ANPLaura Aarts is disappointed after the defeat against Hungary
NOS Sport•maandag, 20:24
“We are very disappointed,” says goalkeeper Laura Aarts after the Dutch team’s defeat against Hungary in the quarter-finals of the Water Polo World Cup in Doha. “But in the back of our minds we know we have something even better to focus on.”
The thoughts of the star on the Dutch side immediately go to the Olympic Games in Paris, where the water polo players are aiming for gold next summer. And that is allowed, because last year the Netherlands became world champions for the first time in 32 years and last month they also won the European title.
The fact that things went wrong on Monday in the quarter-finals against Hungary, number four in the world, does not upset the players.
Watch the reactions of the water polo players after the defeat against Hungary here:
“Hungary rightly won, they were more convincing than us,” says captain Sabrina van der Sloot. “It’s a shame that we are not in the top four now, but we fought back well in this match and showed that we never give up.”
That’s how national coach Evangelos Doudesis had seen it. “We kept fighting until the last second. But Hungary was just a little bit better than us.”
Too many matches?
The Netherlands had a tough time during the tournament in Doha. They lost in the group stage to the United States – the Olympic champion – and on Saturday in the intermediate round against China things were extremely difficult.
There was talk about the many competitions that follow each other in a short time. After all, the final of the European Championship was only a month ago.
View the summary of the Netherlands – Hungary here:
Dutch water polo players dethroned as world champions by Hungary after penalty throws
“I think you have to be realistic. You cannot peak so much in a row,” says Van der Sloot. “This was not our best tournament and that is because of the other tournament. That is a shame, because I think we are among the top four in the world.”
Goalkeeper Aarts does not want to blame the defeat on fatigue. “We have always focused on the second half of the tournament, because that is where the prizes are distributed.”
From the pink cloud?
The dethroned world champion will no longer play in Doha for those prizes. All eyes must now be on the Games. The fact that they have now lost may also help the team get rid of the pink cloud and perhaps provide some extra sharpness.
But coach Doudesis doesn’t want to know about that. “It’s not like we have our feet on the ground again. We are humble enough.”
