Final Classifications (With finals qualifiers in bold)

1. Spain
2. Netherlands
3. Greece
4. Australia
5.Hungary
6. Italy

7. United States of America
8. Israel

Final Points:

Group 1: Spain 9, Netherlands 6, Greece 3, Australia 0.
Group2: Hungary 9, Italy 6, United States of America 3, Israel 0.

Overview

It was to be all about who would qualify and the last day’s action went as planned with Hungary and Italy collecting the final berths from Group Two. USA and Israel fought hard after a tough five days beforehand but could not get over the line.

Image Source: Qualifier Hungary/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

In Group One, it was a juggle for the rankings and who would play whom in the finals series on day one. Spain won the race and will front China in the cut-throat quarterfinals come April. The prize for second place means Netherlands will play the other division two qualifier, Japan.

Greece and Italy face off in the third quarterfinal and Australia takes on Hungary. It remains to be seen how the teams approach this event and what changes will be made when they go back home.

The venue for the finals series is yet to be decided.

Image Source: Italy qualifies for finals/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

Match Reports

Classification 5-8 Series

Match 21, ITALY 17 ISRAEL 12 (3-2, 4-5, 6-2, 4-3)

Image Source: Bianca Rosta (ITA)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

When these teams met on day one, Italy won 16-9. Italy came through, as expected, but not without some stout resistance from Israel. Dafne Bettini started the scoring for Italy and produced six for the match as she and Morena Leone — five goals — led the way for the Setterosa. Italy may have started but Israel went 2-1 with captain Maria Bogachenko and Tahel Levi scoring from the top and on lob respectively. Italian skipper Agnese Cocchiere sent one over her head at two metres and Lucrezia Cergol from deep right gave Italy the quarter-time lead. Goals were traded and Shiri Wissmann scored a pair to regain the lead for Israel. Goals were swapped again and then Bettini, from 10 metres, and from the penalty line, had Italy back on track at 7-6 ahead. Carmel Rahum snapped one in at centre forward, just before halftime, to keep the match at odds — 7-7.

Cocchiere and Bettini scored early goals in the third quarter before a four-goal trade-off taking Italy to 10-9.Three Italian goals — two from Leone —  put air between the teams by the final break — 13-9. Goals were traded twice with Miya Tirosh scoring on penalty and extra for Israel. Bettini and Leone stretched the margin to six with Tirosh gaining her third with a slider from the top at 1:05. Italy had survived a mild scare to gain the qualification berth.

Match Heroes
Bettini
was at it again with six goals, having scored five in each of the last two matches, finishing with 19 for the tournament. Leone piped in with five goals for 12 in total. The goalkeepers stopped 12 shots between them. For Israel, Bogachenko and Tirosh netted three apiece.

Image Source: Morena Leone (ITA) and Maria Bogachenko (ISR)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

Turning Point
Two Bettini goals late in the second quarter took the momentum away from Israel and straddling the final break, the four Italian goals confirmed the result.

Stats Don’t Lie
Italy scored four from eight and Israel four from nine on extra. All penalty shots were successful — two-three; Italy made seven steals to one and shot four less at 30-34.

Bottom Line
Italy was always going to win but Israel made it a tough encounter. All credit to the Israelis, who are performing better and better on the world stage, although as the bottom team, it will slip into Division Two next season.

Match 22, HUNGARY UNITED 10 STATES OF AMERICA 6 (2-3, 2-2, 4-0, 2-1)

Image Source: Lucy Haaland-Ford (USA) passing over Kata Hajdu (HUN)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

When these teams met on day two, Hungary won 12-7. Hungary had by no means an easy match against USA, having to come back from 3-1 and 5-3 down in the first half. USA started putting together cohesive plays and taking chances with shots, something it has been hesitant to do here. Hungary began and USA responded with three straight despite hitting the crossbar on a penalty attempt. Kamilla Farago pulled one goal back before the first break and equalised at the top of the second quarter. Malia Allen and Chrissy Flynn — for her second — took the score to 5-3 at 4:04. It was to be another 18 minutes before USA was to score again. Kata Hajdu scored on extra after a timeout to bring the match to one goal nearly four minutes from halftime.

Hungary blitzed USA in the third quarter with Farago claiming a second goal, from the top right; Panna Tiba on counter; captain Rita Keszthelyi on extra from the top and Vanda Baksa from left-hand-catch for 8-5 ahead at the last break. Farago converted counter more than three minutes into the final period and it was nearly three minutes later that USA came alive for Flynn to score on penalty at 1:52. Time was running out but the equation had been blown if its wished to qualify. Immediately after Flynn’s penalty goal, Tara Prentice erred when she came into the field of play from the back line to make it eight players after the restart. A penalty was awarded and Farago slotted to close the scoring and win the match.

Match Heroes
Farago
with four goals and Luca Torma impressed with 12 saves in the Hungarian goal. Flynn nailed three goals for USA and Isabel Williams also impressed in goal, with 12 saves.

Image Source: Dora Leimeter (HUN) defends Maryn Dempsey (USA)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

Turning Point
USA’s well-constructed 3-1 start and 5-3 move away from Hungary after 3-3. Hungary’s overall power exploded for a 9-5 unassailable lead, keeping USA scoreless for 18 minutes.

Stats Don’t Lie
Extra defence was high on the agenda with Hungary scoring three from 10 and stopping seven from eight. Hungary scored its penalty attempt and USA missed one from three. The steals went the way of Hungary six-three and the shots favoured USA 30-29.

Bottom Line
Hungary was not to be denied with its far more experienced line-up. USA needs to go back to the drawing board ahead of its defence of the World Aquatics title — its last title and a far cry from the days when it owned all four major tournaments.

Classification 1-4 Series

Match 23, NETHERLANDS 12 AUSTRALIA 6 (4-3, 2-0, 4-1, 2-2)

Image Source: Maxine Schaap (NED) shadowed by Nioka Thomas (AUS)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

Netherlands beat Australia 11-9 on day one, so this result would have hurt the Aussie Stingers. Netherlands got under the skin of the Aussie Stingers and used it to excellent effect, giving up only two extra-player situations and delivering no penalty chances. Australia was slow to react on some plays but, like the last three goals, took the chance and scored. Sienna Hearn opened for Australia and a pair of Dutch goals nullified that effort. Alice Williams responded; Fleurien Bosveld scored from right-hand-catch and Danijela Jackovich netted from two metres for 3-3. Marit van der Weijden took Netherlands to 4-3 on extra, from the top before the first-quarter break. It was tight in the second quarter with plenty of defence. However, Maxine Schaap and Lola Moolhuijzen — her second —had the halftime score at 6-3. That last goal came a second from the buzzer.

Australia’s stocks fell, as did its defence, in the third period as captain Sabrina van der Sloot, Lois den Ouden, Bosveld and van der Weijden from outside the top into the bottom left, gave Netherlands a sharp 10-3 advantage at 3:07. Charlize Andrews replied from outside to close the period at 10-4. Lieke Rogge, with a six-metre, free-throw goal, and Schaap on penalty, had the match at 12-4 by 2:27. Nioka Thomas accepted an outside pass at two metres, turned and scored and Williams blazed in her second from the top left for 12-6 — some consolation for the Aussie Stingers in a hard day at the office.

Image Source: Lois den Ouden (NED) evades Olivia Mitchell (AUS)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

Match Heroes
Van der Weijden
, Schaap and Moolhuijzen all scored twice for Netherlands. Williams did the same for Australia.

Turning Point
From 3-3 to 10-3 was a massive swing in Netherlands’ favour.

Stats Don’t Lie
Netherlands was strong on extra with five from seven and Australia gained one from two. The only penalty went to the Dutch, Australia stole the ball eight to six but the Dutch defence showed in allowing only 18 shots to Australia while taking 24 itself.

Bottom Line
Netherlands is in the better position with its team right now while the Aussie combinations are still struggling as shown by the two-four record. However, it is enough for the finals series.

Match 24, SPAIN 15 GREECE 9 (1-1, 5-3, 4-4, 5-1)

Image Source: Vasiliki Plevritou (GRE) and Paula Crespi (ESP)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

Spain downed Greece 14-8 on day two, so maintained the six-goal advantage tonight. Spain is really a class above everyone when it is playing well and this was another showing of that ability and skill-set. The packed stadium was so loud it was hard to hear the referees at times, although when Spain scored… Penalties started the match with Spain converting and Greece having its attempt stopped. Stefania Santa nearly brought the house down on extra at 2:43, the final score of the period. Elena Ruiz and Paula Prats on counter and penalty respectively, took Spain ahead by halfway through the second quarter. Captain Eleftheria Plevritou and centre forward Athina Giannopoulou brought it close before Spain fired in another two with captain Bea Ortiz lobbing. Eirini Ninou closed the gap slightly to 6-4 on extra, 10 seconds from halftime.

Ortiz opened the third quarter, but a Greece hat-trick had the scores level at seven. Elena Ruiz and Vasiliki Plevritou traded, although two Spanish goals in the last two minutes again wrested the draw away from Greece. Elena Ruiz opened her third period with her 15th goal of the tournament with a short drive on extra. The Greek timeout came to nought and a penalty attempt was again saved while Spain moved to 13-8 at 2:56. Paula Crespi and Giannopoulou swapped goals by 1:08 and the final nail in the coffin was hammered in by Daniela Moreno from the deep left at 0:38. Spain was first and Greece was third in the rankings.

Match Heroes
Elena Ruiz
with four goals and Prats with two while goalkeeper Martina Terre pulled in 14 saves for Spain. Eleftheria Plevritou, Giannopoulou and Santa scored twice for Greece.

Image Source: Eleftheria Plevritou (GRE) shoots past Daniela Moreno (ESP)/Sia Karekla/World Aquatics

Turning Point
Spain’s 4-1 halfway through the second and Greece’s valiant effort for 7-7 midway through the third quarter. The six-goal avalanche over the final break proved the back-breaker.

Stats Don’t Lie
Spain managed just three from eight on extra but stopped 10 of Greece’s 16 opportunities. Spain converted two penalty goals and Greece missed both its chances. Greece stole eight to seven and the shooting was squared at 32.

Bottom Line
Spain is the best team here and in the world at the moment, despite its shootout loss to Hungary on day three. Congratulations to Jordi Valls, holding the reins for the first time instead of perennial head coach Miki Oca. Greece is right up there in the top tier.