“Blood in the Water” – The battle between Hungary and USSR in Melbourne

The match took place on 6 December 1956 against the background of the Hungarian Revolution, and saw Hungary defeat the USSR 4–0. The name was coined after Hungarian player Ervin Zádor emerged during the last two minutes with blood pouring from above his eye after being punched by Soviet player Valentin Prokopov.

Tensions were already high between the Hungarian and Soviet water polo teams. On 1 November, Soviet tanks began rolling into Hungary and from 4 to 10 November forces began suppressing the uprising with air strikes, artillery bombardments, and tank-infantry actions.

The players were the defending Olympic champions with the Summer Olympics in Melbourne two months away, they were moved into Czechoslovakia to avoid being caught in the revolution. The players learned of the true extent of the uprising after arriving in Australia.