Defending champion Spain was rattled by Greece 8-5 in final matches of the first-round league phase as all eyes switch to the quarterfinals with Spain taking on Australia, United States of America clashing with Hungary, Russia playing Netherlands and Greece fronting New Zealand. Of the top eight, only Spain, Netherlands and New Zealand have tasted defeat.
Overview
The top eight teams go through their quarterfinal clashes on Wednesday, semifinals on Thursday and medal round on Friday. The classification 9-16 and classification 17-24 groupings will do likewise to determine final placings.
The most interesting match of Day 4 was Hungary-Canada with Hungary desperate to qualify for the quarterfinals. The match went to a sudden-death penalty shootout after it was tied at 10-10, finally winning 15-14.
There were three shootouts on the day with a classic being that between Peru and Germany, which ended in an incredibly low 3-3. Peru survived the shootout to win 7-6 for its first victory. Ukraine beat Romania 10-8 after being tied at 7-7.
The lowest-scoring match of the day was that between United States of America and Italy with the Italians losing 6-4 and not making the quarterfinals.
First Round League Phase Final Match Reports
Match 37. Group A. CANADA 14 HUNGARY 15 in sudden-death penalty shootout. FT: 10-10. Pens: 4-5. (1-1, 4-4, 3-4, 2-1)
This was the closest Hungary came to defeat all week and the nerves were at stretching point. Canada led early but Hungary took control in the second quarter and was trolled by Canada, coming back four times to level for 10-10 at 1:41 on penalty in the fourth. Hungary hit the post on extra 11 seconds from time but the match was destined to go to penalties. The first shots were ineffectual; it was 13-13 after the rotation and on the 15th shot, Canada could not score, thus missing a chance for the top eight.
Match Heroes
Hungarian captain Doniz Domsodi top-scored with four goals while Canada’s best was Jennika Linthicum with three.
Stats Don’t Lie
Hungary was sharper on extra with four from five to Canada’s three from six. Both teams netted three penalty goals. The steals and the shots were similar.
Match 38. Group A. SPAIN 5 GREECE 8 (1-2, 2-1, 1-2, 1-3)
There was huge pressure on this match, especially from the reigning champion Spanish. It took until the last two seconds of the first quarter for Spain to get on the board for 2-1 down. Goals were traded four minutes into the second quarter and pain levelled before the break. Greece went two up in the third before Spain pulled one back. Greece applied the pressure in the final quarter, going two up twice and then broke the camel’s back with an 8-5 penalty shot with three minutes remaining. Neither side could impress the secretary thereafter and Greece remained undefeated, although both went through to the quarters.
Match Heroes
Greece’s Georgia Lampatou netted three goals. Julia Teodoro was best for Spain with 10 saves in goal and Paula Pineda scored twice.
Stats Don’t Lie
Greece won this on extra, converting four from seven and defending five from six. Greece missed two of its four penalty attempts.
Match 39. Group A. ITALY 4 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 6 (3-2, 1-0, 0-2, 0-2)
This was another class match with USA coming in with three big wins and Italy losing to Russia by four and edging New Zealand 7-6. Italy began strongly, levelling at one, taking the lead at two and going 3-1 before a USA penalty goal narrowed it to one before quarter time. Thea Costa gained her second, this time on penalty, to give Italy a 4-2 advantage midway through the second quarter, which was the only goal. USA scored two penalty goals through Kate Bambury to level at 4-4, either end of the third quarter. Bambury converted extra early in the fourth and Paige Segesman gained her second for 6-4 at 2:25 from centre forward.
Match Heroes
USA’s Bambury with four and Costa with three for Italy.
Stats Don’t Lie
Italy upset USA on extra, shutting down five from six while not scoring off its sole opportunity. USA scored three penalty goals to one.
Match 40. Group A. ISRAEL 4 NETHERLANDS 10 (1-2, 1-4, 1-1, 1-3)
Netherlands entered the fray with one blemish — a 13-5 loss to Spain —while Israel had two big wins and a huge loss to Hungary (20-1). Netherlands moved out to 4-1 early in the second quarter and two Pien Walstra extra-player goals gave the Dutch a handy 6-2 halftime lead. Two traded goals late in the third period had the match safely in Netherlands’ hands with the score advancing to 10-3 inside the final three minutes of the final quarter.
Match Heroes
Imke Claessens netted three for the Dutch, including the last two, and Ori Grodman made two for Israel, one on penalty.
Stats Don’t Lie
Netherlands threw 22 shots to Israel’s 16 and made seven steals to none.
Match 41. Group A. CHINA 6 NEW ZEALAND 8 (0-3, 2-2, 3-2, 1-1)
It was China’s second loss to an Australasian team — going down 8-7 to Australia on Day 2. China was on the back foot early, being 3-0 down at the quarter with two Emily Rope scores unsettling. The first Chinese goal came at 2:41 in the second quarter but New Zealand continued turning the screw, going 5-1 up with Zhu Yinqi responding from a six-metre free throw for 5-2 just before the halftime buzzer. A pair of Chinese goal with a second from Zhu, narrowed it to one. The Kiwis went to 7-4 and Zhu replied with another six-metre, free throw shot for 7-5, four seconds from the final break. New Zealand held strong and scored at 2:01 for 8-5 on extra by Charlotte McCarthy with the final Chinese score coming with 16 seconds left on the clock.
Match Heroes
McCarthy finished with three and goalkeeper Juliette Laury made seven saves. Zhu nailed four goals from nine attempts
Stats Don’t Lie
New Zealand converted three from six and stopped seven from 10 on extra. The steals and shots were tied.
Match 42. Group A. SOUTH AFRICA 12 MEXICO 4 (2-1, 5-2, 3-0, 2-1)
South Africa was on the prowl from the start and won every quarter — no mean feat at this level. The Africans were potent all around the field and showed that with the shooting stats showing seven different scorers, including goalkeeper Caylin MacKenzie who played the one quarter. It was 2-1 after four minutes and 4-2 a minute into the second quarter. From 4-3, South Africa countered and scored twice on action for 7-3 by halftime. It quickly became 9-3 and Mikalya Morrison sent in a penalty goal for 10-3 for her third late in the period. Mexico scored its fourth with 12 seconds remaining. South Africa advanced with the goalkeeper and MacKenzie let loose to score on the buzzer.
Match Heroes
Morrison and Ella Chalupsky scored three apiece for South Africa and Joanna Cervantes made three for Mexico and Galia Morales an incredible eight saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
Neither side had much luck on extra but South Africa made 13 steals to six and outshot Mexico 27-15.
Match 43. Group A. ZIMBABWE 7 CZECHIA 14 (1-3, 3-3, 1-4, 2-4)
Czechia racked up a third victory and Zimbabwe has yet to attain that result. Czechia had the break early but faced some opposition in the second period before taking full control in the third and cruised home in the fourth. Zimbabwe actually had a 1-0 lead at the start via a penalty goal. Lucie Bakalova scored consecutive goals to have Czechia 3-1 up until Lola Accorsi netted her second for Zimbabwe early in the second quarter. Bakalova took Czechia further ahead and traded goals meant it was 4-3 and 5-4 until an extra-player goal in the last three seconds boosted Czechia to 6-4 by halftime. Accorsi narrowed it on penalty but Bakalova was in the mix for the 8-5 goal as her team surged to 10-5 by the last break. Accorsi nailed another penalty strike and followed up at 11-7 from outside for her fifth goal. Bakalova and Lucie Koubova with the last two goals had Czechia handily placed at 14-7 by the final whistle.
Match Heroes
Bakalova and captain Koubova with five goals each led at one end and Czechian goalkeeper Vanda Strnadova made a brilliant nine saves. Accorsi made five for Zimbabwe.
Stats Don’t Lie
Czechia converted eight from 14 on extra and stomped out all four of Zimbabwe’s attempts. Zimbabwe scored three on penalty and won the steals eight to seven.
Match 44. Group A. UKRAINE 10 ROMANIA 8 in penalty shootout. FT: 7-7. Pens 3-1 (1-1, 2-2, 0-1, 4-3)
There was separation in the third and fourth periods but in the end, it came down to a shootout. It took until 2:27 in the match for the first score to come courtesy of Romania from centre forward. Ukraine responded on extra two minutes later. Goals were exchanged early in the second quarter before Mariia Tsyhankova made it 3-2 on extra for Ukraine. A late response from Romania left the match at 3-3 by halftime. Romania scored on the first attack of the third period — the only score of the period. At 4:07 of the third, Tsyhankova converted extra and a minute later drilled from the top for 5-4 ahead. The reply was swift but Tsyhankova was swifter with an outside shot for 6-5 up. Goals were traded with Tyshankova getting the go-ahead goal at 0:56 only for Sara-Maria Pascu to net her second at 0:14, good enough for a shootout. Both teams missed their first attempts; Pascu hit the post with her team’s third attempt; Ukraine converted and Romania hit the wood again for a 10-8 Ukrainian victory. The loss pushed Romania into the classification 17-24 round.
Match Heroes
Tsyhankova was best in pool with five goals for Ukraine with Romanian captain Pascu on two with two of her team-mates. The goalkeepers combined for eight saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
Ukraine was hurt on extra, missing eight of 12 while Romania sent in two from four. Where Romania did struggle was not getting shots away — 16 to 26. Ukraine made eight steals to two.
Match 45. Group A. CROATIA 9 AUSTRALIA 11 (3-1, 2-5, 2-2, 2-3)
Croatia came into this match without a win, so to lose by two to a three-win team was exceptional. Karla Popovic had Croatia on the board at 3:09 on counter and then at 2-0 on extra. The Aussies were stunned when Popovic made it three straight on extra. Australia scored at two metres just before the break. Juliette Trbojevic Cabrera — daughter of Croatian Olympic silver and bronze medallist Petar Trbojevic, who now lives in Sydney, Australia — started an Aussie landslide, that included two Amelie Zuza goals, for 5-3. Trbojevic Cabrera shot a penalty goal as Australia went to halftime 6-5 up. Goals were swapped halfway through the period and Popovic led a resurgence to equalise for Croatia. Sophie Zampech converted extra for 8-7 and at the break and she scored the 10-7 goal on extra. Trbojevic Cabrera at centre and Popovic from penalty, scored the last two goals in the final 70 seconds.
Match Heroes
Juliette Trbojevic Cabrera finished with four Aussies goals and Popovic made five for Croatia. Sara Ivancevic was a thorn in Australia’s side, pulling in a stupendous nine saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
The extra players were similar but the steals favoured Australia 10-six. Australia shot 27-22.
Match 46. Group A. TURKIYE 8 RUSSIA 10 (0-3, 5-2, 2-3, 1-2)
What a swinging match this was. Russia had an exceptional start and Turkiye struck form with three fast goals midway through the second to trail 4-3. Mina Bozkurt levelled at four on extra and by halftime it was 5-5. Russia went on a three-goal spree for 8-5 and Bozkurt grabbed two for 8-7 down at the long break. Goals were swapped for 9-8 but Arina Boiarova smashed one in on extra for 10-8 at 3:10, which proved to be the final score.
Match Heroes
Boiarova netted three for Russia and the goalkeepers seven saves. Bozkurt scored five from nine attempts in a sparkling display for Turkiye.
Stats Don’t Lie
Turkiye made nine steals to one; shot twice more than Russia; netted four from nine on extra to Russia’s two from three, yet still lost the match. Russia’s shooting percentage was 50 to 36.
Match 47. Group A. PERU 7 GERMANY 6 in penalty shootout. FT: 3-3. Pens: 4-3. (1-2, 0-0, 1-1, 1-0)
It’s not often you get a 3-3 match at international level. Germany had an 8-6 win over Zimbabwe and Peru three losses coming into the encounter. Thus, it was an astonishing victory for Peru over a European nation and shows the value of this competition. It’s amazing that three of the six goals came in the first quarter. With Germany taking the lead at 1:14 on extra. The next goal did not come until 3:24 in the third period through an Alicia Indlekofer centre-forward shot. Kiara Barrantes responded with a minute left for 3-2 down. Catalina Hinojosa drilled from the top for 3-3 at 2:36. There were only two shots in the final stanza with four steals dominating, sending the match to penalties. Germany missed the first and fifth and Peru the fourth, thus winning with the last shot on rotation.
Match Heroes
Barrantes with two goals for Peru and six saves from goalie Luana Cuellar. Captain Indlekofer was best for Germany with two goals.
Stats Don’t Lie
Both teams shot one from five on extra; Peru scored a penalty goal; Germany stole 10 from nine and Peru outshot Germany 21-15.
Match 48. Group A. BRAZIL 5 SERBIA 11 (3-2, 1-3, 0-3, 1-3)
Serbia gained its third win and now goes to the round 9-16. Brazil is yet to win and will play off in the round 17-24. It was not as easy as it should have been for Serbia as Brazil was desperate for a first win. That determination showed early doing the front-running as the score mounted to 4-4. It was not until 1:47 that Jana Pejic gave Serbia the lead from a shot out the top. Pejic extended the lead a minute into the second quarter and two Masa Cuk goals had Serbia handily placed at 8-4 just before halftime. It was soon 10-5 with Pejic drilling again from outside for 11-5 with two minutes remaining.
Match Heroes
Pejic and Cuk netted five each and Serbian goalkeeper Dunja Lovcevic made a magnificent nine saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
A key to Serbia’s success was stopping all six of Brazil’s extra plays while scoring two from four. All the other stats were very close.
Final Points
Unavailable
Day 5 Schedule
10:00, Classification 9-16, Israel v Italy
10:05, Classification 17-24, Croatia v Romania,
11:30, Classification 9-16, China v Ukraine
11:35, Classification 17-24, Germany v Brazil
13:00, Classification 9-16, Turkiye v Czechia
14:30, Classification 9-16, Serbia v Canada
16:00, Classification 1-8, United States of America v Hungary
16:05, Classification 17-24, South Africa v Mexico
17:30, Classification 1-8, Australia v Spain
17:35, Classification 17-24, Peru v Zimbabwe
19:00, Classification 1-8, Russia v Netherlands
20:30, Classification 1-8, Greece v New Zealand