Water polo - Spain's men on track to emulate soccer heroes

2 Aug 2012, 9:43 pm   -   Source: Reuters
Spain's Javier Garcia Gadea (L) celebrates a goal past Australia's Aaron Younger during their men's preliminary round Group A water polo match at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Water Polo Arena August 2, 2012. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh

Spain's Javier Garcia Gadea (L) celebrates a goal past Australia's Aaron Younger during their men's preliminary round Group A water polo match at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Water Polo Arena August 2, 2012. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh

LONDON (Reuters) - Spain chalked up their second win in the men's water polo Olympic tournament, beating Australia 13-9 in their Group A match on Thursday, and putting them on course to emulate their football heroes.

LONDON (Reuters) - Spain chalked up their second win in the men's water polo Olympic tournament, beating Australia 13-9 in their Group A match on Thursday, and putting them on course to emulate their football heroes.

A well-rounded display from the Spanish, which saw ten out of the 11 outfield players on the scoresheet, put them top of their group as they moved on from a controversial defeat in their last outing.

"We are really happy because more than the result, the feeling that the team were playing together. We feel like we understand each other without looking at each other and that's a good feeling," 26-year old Felipe Perrone, who scored two goals, told reporters.

Spain are looking to go all the way in the tournament, replicating not only the country's gold in water polo from the 1996 Games, but also the huge success of the national football team, the reigning world and European champions.

"Spain, the way that they play, how they changed the mentality of football, we are really, really proud of them," Perrone said.

The counter-attack specialist was born in Brazil but has a Spanish grandmother and moved to Spain when he was 15 to fulfil his dream of playing water polo at the Olympics, explaining that water polo is not a big sport in Brazil.

"The other thing that we like, is because they are all smaller, like what's happened with us, so we identify with them," Perrone, who at 6 ft (183 cm) is diminutive by water polo standards, said of Spain's football team.

Spain's appeal against a disallowed goal in their 8-7 loss to Croatia on Tuesday was rejected by the sport's governing body FINA late on Wednesday.

There are two groups of six teams in the men's water polo competition. The top four in each group will qualify for the knockout stages, with the higher placed teams in each pool theoretically having an easier route to the final.

(Reporting by Sarah Young. Editing by Patrick Johnston; patrick.johnston@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: Patrick.johnston.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; ; +442075427933; Reuters Messaging: For all the latest Olympic news go to http://www.reuters.com/london-olympics-2012)

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