The burning desire for a fourth consecutive Olympic crown was in embers tonight as United States of America buckled to 2000 champion Australia in a sudden-death, penalty shootout 14-13. Australia advances to Saturday’s gold-medal final against Spain. The Spaniards also needed a shootout for a 19-18 victory over Netherlands who dominated the second half.
State Of The Play
Spain was first up and its clash with Netherlands, with a huge orange supporter base in the near 15,000-strong crowd, and led 6-2 in the opening quarter. It was a score repeated in the third quarter, but this time by Netherlands who turned the 10-5 halftime deficit into 11-11 at the final break. Spain took the lead in the last 30 seconds and the Dutch replied with seven seconds left on the clock to enforce the shootout. Netherlands’ fourth shooter had the missed shot.
In the second semifinal, USA raced to a 5-2 lead, which was nullified as Abby Andrews put away four goals in five minutes for 6-6. USA went to an 8-6 advantage before two Bronte Halligan goals set up the shootout. Australia sent in six straight and USA’s double gold medallist Maddie Musselman had her shot saved by the player of the match Gabi Palm.
In the classification 5-8 semifinals, Italy outplayed Canada 11-5 with a 4-0 final-quarter flourish and Hungary held sway over Greece 12-9.
Classification 1-4 Semifinals
Match 27, AUSTRALIA 14 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 13 in sudden-death penalty shootout. FT: 8-8. Pens: 6-5 (1-2, 1-3, 4-2, 2-1)
There is plenty of history between these two teams. In 2000, Australia was the victor and in Australia’s two bronze-medal wins in 2008 and 2012, USA was the semifinal winner. While USA is a constant semifinal visitor, it has been 12 years since Australia tasted that success and not one of the current squad has been this high before.
Tonight belonged to the Aussies as they came back from 5-2 down to level at five, six and eight to force the penalty shootout. It was tears for USA as the dream of a fourth consecutive gold was in tatters, although there is still a chance of a bronze medal.
It was looking good for USA in the first half as the first-quarter scoreline of 2-1 and 5-2 at halftime shows. While Maddie Musselman scored her penalty, Jenna Flynn had hers stopped by Gabi Palm. Perhaps that can be pointed to when the final whistle came. If only… Musselman and Aussie skipper Zoe Arancini traded goals midway through the second quarter, followed by a pair from Olympic debutantes Jovan Sekulic at centre forward and Emily Ausmus on counter.
A minute into the third period, Abby Andrews sat up with her left arm whipping in the first of four unanswered goals from the same position. With Flynn scoring her second from the deep left wing at 6-5, it was the only interruption to Andrews’ flow as she shot her fourth for 6-6. USA took a timeout and the resulting play allowed skipper Maggie Steffens — just two wins away from a fourth gold medal — to convert extra from the left-post position at 0:18 and the 7-6 lead heading into the final eight minutes. Rachel Fattal used her golden experience to score on extra for 8-6 at 7:15. Bronte Halligan responded quickly on extra from the top right. At 3:55, Australia called a timeout, but could not find the net. However, at 2:54, Halligan rocketed in a cross-cage shot from the top left for 8-8, almost bringing the house down as there was so many gold T-shirts in the crowd. Both teams took a timeout in the final minute with no success, sending the match to a shootout.
Australia won the toss and elected to shoot, sending in six straight as the match shifted into sudden death after 10 goals in the rotation. Then Musselman had her shot saved by Palm — second penalty save — and the historic victory was achieved. Australia was into its second Olympic final, nearly 14 years after that September 23 day that is etched in Aussie folklore.
Match Heroes
Aussie Stingers goalkeeper Gabi Palm with her 14 saves and Abby Andrews’ four consecutive goals in the third period made them standouts in the pool for Australia. It’s not often USA star Ashleigh Johnson is eclipsed as the best goalkeeper, even though she stopped 12 balls. Musselman and Flynn scored twice each.
Turning Point
The four Abby Andrews goals in the third and the two Halligan goals in the fourth
Stats Don’t Lie
Australia converted just two from seven on extra and defended six from 10. On penalty, USA converted one from two.
Bottom Line
Australia really wanted to taste what an Olympic final could be. The never-say-die attitude has prevailed all tournament and to come through with three penalty shootouts in Paris was admirable. USA needs to regroup after its second loss and maintain its medal run at every Olympic Games this century.
What They Said
Abby ANDREWS (AUS) — Four Goals
On coming back from 5-2 down:
“At halftime, our coach (Bec RIPPON) was still so calm, so we knew we still had time. We're always the underdogs, that's the Aussie spirit in us, and we fought right until that last minute. We knew we had girls in foul trouble, but we believed in our systems, and we just started taking shots, because why the hell not? And they worked.
“I physically cannot believe it. I cried for maybe 20 minutes straight then. I've never beaten the USA in an important tournament — world champs, World Cup — nothing. This was insane. This is all about belief. We knew we could do it, and we did."
On losing all three matches to United States in a three-match exhibition series before Paris 2024:
“That was pretty devastating, but that was luckily well-timed in our campaign. We went home, we regrouped. We worked on everything that we knew we were doing wrong. One of the main things was that they were so in our heads, just with that title of being the USA. We literally just stamped that out today. We had so many psych meetings. We got that out of our head, and that legend Gabby (Palm, goalkeeper) saved that final shot (in the shootout). I was about to shoot next. I've never been more thankful in my life.”
Bronte HALLIGAN (AUS) — Two Goals
On reaching the final:
“This is just unreal. Epic. It's just phenomenal.”
On battling back from 5-2 down:
“This team just has so much belief, belief in ourselves, belief in each other, and belief in what we can do. We really did dig deep. We've said it time and time again, we want to challenge the pressure. We put ourselves under a bit of pressure there at the start, but we really took it on and challenged it. We came away with the win. I'm just gobsmacked. I can't believe it.”
On whether their earlier successes in penalty shootouts at Paris 2024 gave them extra belief:
“Three penalty shootouts in the Olympic Games is probably not where you want to be. You want to win them outright, but if that's what we have to do to win games, we'll do it. This team is phenomenal at handling the pressure and being able to come together and use our strengths to really finish out games, and if that's in penalties, then bring it on.”
On the performance of PALM:
“She is phenomenal. She's just the best human to have in your team. She's so grounded, and so calm and cool under pressure. We say she's the minister of defence; she's just playing so awesome.”
On whether the team is channelling the spirit of the Australia women’s water polo team that won gold at Sydney 2000:
“I was four years old when they were in the gold-medal game. So, it's been a long time coming. All the young girls that are watching at home, I hope we're inspiring them for a next generation to come through. That's what the Sydney girls did for an entire generation. Hopefully, we're doing the same.”
Bec RIPPON (AUS) — Head Coach
On coming back from 5-2 down:
“We know the USA are excellent; they capitalised on a few mistakes in our attack, and they punished us in transition. We tidied that up. We just never stopped believing. We knew we had to fight through that and come back and just never say die. We always talk about being the last one standing, and we stay present.”
On whether its previous shootout wins at Paris 2024 helped:
“Possibly (they) hardened us a little bit. Our goalkeepers are playing well in the penalties.”
On being inspired by the Australia team from Sydney 2000:
“That game in Sydney was epic. I was a kid watching and that really inspired Australia and Australians to play water polo. I was one of them. It's something we've talked about, wanting to relive that and bring that back to Australia. Gabi is outstanding as a goalkeeper and Gen (Genevieve Longman) is also outstanding. To have two goalkeepers who we’re confident (of) is a big thing.”
Adam KRIKORIAN (USA) — Head Coach
On the match:
"I'm just incredibly proud of how we fought and competed. We competed our butts off. I thought they were pretty sharp defensively. We couldn't score six-on-five goals. I don't know what the final stats were, but that was probably the big difference in the game. As gritty as we were, the Australians were just as gritty with their five-on-six defence. And their shot blocking, and their size caused problems for us, and their goalkeeper played fantastic. Congratulations to them. They did a fantastic job."
On how nervous USA was:
"We've been really nervous and tight, and that's no excuse. I think everyone's a little tight and nervous, so we got to find a way to overcome that and play a little bit more loosely. The last two teams that we play just have size and length that we don't have. We're small compared to most of the teams in the world, so that certainly has something to do with it. The last two goalies that we've seen have played fantastic."
On USA goalkeeper Ashleigh JOHNSON:
"She was great. She's fantastic. But at the same time, I think our defence and the people in front of her are under-rated. I was happy with how we played defensively. We have got to score some more goals, especially with how many power-play opportunities we earned."
On the importance of the bronze-medal match:
"This is a new team and we certainly honour the history and the legacy of the programme and the players and coaches that have come before us. But at the same time, we've got to regroup, and we're going to. We want to fight for ourselves and for each other more than anything."
Maggie STEFFENS (USA) — Captain
On the match:
“I thought we executed our game plan in terms of trying to take out people who have been executing really well with Alice WILLIAMS, for example (two major fouls in the first quarter), and putting them into foul trouble. But we struggled to execute our opportunities, whether it was turnovers, and we were doing a good job of mobility and getting those exclusions, but we struggled to put the ball away.
"When you don't, when you turn the ball over and don't possess the ball, it's going to be difficult to score. And that's going to give them momentum. A pivotal moment was when we were up 5-2 and they immediately came back. That would have been a great time to possess the ball and get one more goal, but they were super strong and resilient, and Anny ANDREWS was great there, as well. They were able to put the ball away when we couldn't these last two games.”
On USA’s attacking skills:
“Our offence hasn't been great the past two days. Only scoring five goals the other day (against Hungary) is tough. So, we were just trying to get back to our creative juices and doing what we need to do, being confident and trusting each other.”
On the bronze-medal game:
“We reflect on this and we do what we've always done: learn, get better, and we still have one more opportunity. We've talked a lot about the finished product not being in bracket play or quarterfinals or final; we've always talked about the finished product being where we want to be on August 10. Unfortunately, that's not for the gold medal and that's our own doing. Now we've just got to get better and show how resilient we are and show how much better we can be. It's going to be a tough game.”
Match 28, NETHERLANDS 18 SPAIN 19 in penalty shootout. FT: 14-14, Pens: 4-5. (1-6, 4-4, 6-1, 3-3)
This was a rematch of January’s European final in which Netherlands beat Spain 8-7. The Dutch beat Spain for the world championship in Fukuoka last year, as well. Spain wanted revenge and the start showed it meant business. The Dutch remarkably came back from the death to take the lead, have it snatched away in the last half-minute and then equalised well and truly at the death to force a shootout, it lost with the last shot.
Spain started this match the same way it did in the quarterfinals against Canada. On that day it was 6-2 at the quarter break and today it was 6-1, stunning the 2023 world champion and 2024 European champion. Spain raced in three goals before the Dutch could respond through Lieke Rogge on extra. Three more goals — two from Judith Forca — had the score at 6-1 inside the final minute. It was steamroller stuff with Anni Espar starting the onslaught and Bea Ortiz backhanding in her goal. The Dutch replied early in the second quarter through Bente Rogge and Simone van de Kraats for a respectable 6-3 only for Elena Ruiz to score her second and 15th in Paris. Kitty Lynn Joustra scored from centre forward on extra for 7-4. Forca and Ruiz with their third goals, took Spain to 9-4. Van de Kraats again scored from the bottom right and Leiton lobbed at centre forward on extra for 10-5 a second from the halftime buzzer.
Van de Kraats with her third goal from the same position and Vivian Sevenich at centre forward on extra elevated the Dutch to seven goals, just three in arrears of the Spanish. Sevenich dragged in a cross pass from the left to her right-post position for 10-8 at 5:13. Nina ten Broek lobbed from the top left to make it a one-goal match. Forca came through for Spain from the deep right on extra and van de Kraats hit the crossbar on penalty and then converted extra from the deep right — her fourth identical score. Ten Broek scored the equaliser with a lob from left-hand catch at 0:40, sending the Dutch supporters into raptures. The Dutch had won the period 6-1 and sent jitters into the Spanish, who shot from further out than usual.
The final quarter was a nail-biter with Lieke Rogge giving the Dutch the lead for the first time off the left-post position from a near pass. Forca and Joustra traded goals. Ruiz equalised at 2:13 and Maica Garcia scored what seemed to be the winner when she scooped the ball at centre forward with 30 seconds left on the clock. The Dutch were unperturbed, went to a timeout, set the play, sent goalkeeper Laura Aarts on to attack and the ball went to the right-post position to Brigitte Sleeking, which scored with seven seconds remaining, enough to send the match to a shootout.
Netherlands shot first and eight shooters scored before Sleeking had her shot stopped by Martina Terre. Garcia converted the final shot on rotation for the victory and a medal guaranteed in Saturday’s final. Amazing that the two saviours in the final minute of play were involved in the drama of the final two penalty shots.
Match Heroes
Terre with her final stop. Forca finished with five goals and Ruiz four as Spain survived to fight another day. For the Dutch, van de Kraats netted four identical goals while Sevenich, Joustra and Lieke Rogge pocketed two each.
Turning Point
The opening 6-1 quarter for Spain. The 6-1 third period for the Dutch. Then every goal seemed to turn the match.
Stats Don’t Lie
Spain converted six from nine on extra and Netherlands a fantastic 10 from 13. Spain rattled in 37 shots to 26. But in the middle half, not many were effective.
Bottom Line
The Dutch had the two crowns in the past 12 months and Spain always seems to be the bridesmaid, losing twice to the Dutch in those nig matches. Now it is Spain’s turn to shine in the gold medal final. It will be the third trip to the final in the last four editions.
What They Said
Anni ESPAR (ESP) — Goal Scorer
On Spain’s good start:
“We had a great start, probably one of our best starts, and especially against this team, which is such a good team. Starting 6-1 (up), it's crazy. The performance of the team and our belief in being able to get into the final was amazing."
On whether losing to Netherlands in the 2023 world championships final and the 2024 European championships final was a motivating factor:
“After losing those two finals, we knew that they were a good team, but we knew we could beat them, and that was an important moment to take this revenge.”
On the momentum shift in the second half, as the Netherlands took the lead after being 6-1 down:
“We kept believing. We kept cheering each other on to keep fighting through it. It happens, you have very good momentum, and you have bad momentum. Being able to believe and keep cheering one another on was the key.”
On reaching another Olympic final:
“We don't want another silver, we're just here for the gold. It's been a long wait. It's been a tough way to get here. We have one more game, we have dreamed about this for a few years, and I think it's our time to shine.”
On the winning save by goalkeeper Martina TERRE in the shootout:
“I was on the bench and I'm not used to living these kind of moments from there (after being excluded in the fourth quarter). Some penalties, I couldn't even look. But that one, I knew she was going to save it, so I watched and she did great.”
Eva DOUDESIS (NED) — Head Coach
On the match:
"It was a fantastic game between two great teams. Spain deserved, at the end, to win the game. We're really close — it makes it harder for us to accept, but 'c’est la vie'. We're gonna continue, and we play a very important (bronze-medal) game in a couple of days."
On his strategy after finishing the first quarter trailing 6-1:
"We tried to keep calm. We tried to tell (players) that we had enough (time), a lot of time to change the game."
On the third quarter, when his team outscored Spain 6-1:
"We played much better. We created some one-on-one situations where we had some big advantage."
On the atmosphere:
"A lot of noise, atmosphere. The arena was always fantastic."
On the bronze-medal match:
"Life goes on. It's not something to think a lot (about). We are here to perform. But not only this — we are here to show that if we fall, we can stand up again, and we can continue."
Sabrina van der SLOOT (NED) — Captain
On the match:
“I'm sad that we lost the game, but if you saw the beginning of the game, nobody believed that we could tie the game and almost win it, so I'm really proud of my team and the way we fought back.”
On the timeout in the first quarter:
“The coach said that we didn't follow the tactics that we agreed on and that we had to do a better job. After that, we started to work more together, and we were better in attack, and that's also why the defence was better, because we gained some trust in ourselves. It's our first Olympic semifinal (for this team), so I think we can be proud of ourselves.”
On the atmosphere:
"It helps us; the support is great here, and it's amazing to play in this arena. We all really liked it. It just helps us a lot with the energy level during the game.”
On the bronze-medal match:
“First, we're going to see our friends and family and work through this disappointment. From tomorrow (Friday), we're just going to focus on the next game, and work as hard as we can to win a medal. If we win a medal, we can be really proud of ourselves.”
Classification 5-8 Semifinals
Match 26, ITALY 10 CANADA 5 (1-1, 4-1, 1-3, 4-0)
Italy was looking for its second victory in Paris after a horror start of two losses. Canada also was after a second win, just beating China in the group stage. Italy showed its true class in the last quarter, going 4-0 to secure the victory. Italy was playing without head coach Carlo Silipo who collected two yellow cards in the quarterfinal against Netherlands and was banned from this encounter. His assistant, Cosimino di Cecca took over the reins.
The match started slowly with the first goal not coming until 3:19 when Italian captain Valeria Palmieri steered in a cross pass from the right at centre forward. Canada’s Blaire McDowell found herself free, charging down the pool to score her first goal in Paris, levelling at 0:24. There was plenty of action before and answer. But generally, the shots were either wayward or had no punch to get past the goalkeepers. The second quarter was a huge boost for Italy as Roberta Bianconi scored twice more, either side of an Axelle Crevier extra-man conversion from low left. Silvia Avegno, from wide right-hand catch, and Sofia Giustini, squeezing the ball into the bottom right from quite an acute angle on the deep right wing, had the halftime score at 5-2.
Canada was on the front foot in the third quarter with captain Emma Wright converting a penalty foul and then Kindred Paul lobbing off a drive down the right. Nearly two minutes later, Canada brought it to 5-5 with Elyse Lemay Lavoie backhanding a goal from centre forward. Canada went to a timeout at 2:23 on extra but the pass to centre was knocked down; Serena Browne had her shot blocked. Italy went on attack and the counter eventuated with Claudia Marletta accepting a long, angled pass to the deep left wing to score for 6-5 a minute from the last break.
Bianconi and Giustini both received their third major fouls early in the final quarter. Despite this, Italy gained a penalty foul and Domitilla Picozzi converted for 7-5 at 5:24. Three more goals came for Italy from crisper play, two on action and one on extra as the oomph disappeared from Canada’s game.
Match Heroes
Bianconi and Marletta grabbed two apiece for Italy and Caterina Banchelli made 10 saves in goal. For Canada, goalkeeper Jessica Gaudreault was best in pool with 11 stops.
Turning Point
Italy moving from 2-2 to 5-1 in the first half and jumping away from 5-5 to 10-5, keeping Canada scoreless for the last 11 minutes.
Stats Don’t Lie
Italy managed three from seven on extra-man attack and defended a magnificent 11 from 12. That was the match right there. Both teams converted a penalty foul and Italy had the benefit of 29 shots to 24.
Bottom Line
Italy is the higher-ranked team and Canada was the last qualifier for the Olympics and now finds itself playing for seventh and eighth, something it probably did not envisage in Doha earlier this year.
Match 25, GREECE 9 HUNGARY 12 (2-1, 2-3, 3-4, 2-4)
Hungary came back from 4-1 down midway in the second quarter to defeat Greece and earn a shot at fifth place in Paris. Two quarters later, Hungary was four up as it took control of the back end of the match, mainly with sharper shooting.
Rebecca Parkes opened the scoring for Hungary, from the top as opposed to her normal centre-forward goals. Greece made it 2-1 by the first break and extended the score to 4-1 with two extra-play goals. There was a quantum shift coming the way of Greece after Vanda Valyi on extra and Dorottya Szilagyi accepting an easy cross pass on counter for 4-3. Greek skipper Margarita Plevritou collected her third major foul and suddenly the steerage of the team was awry. Valyi equalised from the top right for 4-4 at halftime.
Valyi scored again at the top of the third period with Greek veteran Alexandre Asimaki watching her centre-forward shot just dribble across the line and Eirini Ninou drilling from the top on extra for the 6-5 advantage. Rita Keszthelyi scored twice from six-metre fouls to snatch the lead back to the Hungarians. Nikoleta Eleftheriadou converted extra for 7-7, her second goal. Hungary’s timeout reaped a Krisztina Garda goal for 8-7 at the final break. Natasa Rybanska dragged down a cross pass to the left-post position on extra and celebrated so hard the team was given a yellow card. Garda fired in from the other side of the Seine for 10-7 and Keszthelyi converted extra a minute after Greece called a timeout. Eleni Xenaki gave Greece some hope with a goal from the right-post position on action; Keszthelyi sent in a penalty goal and Ioanna Chydirioti closed to 12-9 at 2:09. There was still time but the energy level lowered and the score remained.
Match Heroes
Hungarian captain Keszthelyi with four goals (17 in Paris) and Valyi with three. Alda Magyari made an excellent 10 saves in goal. For Greece, Eleftheriadou, Xenaki and Ninou grabbed a pair each.
Turning Point
The four-goal surge from 7-7 to 11-7 straddling the final break.
Stats Don’t Lie
Hungary converted four from 12 and denied Greece eight of its 14 shots on extra plays. Hungary scored the only penalty shot and had four more sots that Greece.
Bottom Line
It was a third victory for Hungary and will now shoot fifth place against Italy. Greece will play Canada for seventh.
Day 15 Schedule — Women
Classification 7-8
Match 29. 09:00. Greece v Canada
Classification 3-4 (Bronze Medal)
Match 31. 10:35. United States of America v Netherlands
Classification 5-6
Match 30. 14:00. Hungary v Italy
Classification 1-4 (Gold Medal)
Match 32. 15:35. Australia v Spain
Day 15 Schedule — Men
Classification 7-8
Match 39, 19:35. TBD