The Spanish women’s team beats the Netherlands and will play the final of the European water polo

taketonews

The Spanish women’s water polo team has qualified this Wednesday for the European Championship final which is taking place in Split (Croatia) after winning their semifinal by 7-10 over Netherlands after a great last quarter.

Spain has earned the right to defend its title from two years ago after a game that it has dominated from the beginning and although its rival has managed to tie in the third period, in the last and decisive period, the team of Miki Goose He has recovered his attacking success to comfortably take the pass to the final.

Spain caught on a very complete game. She took the initiative on the scoreboard from the beginning to the end with Martina Terré seated under the sticks and with Elena Ruiz as the top scorer with four goals.

Maica García opened the scoring for the team and then Elena Ruiz scored her first goal for the 0-2. The Netherlands, with two players from the league – Van der Kraats and Ten Broek – made their debut in attack and among their goals came Bea Ortiz to finish with a one-goal lead in the first set (2-3).

In the second quarter the Spanish defense tied up the actions of the Dutch while in attack Elena Ruiz with a goal from a penalty and another on a counterattack placed a three goal lead (2-5).

Ruiz, in a state of grace

The Netherlands found a glimmer of hope when Sabrina van der Sloot made it 3-5 with three seconds remaining. The orange goal continued in a third quarter in which Brigitte Sleeking, European champion with Olympiacos, scored two goals that returned the game to equality at 5-5.

At that moment, Ruiz, in a state of grace, activated his arm again to end several minutes of drought and retake the lead and reach 5-6 in the last eight minutes.

Spain did not give room for another Dutch reaction and Paula Leiton’s goal from the buoy extended the lead.

Next, Pili Peña showed and demonstrated her stripes as a captain with two actions in just half a minute. First with a block in an action of numerical inferiority and in the following action scoring the eighth goal for Spain and returning the three goals from distance for the final (5-8).

go for the gold

Despite Vivien Sevenich’s 6-8, Spain sentenced, first with a great counterattack devised by Martina Terré and finalized by Anni Espar on the desperate exit of Laura Aarts and then with Bea Ortiz with her second goal for 6-10.

Sleeking, with his third goal in his private account, made up the Dutch defeat with the final 7-10.

Spain, which has gone from less to more in the championship, will fight for gold on Friday against the winner of Italy-Greece.

DATA SHEET

Related news

Netherlands (7): Aarts; Wolves, Sleeking (3), Van der Sloot (1), Keuning, Van der Kraats (1), Rogge, Sevenich (1), Joustra, Koolhaas, Moolhuujzen, Ten Broek (1), Van den Dobbelsteen.

Spain (10): Terre; Nogué, Espar (1), Ortiz (2), Pérez, González, Ruiz (4), Peña (1), Prats, Camus, García (1), Leiton (1), Ester.



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