Italy Men's Canoe Polo Reclaim World Title After Decade

The victory on the Regattabahn, before a packed home crowd, delivered the Italy Men's Canoe Polo team its first world championship in a decade.

A final that refused to settle

The match stayed scoreless through a tense first half despite German pressure. Italy struck first after the restart when Tommaso Gaetano Lampò found the net, but Germany's Erik Beukenbusch levelled almost immediately. Goals from Andrea Bertelloni and Ruggiero then pushed Italy into a 3-1 lead.

Beukenbusch responded with two goals in just over a minute, completing a personal hat-trick and dragging the hosts level at 3-3. The scoreline held through regulation and a goalless first period of extra time, during which Germany dominated but could not convert.

Golden strike ends ten-year wait

With the championship hanging on the next score, Lampò delivered the decisive blow in the second extra period. His second goal of the final sealed the title and ended Italy's long wait for a return to the top, their previous world crown having come in 2016 on home waters in Siracusa.

German head coach Leonie Wagner acknowledged the narrow margins. "The men were actually the dominant team, and to lose now because of such a small thing is a shame.

Italy had reached the final by beating Great Britain 4-3 in the semifinal, and earlier in the tournament had fallen 5-3 to the same German side during the group phase. The gold-medal ride in Duisburg, secured after a tense comeback battle, writes a new line in the record of a team that last held the world trophy as hosts.