The semi-final against Lions was extremely exciting. In the final phase of regular time, Destin van Dijk equalized, after which things went wrong in the second half of extra time. A penalty that was used just before time plunged Aalsmeer into mourning: 37-36.
Before the Final4 it was announced that the suspensions of Tom Bottinga and Samir Benghanem were reduced. This allowed Benghanem to play against Lions, as his penalty was reduced from six to four games. Bottinga could only play in an eventual final. Aalsmeer had qualified third in the BENE-League, meaning it played against Lions this afternoon.
Both teams had little tension, as after three minutes it was already 2-1 for Lions. The game then remained even and the score went from 4-4 to 9-6, when the Limburgers opened a small gap. The lead then remained two points to the disadvantage of the North Hollanders. In the end, the score at halftime was 14-12 for the opponent from Limburg.
Rescue in final seconds
The game remained unchanged after the break. The Limburgers kept a large margin of two points and the score even went from 16-14 to 20-17. Aalsmeer seemed to turn things around and came back to 21-20. It took until the 47th minute before Aalsmeer equalized: 24-24.
In an exciting final phase in which things kept changing, Aalsmeer took the lead 26-27 for the first time since the first half. The game nevertheless seemed to end in a victory for Lions, until Destin van Dijk made it 31-31 ten seconds before the end.
extension
In the first half of extra time things remained exciting and both teams scored three goals: 34-34. After the break, it finally went wrong in the final minute. Jeromy van der Ban fouled, after which Thomas Dekker scored the penalty and plunged Aalsmeer into mourning: 37-36.