Spain edged past Italy in a tightly contested 2026 Men's Water Polo World Cup match in Alexandroupoli, with the Spanish attacking trident of Marc Larumbe Marc Valls, Bernat Sanahuja, and the prolific Marc Granados finishing the work that the team had been building all tournament.
Marc Granados opened the scoring for Spain after countering Italy's first attack. The Italians had drawn first blood through Francesco Cassia's strike, and the early exchanges signalled a match that would be decided by which team executed cleanly when their man-up sets were called.
Valls and Italy's Edoardo Di Somma produced quick-fire responses, while Spain's centre forward Alvaro Granados Ortega anchored the two-metre line against Italian veteran Edoardo Velotto. The Spanish set offence ran particularly well through left-handed shooter Bernat Bonet, whose ability to read the pass-receive angles created multiple opportunities.
"Pressing from the Italian players. Now a zone defence and the goal," the World Aquatics broadcast captured the third quarter rhythm. "From number 10 of Spain. Valera. Great pass for number 10 of Italy, Bruni, and he scores."
Italy's coach Sandro Campagna leaned heavily on speed and counter-attacks, with Cassia, Filippo Ferrero, and Luca Damonte combining for several breaks. The Italians' three Cassia goals and clean transition work kept the contest tighter than Spain's pre-tournament form would have suggested.
Marc Granados' tactical reads were the tipping point. The 23-year-old wing finished with three goals from sharp angles, exploiting Italy's slower zone defence on the left side. Bernat Bonet added two from beyond six metres, and the captaincy of Granados Ortega kept Spain's tempo consistent.
"Pressing from the Spanish players. Great pass in the two meters and then outside and now a goal from number 11 of Italy, Balat Baltazarini scores," the broadcast captured one Italian response, but a quick reply through Spain's Felipe Perrone proxy stretched the lead.
Spain's coach David Martin Lozano had instructed his side to play patient extra-man sequences, an approach that paid off when Italian centre forward Carnesecchi was excluded for a foul on Granados Ortega. Spain's man-up conversion in that sequence broke the Italian momentum.
The game's key tactical battle was at the two-metre line. Granados Ortega and Italy's pivot Velotto traded body positioning advantages all afternoon, with the Spanish captain finally winning the late exchanges that produced two penalty calls.
"Another exclusion for number 11 of Italy. Baltazarini, but the Spanish team will score with number five, Valls," the broadcaster summarised the closing passage.
Spain's win, while not the most decisive of the tournament, holds significant ranking implications. Coach Lozano has now stabilised a squad that endured a difficult Paris 2024 review, and his rotation of veterans Granados and Bonet alongside emerging shooters such as Marc Larumbe Marc Valls is producing the consistency that World Aquatics rankings reward.
For Italy's Campagna, the result is a reminder that the squad's depth has thinned slightly compared to the Tokyo cycle. Cassia's three goals were a positive, but the team's late-third-quarter defensive shape gave Spain too much time to organise extra-man sequences.
The match will sit on both coaches' video desks for the next several weeks, with Spain pushing toward the medal rounds and Italy regrouping ahead of the Sydney leg of the World Cup.