Cuba secured its qualification for the semifinals of the men's water polo tournament at the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games after dramatically defeating Venezuela 15-14 on a penalty awarded as regulation time expired.

The Cuban team, which finished third in Group B during the preliminary stage, sealed its place among the top four in the tournament following a referee review of the final play, which resulted in a penalty converted by Pedro Ponsa.

The Cubans started the match strong, leading 5-4 in the first quarter, though Venezuela responded to take a 9-7 lead at halftime. In the second half, Cuba leveled the score several times, and following a 14-all tie with just 23.7 seconds remaining, earned the penalty shot that decided the match.

Giraldo Carales led the Cuban offense with five goals, followed by Pedro Ponsa with three. Manuel Díaz and Raydel Martínez scored two each, while Iván Fernández and Jorge Aliaga added one goal apiece. For Venezuela, Ángel Rojas and Jonder Perdomo stood out, each scoring four goals.

With this result, Cuba will face Puerto Rico on Friday in the semifinals after the Puerto Ricans confirmed their status as favorites by overwhelmingly defeating the Dominican Republic 28-3 in the quarterfinals.

The Boricuas, who finished first in Group B, left no chances for the host team, dominating with quarter scores of 5-1, 7-0, 10-0, and 6-2. Timothy Kerr led the offense with five goals.

The men's tournament semifinals will be played this Friday at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center Aquatic Complex.