Obtaining a ticket for the main round was merely a formality for the team of national coach Henrik Signell. It is now important that the Dutch also win the last group match against Austria on Tuesday evening, so that the Netherlands goes to the main round with the maximum number of points and as group winner.
Van Wetering’s nerves disappear
Bo van Wetering appeared in the mixed zone afterwards with a broad smile. With eight goals, the left corner player was crowned the top scorer of the match. “We did really well today,” she beamed. “The coverage was very good and Rinka (Duijndam, goalkeeper, ed.) stopped so much. Her saves allowed us to run a lot and at the end of the first half we had more and more chances in the quick counterattack.”
Slowly but surely, Van Wetering’s nerves are disappearing, who admitted that he had suffered from this in the first two games. “I was very nervous in the first match and I noticed that today, but after that it went very well. In the second half the margin was so big that we could still try many things, we have to take that with us to the last group match against Austria.”
Swedish national coach Henrik Signell of Dutch handball players: ‘I can’t come home without stroopwafels’
Anniversary competition
Estavana Polman, who played her 200th international match on Sunday evening, opened the score for the Dutch team. Egypt was able to keep up with the Netherlands for another twenty minutes, but after that our compatriots moved further away from the African women and their resistance was completely broken. Dione Housheer already had six goals to her name before halftime. Partly because of this, the Netherlands went to the dressing room halfway through very comfortably: 18-10.
Routine Angela Malestein (32) continues and chases success at the World Cup: ‘I would be disappointed if King Willem-Alexander did not come to watch’
In the second half the difference only increased. It took no less than seven minutes before Egypt found the net again. The blemish on that goal was the red card from Kelly Dulfer, who received a very heavy penalty. But it was her third two-minute penalty of the match and so it meant exclusion for the rest of the game. However, for Dulfer, that red card has no consequences for the next match.
Signell used the match to make a lot of substitutions. The Swede gave almost everyone minutes against Egypt. Lois Abbingh, who suffers from a tear in her meniscus, was also able to play.
Tuesday evening against Austria
The Dutch opened the World Cup in their own country on Friday evening with a victory over Argentina: 32-25. The group stage will end on Tuesday evening at 8:30 PM with the match against Austria. Many Dutch girls therefore meet their former national coach. Monique Tijsterman is now at the helm of the Austrian women, but was for the Dutch group during the 2021 World Cup.