Mentally strong Netherlands wins against China under the watchful eye of King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima
After the won match against Hungary, the team from China was on the menu for the Dutch water polo ladies today. Not an unknown team for coach Evangelos Doudesis and his ladies, as they recently played a practice match against the Chinese in the De Vallei swimming pool in Veenendaal.
After a swim-off won by Simone van de Kraats, it was not the Netherlands that the scoring opened, but China outwitted goalkeeper Laura Aarts with a lob. The visibly disappointed Aarts was just a little too far from her goal and could be beaten into the long corner. There is also no goal in the attack that follows for the Netherlands. Sabrina van der Sloot's sights are not yet focused, she shoots over.
In the Chinese attack that follows, Laura Aarts manages to prevent an attempt to score twice. But if Iris Wolves subsequently has to leave the side due to a personal foul and has to defend the Netherlands in numbers, the Chinese women know what to do with it. They exploit the ManMeer situation and make the score 2-0.
When the Netherlands has returned to the goal of the Chinese ladies, Kitty-Lynn Joustra gets the ball in the center forward position. She tries with a lot of force to make the ball disappear into the goal, but Chinese hands prevent this. Brigitte Sleeking is also unable to reach the ropes, and moments later she throws a tater ball wide. Three minutes have now been played.
A number of back and forth attacks follow in which no goals are scored. Until the moment that China finds the Dutch post and Bent Rogge takes off like a speedboat. Heavily hindered by her opponent, she is released in front of China's goal. Rogge has a good chance to score but keeps an overview and sees Brigitte Sleeking in a better position and hands the ball over. All that remained for Sleeking was to shoot the ball home. A beautiful attack.
Unfortunately, a ManMeer situation does not result in a goal in the next attack. China's subsequent attack did. Lola Moolhuijzen and Iris Wolves are close to Jing Zhang of China but give her too much space, allowing her to lash out fiercely. (3-1)
The Netherlands changes and has two left-handed players on the right side with Vivian Sevenich and Simone van de Kraats. It does not provide any advantage in the first attack. A nice goal from Nong follows. Vivian Sevenich is disappointed, she could not block Nong's shot. The Netherlands did not yet have their sights set in the first quarter.
The second swim-off was also won by Simone van de Kraats. Bent Rogge's shot from distance bounces off a Chinese arm. The Chinese attack yields nothing, but Simone van de Kraats is then gone like a devil from a box. Her counter results in the first goal for the Netherlands in the second quarter. (4-2) Van de Kraats' clenched fist above the water says something about the frustration up to that point.
It is again Simone van de Kraats who shoots straight through the middle, hard from distance after China made it 5-2 in its attack. She seems to be finding her feet and growing in the competition.
In the attack that follows from China, no goals are initially scored. But the ball remains in play. China is slightly more attentive and wins the ball. When Wolves are subsequently excluded, the Chinese players see their chance to lift the score to 6-3.
Also an exclusion in the Dutch attack that follows. Vivian Sevenich takes her role in the center forward position and her direct opponent is excluded. The Netherlands is playing out the ManMeer situation calmly. Lieke Rogge then makes room for herself, is found and hits hard. (4-6)
The Netherlands seem to defend further from the goal in the next attack, and that has an effect. China sees no gap and stays far from Laura Aarts' goal. Aarts has to outwit a lazy ball. But she puts her legs to work, strengthens herself to the limit and knows how to reverse the trajectory of the ball.
No score in the attack that follows from the Netherlands. Van der Sloot is released for the goalkeeper but is met with a 'two meter ball'. A tater ball high into Aarts' goal is China's next achievement. (7-4)
Sabrina van der Sloot's scream after she scores the 5 against 7 says a lot. It seems like an expression of frustration and an attempt to cheer up the team at the same time. In China's next attack, Laura Aarts seems to cleverly stop a ball, but the referee sees a mistake by Vivian Sevenich and gives a penalty. The crowd's boos don't matter, China shoots in and extends the score to 8-5.
After an attack by China, Laura Aarts quickly resumes. She finds Moolhuijzen who serves Maartje Keuning. Keuning is pushed under water and gets the ball. Lieke Rogge then gets into scoring position, but her tater ball hits China's goal.
In the third quarter, the Netherlands starts the attack again. Simone van de Kraats wins the swim-off. It is Iris Wolves who brings the Netherlands closer to China with an excellent backhand. (8-6) The Netherlands again defends further from the goal. This is paying off. China does not score, but the Netherlands does so in the subsequent attack. A beautiful lob from Maartje Keuning brings the Dutch team to seven goals.
China has to shoot from distance again. The ball finds the crossbar. The Netherlands is out quickly again, but this time no goal. When China then shoots from distance again, Laura Aarts is in her place. And then the time has come. Vivian Sevenich has once again managed to manifest herself in such a way that China faces exclusion. In the ManMeer that follows, Kitty-Lynn finds Joustra with a tip-in in the goal. It's eight against eight. Wage for work.
Once again Laura Aarts stands up in an attack by China. It ensures that the Netherlands can take the attack again. However, Simone van de Kraats's curve ball does not find a target. A somewhat messy phase begins. A phase in which neither team manages to score. Lola Moolhuijzen still finds the crossbar of the Chinese goal very hard.
With the return swim, the Netherlands is facing an exclusion. The Chinese ladies are unable to score from the ManMeer because Laura Aarts has a good reflex on a shot. In the attack that follows from the Netherlands, Doudesis' team takes the lead for the first time in the match. Maartje Keuning puts her team in that position.
China comes alongside again with 45 seconds to play in the third quarter. But the Netherlands is no longer impressed, picks up steam and scores through Sabrina van der Sloot. (9-10) In the last attack of the third quarter, China does not score anymore, so the Netherlands enters the last quarter with a lead.
In the fourth quarter, Jing Zhang no longer participates for China. She received a red card at the end of the third quarter. It is once again Simone van de Kraats who wins the swim-off and then Bent Rogge who gives the Netherlands a further lead in that attack. She also clenches her fists. The Netherlands seems to have found its feet and is starting to enjoy its own game. Defensively it is also better. China remains far from the goal and the center forward is hardly found due to the hard work of the Dutch players. It is therefore the Netherlands who will be even further ahead in the next attack with Maartje Keuning and Bente Rogge. (9-12)
Once again the pressure on China is high. They fail to score, while the Netherlands does so again in the next attack. Doudesis seems to have injected Haarlemmer oil into his team, the machine is running at full speed. Two completely different teams now seem to be in the water. It even goes so far that Sleeking is in scoring position but calmly hands the ball to Kitty-Lynn Joustra, who is even better in front of the Chinese goalkeeper. It is now nine against fourteen for the Netherlands.
The Netherlands cannot keep it completely tight. In China's subsequent attack, that team comes back to a 4-point difference. In a time-out that follows, Doudesis has Kitty-Lynn Joustra and Maartje Keuning switch positions. The team scores immediately from the first attack after the timeout.
In the last two minutes, Doudesis chooses his reserve goalkeeper during his second time-out. Sarah Buis is allowed to make minutes. China managed to come back in those minutes. Despite two extra defenders in the goal, the ball hits the ropes. (11-15) An excellent defensive situation follows. China has a ManMeer but is no longer able to score. The Netherlands has recovered very well and won under the watchful eye of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of China.
Period scores 4-1 8-5 9-10 11-15
The next match the Netherlands will play against Australia on Wednesday, July 31 at 2 p.m.
