Netherlands romped home against Iran and Germany pummelled China 20-9 to punch their tickets for the World Cup finals series in April. Netherlands made a huge statement, defeating Iran 18-6 and Germany made its intentions known with a 20-9 hammering of China. The final round was irrelevant, other than a good hit-out and Netherlands closed the tournament with an 11-9 margin over Germany in the final with China pipping Iran 12-11 for third position with a buzzer beater.
Final Placings
- Netherlands
2. Germany
3. China
4. Iran
5. Malta
6. Slovakia
7. Portugal
8. Ukraine
9. Turkiye
10. Great Britain
11. Singapore
12. South Africa
Overview
It was the most important day of the tournament and Netherlands and China did not disappoint, coming through their semifinals with aplomb and finishing with close classification encounters.
In the classification 5-8 semifinals, Malta slipped past Portugal 10-9 and Slovakia downed Ukraine 20-14.
In the classification 5-6 match-up, Malta overcame Slovakia 15-14 and for seventh position, Portugal swam away from Ukraine 17-11.
Match Reports
Classification 1-2
Match 28. NETHERLANDS 11 GERMANY 9 (3-0, 3-4, 4-4, 1-1)
Netherlands won the match that did not matter. However, it did matter to the players to see who could take that dominance through to the April finals. Netherlands shut Germany out from the first quarter and went 4-0 up early in the second period. Germany awoke, replied with a hat-trick and goals were traded with Mart van der Weijden scoring twice to Till Hofmann’s one.
It was Hofmann who levelled with a pair of goals within just over a minute, both on extra and both from the left-hand-catch position. Van der Weijden rifled one from the top and another from the top right for 8-6. Goals were traded with van der Weijden scoring again. However, he had his penalty attempt stopped, leaving it to Benjamin Hessels to score, 16 seconds from the final break for 10-8. Hofmann converted extra for 10-9 at 6:13. It was all defence from then on with Netherlands taking a timeout and converting the extra-man play from the left-post position on a high cross pass at 1:18. Germany lost the ball; Netherlands shot wide; Germany lost the ball again and Netherlands held on for victory.
Match Heroes
Van der Weijden with five goals and the remarkable Miki Buitenhuis who once again saved his team with a magnificent 15 stops. Hofmann scored four German goals and Felix Benke saved 10 shots.
Turning Point
Netherlands giving itself a 4-0 buffer that was just enough to keep Germany at bay.
Stats Don’t Lie
In a match full of extra-man plays, the Dutch scored four from 10 and Germany a better four from eight. Germany scored its penalty attempt and Netherlands missed its one chance. Germany stole eight to four and shot 42 times to 40 but lost the match.
Bottom Line
Either team could have made the top spot but it didn’t matter as they had both qualified for the finals.
Classification 3-4
Match 27. IRAN 11 CHINA 12 (2-3, 2-4, 4-1, 3-4)
China needed a goal two seconds from time to secure the victory. A steal after an Iranian timeout led to Peng Jiahao scoring his first of the match as the scoreboard showed two seconds remaining. He stole the ball, swam up to the seven-metre mark, wide of the right upright, took the foul, sat up and rocketed the ball cross cage into the goal for the winner.
It was a match where China held all the cards but the determination of Iran was evident with every goal. Even the Chinese were celebrating wildly with fist pumps on most goals. Iran went 2-1 ahead and China had the quarter-time lead at 3-2. This became 5-2 with seven different scorers. Iranian star Alireza Mehrikohneshahri was red-carded for allegedly striking the head of an opponent at 3:20 in the second quarter. However, Iran pulled two back before China blasted in a pair for 7-4 at halftime
Amin Ghavidel and Arman Shams scored on penalty and extra man. Ghavidel equalised from top left and Mersad Adham did the same to give Iran an 8-7 advantage. Chen Yimin equalised a minute later with a penalty goal to close the third period. Li Dimeng sent in his second to regain the lead and three minutes later Ghavidel took a six-metre, free throw shot to level at nine. China made the most of a timeout, scoring through Chen Zhongxian from the deep left. Ghavidel equalised again on counter, receiving an easy cross pass to score. China again used a timeout ploy to construct a go-ahead goal, through Chen Yimin, from the point position. Shams came good with the 0:41 equaliser and then Iran’s timeout ploy did not work and Peng took the match beyond Iran’s reach.
Match Heroes
Chen Yimin slotted four goals and Wu Honghui made 11 saves in goal for China. Ghavidel also made four goals and Hamed Karimi took in nine balls for Iran.
Turning Point
That last steal that led to the winning goal. China had a 5-2 advantage and Iran twice went one ahead.
Stats Don’t Lie
It was on extra that Iran lost the match. China managed just four from nine but defended six from seven. China scored two from three on extra and Iran one from two. Iran made five steals to two and shot more at 35-33.
Bottom Line
It was the team who wanted it most and China showed that with those extra-man goals, it was just that little bit more needy. Iran would have hoped for better than fourth position.
Classification 5-6
Match 26. MALTA 15 SLOVAKIA 14 (3-0, 7-7, 3-5, 2-2)
Malta scored from well outside to claim victory over Slovakia in a tight encounter that should not have been. Malta had the better of the match and allowed Slovakia to level twice and even go ahead briefly in the final quarter when the match should have been sewn up earlier. Malta had a 3-0 quarter in the bag and gained a bonus penalty shot on a coach challenge (could have been an incorrect challenge) that was unclear. Slovakian captain Samuel Balaz scored from the point and on penalty to start the second quarter. Steven Camilleri netted a second for Malta — some recompense for a saved penalty attempt earlier — and Jeremy Abela and Liam Galea, for his second, to keep the margin at three. Goals were traded to 8-5 with Nikolai Zammit scoring on extra for 9-5. Goals were then swapped again to 10-7 by the halftime buzzer.
Tomas Bielik, who scored Slovakia’s seventh goal, sent in identical shots for 10-9 to start the third period. Jayden Cutajar responded with his fourth from the right and Bielik slid closer to goal at two metres for another. Zammit and Balaz swapped goals and Cutajar lobbed at two metres for 13-11. Balaz went on counter to reduce the margin to one, three seconds from the buzzer. Adam Furman grabbed his third and fourth goals to push Slovakia into the lead for the first time by 4:18. Galea replied from the deep right at 3:27 and at 0:31 Jake Bonavia scored his second, and most important, goal from the top position. Despite a timeout, Slovakia could not equalise and Malta had fifth position.
Match Heroes
Cutajar scored five and Galea three for Malta with goalkeeper Jake Tanti again in fine form with 11 saves. Bielik also had five goals while Furman and captain Balaz nailed four each.
Turning Point
Malta’s flawless opening quarter; maintaining the distance in the heavy-scoring second quarter and never being headed despite Slovakia’s two ties in the final period.
Stats Don’t Lie
Malta went three from four on extra and defended three from seven; missed one of three penalty chances to Slovakia’s two from two; made five steals to two and shot 34 times to 32.
Bottom Line
Malta hung on in there and had narrow losses to the top two teams and finished the last day with two one-goal winners. Slovakia beat Turkiye and Ukraine en route to the play-offs and offers much to the international scene.
Classification 7-8
Match 25. PORTUGAL 17 UKRAINE 11 (1-0, 6-3, 6-6, 4-2)
Portugal emerged a healthy six goals clear. This was helped by the first phase of the match as a very quiet first quarter on the scoring front yielded just the one goal to Dimitru Sobetchi — on extra from the deep right. Two more Portuguese goals had the score at 3-0 by 5:36 in the second quarter. Denys Rakitin responded for Ukraine and then Portugal put Ukraine to the sword with four straight goals and a beautiful 7-1 lead. Salvador Rodrigues became the first multi-scorer with his centre-forward effort for 7-1. Ukraine snared two back by the first-half close.
Goals were traded to 9-5 and Danylo Sokolov lobbed from the top right to narrow the score to 9-6. Goals were traded again until 12-9 before Sobetchi scored from deep right on extra for 13-9 two seconds from the buzzer. Goals were swapped inside the first four minutes of the last period and Portugal hammered the door shut with three goals for 17-10 with Sokolov gaining a consolation penalty goal to finish the scoring at 0:55.
Match Heroes
Xavier Rocha top-scored with three goals and Samuel Pinto pulled in eight saves for Portugal. Sokolov, Chinhiz Azhadzhanov, Denys Gusakov and Oktavian Veklyuk all scored twice for Ukraine.
Turning Point
The 3-0 opening and then four unanswered goals for 7-1 gave Portugal a huge boost.
Stats Don’t Lie
Portugal succeeded with all four extra-man attempts and shut down five from seven. It scored both penalty attempts as did Ukraine with its one; made six steals to five and poured in 34 shots to 26.
Bottom Line
Portugal finishes with two wins and three relatively narrow losses boding well for the future. Ukraine had its ups and downs, beating South Africa for its sole victory.
Classification 1-4 Semifinals
Match 23. IRAN 7 NETHERLANDS 18 (3-6, 2-4, 1-5, 1-3)
Netherlands was in no mood for wasting time in getting to the World Cup finals, starting 3-0 — all through the strong arm of Lars Ten Broek — and taking that advantage to the quarter-time break The second quarter began the same way as the first with a three-goal surge with Mart van der Weijden netting two of them. Iran pulled one back through Alireza Mehrikohneshahri, but was looking unstable at 10-5 behind.
Yes, the third period was also a 3-0 wipeout by the Dutch with Sebastian Hessels claiming two — from the deep left and on counter after a cross pass. Hessels bobbed from deep for his fourth at 13-5 and Mersad Adham replied with his second from the top left. Mehrikohneshahri nabbed his third on extra from the point position. Ten Broek and Hessels closed out the third period for 15-6. The Dutch maintained their perfect record of the first three in each quarter with Ten Broek leading the onslaught. It was 18-6 at 2:30 and it only remained to await the final whistle. Farbad Behzadsabouri scored on extra for Iran’s seventh goal. Netherlands had the ticket to the finals.
Match Heroes
Ten Broek was the star for Netherlands with five goals and Hessels chimed in with four. Miki Buitenhuis was again on form with 11 saves before handing over to his other keeper. Iran’s Mehrikohneshahri finished with three goals and both goalkeepers combined for 14 saves for Iran.
Turning Point
The 3-0 start was one giveaway, but leading 6-2 by 1:24 in the first was a huge start for the Dutch. By making 9-3 halfway through the second quarter, the match was heavily in favour and heading down the route of Netherlands.
Stats Don’t Lie
Netherlands scored four from eight on extra and defended six from 11. It put away both penalty chances — the only two of the match — and took six steals to four. On shooting, it led 39-28 — the most telling factor.
Bottom Line
The Dutch were waiting for this match and put every effort into it with nine players making the sheet. Every player had a huge part in the victory, which qualifying for the main ticket — the World Cup finals. What a huge match. Iran would be devastated after some strong showings. However, at the top end, you must perform.
Match 24. CHINA 9 GERMANY 20 (4-6, 2-6, 3-4, 0-4)
Germany was never headed by China and except for 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 it was not that close. A 10-goal opening quarter brought nine different scorers to the table with Zoran Bozic the only double scorer, for Germany. Chen Yimin brought it to 6-5 at the start of the second quarter and then Germany hammered in five goals with Bozic gaining a third. At 11-5, China was rocked and Chen Zhongxian had to reply, on penalty, offering some resistance. Mark Gansen converted extra and Germany had the match in the bag at 12-6 by the changeover.
Chen Zhongxian scored a pair to start the third period and a German triple made it 15-8. Goals were traded and Chen Zhongxian had his penalty attempt saved. Bozic started the final quarter and it was not until five minutes later that Mark Dyck flipped the ball into goal from centre forward. Niclas Schipper scored on extra off the right-post position and Hofmann completed his scoring from top right for 20-9 and the celebrations started. Germany was off to the World Cup finals and back into the big league after a long hiatus.
Match Heroes
Bozic and Gansen drilled four apiece with Denis Strelezkij and Hofmann grabbing three each for Germany. China’s Chen Zhongxian scored four goals and goalkeeper Wu Honghui took in 10 saves.
Turning Point
While Germany had the 6-4 quarter-time advantage, it was still close. However, at 12-6 by halftime, Germany had stamped its authority and 16-9 by the final break was the decisive blow delivered.
Stats Don’t Lie
Germany went five from nine on extra and China slightly better at five from eight. Germany converted four five on penalty and China two from three. Germany took four steals to two and, more importantly controlled the attack with 42 shots to 30.
Bottom Line
Germany was zoned in on the match and deserved victory and the ticket to the finals. China did not react to the German onslaught.
Classification 5-8 Semifinals
Match 21. PORTUGAL 9 MALTA 10 (4-2, 2-2, 2-5, 1-1)
Portugal will be ruing how it started so strongly with a 3-0 lead, controlled the quarter time and halftime advantages only to let it fall apart in the third quarter. This is where Malta pounced to take the match. Rui Martins had two goals in the first period and Steven Camilleri gathered his second penalty goal before halftime for Malta. Xavier Rocha lifted Portugal to 6-4 and Tiago Ferreira had his penalty attempted rejected.
Malta scored the first three goals of the third period with Jayden Cutajar getting two. Pedro Moura missed his penalty chance for Portugal but the captain scored on centre forward followed by a Ferreira counter goal to regain the advantage at 8-7. It was brief as Nikolai Zammit and Jake Bonavia wrested the lead at 9-8 by the last break. Camilleri converted a penalty and midway through the period Mark Castillo (MLT) was red-carded for a violent action. Pedro Moura had Portugal in the chase at 3:45, but both teams shut up shop and Malta had the win.
Match Heroes
Jake Tanti was the undoubted star for Malta with 14 saves in goal while Camilleri contributed three goals. For Portugal, Pedro Moura, Martins and Ferreira scored twice each.
Turning Point
Malta coming from 6-4 behind to 7-6 ahead and 9-8 up at the final break.
Stats Don’t Lie
Malta converted two from three on extra and defended three from six; rattled in all three penalty attempts and stopped two from three; lost out on steals 109 but out-shot Portugal 37 to 26.
Bottom Line
Malta has more experience at European level and showed that by steadily sticking to its game plan and overcoming Portugal.
Match 22. UKRAINE 14 SLOVAKIA 20 (1-4, 5-3, 5-8, 3-5)
Slovakia notched its second victory in Istanbul by starting well and outplaying Ukraine in the third period. Slovakia was 4-1 at the quarter buzzer with two Adam Furman goals. Denys Gusakov scored from the penalty line and centre forward to bring Ukraine into the picture early in the second quarter. Tomas Bielik separated the Ukrainian surge as two more goals had the match at 5-5. Luka Durik and Danylo Sokolov traded goals before Slovak captain Samuel Balaz nabbed his third, on penalty to take his team ahead into the second half.
Yarema Artsyshevskyy (UKR) saw red from the referees at the top of the third quarter and team-mate Oktavian Veklyuk went on counter for 7-7. Two Balaz goals in a three-goal haul headed the trade talks where it shifted the score to 12-10. A Ukrainian extra-man goal narrowed it to one but Durik, Furman and Balaz closed the period at 15-11. Two Gusakov goals in the final quarter nullified Furman and Bielik’s goals and Slovakia won 17-13.
Match Heroes
Furman scored six and Durik three for Slovakia muck like Ukraine’s Gusakov with six and and Oleksandr Diadiura three. Ukrainian goalkeeper Kostiantyn Nikolskyi dragged in nine saves.
Turning Point
The first three goals were what set Slovakia up for the victory. Ukraine came back to 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7, but Slovakia three up three times and four ahead at the final break.
Stats Don’t Lie
Slovakia relied heavily on its barrage of shots — 40 to 26 as Ukraine had the better of extra man at five from six to Slovakia’s one from one. Ukraine converted four from five on penalty and Slovakia two from two. Slovakia, however, made 10 steals to three.
Bottom Line
Slovakian played the long game and stuck to the plan to secure the victory. Ukraine was excellent in the main statistics and being able to get the kick-outs.