of a game that yielded so many goals in favour of one team. For Hungary it was a game of counter-attack where at least a dozen goals came from this aspect of its game. Hungary pressured the Czechs into a multitude of mistakes from which there was no comeback for the defeated. Ably led by captain Dravucz and backed up by the speedy Valkai, Hungary looked like a world-beating team with no peer but in fact the Czechs are young, inexperienced and without big-game practice. The lone goal came in the third period much to the surprise of the crowd, let alone the Hungarians. On the rare occasion that the ball made it to Horvath in goal, she climbed high to block the ball to the water, except for that one…

Game 5: 18:30, February 17
GROUP A
ITALY 7 RUSSIA 7
Referees: Jose Maria TEULE (ESP), Gyorgy JUHASZ (HUN).
Quarters: 3-2, 1-2, 2-2, 1-1
Teams:
ITALY: Elena GIGLI, Martina MICELI (1), Elisa CASANOVA (1), Silvia BOSURGI (1), Erzsebet VALKAI (1), Manuela ZANCHI (2), Tania DI MARIO (1), Cinzia RAGUSA, Marta COLAIOCCO, Federica ROSSO, Maddalena MUSUMECI, Teresa FRASSINETTI, Chiara BRANCATI. Head Coach: Mauro MAUGERI.
RUSSIA: Valentina VORONTSOVA, Natalia SHEPELINA (1), Eketerina PROKOFYEVA (1), Sofya KONUKH (2), Alena VYLEGZHANINA (1), Nadezda GLYZINA, Ekaterina PANTYULINA (1), Evgenia SOBOLEVA, Anna TIMOFEEVA, Olga BELYAEVA (1), Jelena SMUROVA, Anastasia ZUBKOVA, Evgeniya PROTSENKO. Head Coach: Alexander KLEYMENOV.
Match report:
It was billed to be one of the best games in the tournament and it didn’t disappoint. The desperation on the faces of the Italians showed in front of a packed, 1000-plus house. Captain Miceli opened the scoring in the first attack but Shepelina on counter brought Russia into the game. Valkai and Di Mario had Italy ahead at the break. The furious pace continued in the second quarter as Zanchi sent Italy 4-2 and Di Mario failed with a penalty shot. This brought a three-goal burst from Russia, straddling the halftime break with Konukh snapping in a penalty shot, Pantyulina blasting from the top and Prokofyeva from deep right-hand catch. Zanchi redressed the balance with a sloppy bounce shot that caught the wash and skipped low into the bottom left for 5-5 two minutes into the third quarter. Konukh scored off the post position after a short tussle and Russia had the lead again at 6-5. Both teams found the goalkeeper but not the net for the next four minutes. Bosurgi equalised on penalty after Glyzina was caught with poor defensive skills. Vorontsova denied Bosurgi a counter-attack goal, stealing the ball inside the last half-minute. Both teams took a timeout inside the first two minutes of the final quarter with Russia successful for a 7-6 lead. It took more than four minutes and a player down on each side for centre forward Casanova to backhand a screamer past Vorontsova at 2:16 for 7-7. Italy squandered its second-last attack and Russia went to a timeout at 0:27. Italy stole the ball and Italy called timeout at 0:09. The play was for Casanova to backhand but she was smothered and Vorontsova made good the save for the draw.

Game 6: 20:00, Sunday, February 17
GROUP B
CUBA 5 CANADA 9
Referees: Mario BIANCHI (ITA), Georgios STAVRIDIS (GRE).
Quarters: 1-2, 2-4, 1-2, 1-1
Teams:
CUBA: Mairelis ZUNZUNEGUI, Yunieska DIAGO, Yadira OMS, Hirovis HERNANDEZ (1), Danay GUTIERREZ (1), Yamira CABALLERO, Yeliano BRAVO, Olga SOLER (1), Yanelis ANDREU, Lisandra FROMETA (1), Leyanis GUTIERREZ, Neldis TRUFFIN, Cheila GOMEZ. Head Coach: Francisco TRUEBA.
CANADA: Rachel RIDDELL, Krystina ALOGBO (3), Sandra LIZÉ, Emily CSIKOS, Johanne BEGIN (1), Katrina MONTON, Rosanna TOMIUK (1), Dominique PERRAULT (2), Alison BRADEN, Christine ROBINSON (1), Tara CAMPBELL, Marina RADU (1), Whynther LAMARRE. Head Coach: Pat OATEN.
Match report:
As Cuba showed at the Montreal World Championships, it has a depth of desire to perform at the higher level. Canada recently beat world champion United States of America but that meant nothing as Olympic berths are up for grabs. Cuba trailed by just the one goal at the quarter and performed creditably to be just three goals down at halftime. Canada wasn’t playing bad but some hesitation in front of goal conspired to rob it of a few goals. Alogbo and Tomiuk scored either side of Hernandez for what seemed a comfortable 8-4 lead at the third break. That became shaky when Hernandez scored from the penalty line after Soler earned a superb turning foul in the hole. There was still plenty of time for the Cubans to come back.  On extra, Leyanis Guitierrez pushed a beautiful shot but Riddell covered. It could have been the difference as the counter-attack was dangerous with Canada left scrambling. However, for the well-drilled Cubans, time ran out on their heroics and Canada had gained a valuable two points. The score was made better through an Alogbo counter at 1:19 for her third goal.