Israel Under-16 Water Polo Team Finishes 27th at World Championship with Strong Final Win

The Israeli under-16 water polo team concluded the World Championship in Croatia by securing 27th place overall. The team ended the tournament on a high note with a decisive 17-6 victory over Slovenia. After a relatively close first half, with Israel leading 6-3, the team dominated the third quarter 5-1 and the fourth quarter 6-2 to seal the win in their final match.

Coach Rotem Zuckerman reflected on the team's performance, acknowledging the desire to finish higher but emphasizing the positive moments achieved in this first tournament for the young players. He praised the players' improvement throughout the competition and expressed hope that the experience would contribute to the growth of Israeli water polo. The victory was seen as an important and impressive way to close the event.

Key scorers for Israel included Yehali Weinberg with five goals, Michael Ben Eliyahu, Kfir Shusterman, and Yoav Berger each scoring twice, along with Aviv Gadron, Yonatan Paz, Daniel Cohen, Inbar Sarusi, Omri Danal, and Tomi Yahalom contributing one goal each.

Looking ahead, Israel's under-20 team is set to begin their European Championship campaign in Portugal the following day. They will face Russia in their opening match, with Belgium, Britain, Switzerland, and Ukraine also in their group.