Water polo men one victory away from World Cup Super Final
With an 18-14 victory over Malta in the quarterfinals, the Dutch water polo men secured their spot in the decisive phase of the World Cup, Division 2 tournament on Friday evening in Istanbul. The Netherlands is just one win away from qualifying for the prestigious Super Final in Berlin in April. If they defeat Iran in the semifinals (Saturday 10:00 am *), they will secure a spot in this exclusive event.
The Dutch team started strong against Malta and led 7-3 after the first period. However, Oranje struggled a bit, having only a minimal lead of 9-8 right after halftime. Thanks to a goal by Tom de Weerd and two impressive shots by Mart van der Weijden (who scored a perfect 5 out of 5), the Netherlands built a safe four-goal lead. This lead was further extended to six goals by the start of the final period.
Presumably preparing for a challenging Saturday, Harry van der Meer's team loosened up towards the end of the game, allowing Malta to score a few goals but without making the game tense.
If the Netherlands win the morning semifinal, they will likely face neighboring Germany in the evening final, as Germany is playing against China in the other semifinal.
Water Polo World Cup, Division 2, quarterfinal results:
Iran – Portugal 15-11
China – Ukraine 17-11
Germany – Slovakia 17-11
Netherlands – Malta 18-14
The two finalists of the Istanbul tournament will qualify for the World Cup Super Final in April 2025 in Berlin.
Match Summaries
Wednesday, December 18, group stage
Netherlands vs. Slovakia 21-13
Period scores: 6-6, 6-2, 5-2, 4-3
Netherlands goal scorers: Lars ten Broek 5, Mart van der Weijden 4, Tom de Weerd 2, Sam van den Burg 2, Sebastian Hessels 2, Kas te Riele 2, Tim De Mey, Bilal Gbadamassi, Niels Hofmeijer, Benjamin Hessels.
Thursday, December 19, group stage
Turkey-Netherlands 15-16
Period scores: 5-4, 3-4, 3-2, 4-6
Netherlands goal scorers: Sebastian Hessels 5, Kas te Riele 5, Lars ten Broek 2, Mart van der Weijden, Tom de Weerd, Tim De Mey, Benjamin Hessels.
Friday, December 20, quarterfinals
Netherlands – Malta 18-14
Period scores: 7-4, 2-3, 7-3, 2-4
Netherlands goal scorers: Mart van der Weijden 5, Lars ten Broek 4, Sebastian Hessels 2, Kas te Riele 2, Tom de Weerd 2, Sam van den Burg, Jeroen Rouwenhorst, Bilal Gbadamassi.
Saturday, December 21:
10:00 am (*) Iran – Netherlands (semifinal)
5:00 pm (*) 3rd/4th place / 6:30 pm (*)
The matches can be followed via this livestream.
(*) Dutch time. Istanbul is 2 hours ahead.
