The Dutch Beach Korfball team has become World Champion in Thailand. In the final they won 7-4 against Taiwan, the team the Dutch team lost to earlier in this tournament.
In the group stage, the Netherlands lost 5-6 to Taiwan, partly because they did not start sharply. Unlike in the group match, the Netherlands was on their toes from the start in the final. The Dutch team took a 3-0 lead, although the Taiwanese also had opportunities. They scored 3-1, but then the Netherlands gained more and more control over Taiwan defensively. However, the focus was missing in the ending. Typical of this were two missed penalties in the first half. At halftime it was still 3-1.
After the break, Momo Stavenuiter was able to increase the gap to 4-1 with a clever chance, but Taiwan immediately made it 4-2. Taiwan focused heavily on the two-pointers in the phase that followed and although they were able to repeat a lot, they were unable to get the ball through the basket. The Netherlands played calmly offensively and organized the rebound well. This was rewarded with a two-pointer, again from Stavenuiter. Marije Visser was then also able to make it 7-2. The last word went to Taiwan with a two-pointer from the corner, but with a final score of 7-4, the Netherlands is World Beach Korfball Champion.
National coach Roelof Koopmans cannot believe his luck: “Fantastic, this is what we came for. I am proud of the team and the way we recovered after losing against Taiwan in the group stage. The fact that we now beat them in the final illustrates not only our quality, but also our resilience.”
Photo: Krit Suttipithuk
