Hungary storm into women’s Water Polo Euro semi-finals after crushing Israel

Hungary’s women’s water polo team powered into the semi-finals of the European Championship in Funchal with a commanding 22–6 victory over Israel on Sunday, comfortably securing their place among the tournament’s final four.

The world championship silver medallists lived up to expectations, overpowering their opponents after a slightly slow start and steadily widening the gap as the match progressed, the Hungarian News Agency reported.

Strong tournament form continues

Hungary have been in impressive form throughout the competition. They opened their campaign with a narrow but crucial 9–7 win over Olympic champions Spain, before thrashing Romania 28–3 and Portugal 28–4 in the group stage.

Although they suffered a tight 5–4 defeat to defending champions the Netherlands in the intermediate round, the single-goal loss proved valuable in the standings, meaning a win over Israel was enough to guarantee progression.

They delivered emphatically.

Keszthelyi leads the charge

Captain Rita Keszthelyi was the standout performer, scoring four goals and driving the team forward with her experience and composure. Several teammates also made important contributions as Hungary’s defence tightened and their counter-attacks became increasingly clinical.