Waterpolo: Russians win water war in 'dirty' pool

By PETER JESSUP

There was nothing cold about the war between the United States and Russia in the water polo pool at Ryde yesterday. Blood was the only thing missing from a battle that ended 11-10 in Russia's favour.

Several members of both teams exited the pool with bruised cheekbones after copping elbows in a game in which the Americans had a player poolside five times after fouls and the Russians were carded nine times.

"That was tough, but we expected it," said US defender Chris Oeding. He and his team were seriously septic at the way the game ended - "there was some dirty stuff."

The United States had a chance to level scores in the last seconds but their youngest player, 18-year-old Tony Azevedo, got "mugged" after taking a pass from Oeding in a scoring position.

"Apparently the defence made a clean steal," Oeding said. "There wasn't a penalty so we have to deduce that."

He, team coach John Vargas and the squad all believed that the Russians should have been called for ducking Azevedo. Had that happened, the American would have had an extra man to press home a scoring advantage.

The Russians started the aggro, trying to drown any American who entered their front-and-centre zone. The Americans responded but were not as good at it, giving away fouls at the wrong time. Their players seemed oblivious to what was obvious - when they held one hand up to the ref as exclamation of their innocence, they were elevated by their other hand as it kept the head of a Russian submerged.

All the pre-quarter-finals talk had been of war in the water, and so it was. The players reckoned the referees were allowing too much foul play to go on beneath the water and feared a brawl.

Australian secretary of world swimming governing body Fina's water polo committee, John Whitehouse, admitted concerns.

"Quite clearly it's nearly got to the wrestling stage on some occasions."

The women's quarter-final between Australia and Russia was a ripping affair. The Australians lost 12 swim costumes to Russian fingers and some displayed fingernail rake-marks afterwards.

Vargas said he would not be complaining about the refereeing and was not about to start making excuses about being out-fouled.

"Water polo is a game of constant adjustment - we're trying to take the game as far as possible out of the referees' hands, take it from them and do it ourselves."

The non-US press were happy to complain about bias; anyone who ever believed Australian rugby commentators were over the top should spend a game next to NBC water polo caller Bob Papa.

According to the burble sent Stateside there was only one team in the first half yesterday, the US "controlling the action," and "all the game's been down the opposition's end of the pool."

The Russians, inexplicably, led 3-0 after the first quarter and 5-4 at the halftime break. Yesterday's result puts Russia at the top of pool one and the United States into a playoff for either fifth or eighth position.

The Greeks, who have scored only 22 points, let in 45 and haven't won a game, are slated as being the dirtiest team. They yesterday drew with Kazakhstan 6-6 and now have only one game left against Slovakia to determine whether they finish 11th or 12th.

After beating Greece 10-7 the day before, Dutch player Bas de Jong said he had never seen worse behaviour at a big tournament.

"That wasn't good, you know," he said.

Players were doing anything and everything to win, de Jong said, "kicking, hitting, grabbing."

And even the Christmas hold? "Yes, even that."

The lack of action from the refs meant players were taking the law into their own hands, he said.

"If somebody grabs you, if you allow them to do that, well, then you're dead meat, because they know they can do everything with you."

Others, of course, have cited the Dutch as the dirtiest.

A photograph from the Slovakia-Australia game showed visitor Karol Baco choking local Tim Neesham. The Croatians and Yugoslavs swapped plenty of elbows and knees, all caught by the underwater cameras, in their 4-4 draw in pool-play.

There's been dirty pool out of the water too, fans using whistles at appropriate moments to upset the attack of teams playing theirs.

Whistlers are now ejected when caught, but that hasn't stopped them.

Australia were to play top-ranked Yugoslavia, medal contenders Spain were to meet Croatia and favoured Italy and Hungary were to meet in the other quarters late last night, with semifinals and finals on Sunday.

Spaniard Manual Estiarte, who will turn 39 next month, has only one more game in a career that began at Moscow when he was 16.

He has played 642 internationals, won gold at Atlanta and silver at Barcelona, and scored his fourth goal of this tournament - in a fiery encounter against Italy during which both coaches were ejected - making 121 all up.