An important day at the Beach Korfball World Cup in Pattaya. In addition to the last two group matches, the quarter-finals and semi-finals were also on the programme.
Malaysia – Netherlands
After the disappointment of losing the match against Taiwan on day 1, Dutch Beachkorfball played against Malaysia on day 2 at 4 p.m. It was still warm on the beach of Pattaya at this time, but the Dutch team nevertheless started strongly. The team of national coach Roelof Koopmans put a lot of pressure on the Malaysians, who therefore had difficulty creating opportunities. The Netherlands was also sharp in the initial phase and at halftime it was 0-5 for the Dutch team. However, Marjolijn Kroon had now left the field with a bloody nose, which she suffered after an unfortunate collision with her opponent. Fortunately, she was able to return in the second half. After the break, the Netherlands remained the dominant party, although the team missed a lot of opportunities. But the victory was never in danger, partly due to excellent defensive work. In the end it was 1-10 for the Netherlands.
Netherlands – America
The last group match of the World Cup was against America. The Americans had narrowly won against Taiwan earlier in the day, so it would not be as easy as against Malaysia. However, the Netherlands again got off to a lightning start and within no time it was 3-0. There was physical play on both sides, which resulted in a large number of penalty throws in the first half for both the Dutch team and the Americans. The Netherlands showed itself more sharply on these opportunities, but due to a two-pointer by the American side just before half time, the lead was only 5-3 after one half of play. Immediately after the break, Momo Stavenuiter also managed to throw in a two-pointer, which widened the gap again. However, with the score at 8-3, Stavenuiter was given a yellow card, which meant he had to leave the field temporarily and the Netherlands suddenly found themselves with three against four. The Americans came back to 8-5, but the Netherlands did not let it go further. Stavenuiter’s time penalty was over and the Dutch team was able to walk away again to a convincing 10-5 victory. This means that the Netherlands finishes second in the group, which means that the team will face Belgium in the quarter-finals.
Quarter-final: Belgium – Netherlands
In korfball land it was often the final match: the Netherlands against Belgium. However, the two superpowers met each other earlier at this Beach Korfball World Championship, namely in the quarter-finals. The direct reason for this was the loss of the Netherlands against Taiwan yesterday, which left the Dutch team ‘only’ second in the group. It took a while before the first goal was scored in this quarter-final, but it was Mandy Koelman who scored the 0-1 after more than two minutes of play. The teams put each other under good defensive pressure in the phase that followed. The Belgians were able to get to 1-1 in the closing stages of the first half, but just before half time the Netherlands took the lead again: 1-2. After the break, Mandy Koelman was important again with a quick two-pointer from the corner that made it 1-4. An expensive yellow card for André Zwart gave Belgium the opportunity to make it 2-4 in a surplus situation, but the Netherlands did not let that happen thanks to a strong Momo Stavenuiter. The score remained 1-4, which means that the Netherlands qualified for the semi-finals at the expense of the Belgians.
The semi-final is also scheduled for today! At 4:40 PM Dutch time, the Dutch team will play against the Czech Republic for a place in the final. Follow the match via the live stream!
Photo: Krit Suttipithuk
