NOS Sport•
Water polo players only lose to Olympic champion Serbia after penalties at the European Championships
The Dutch water polo players started the European championship surprisingly strong with a defeat on penalties against Serbia. In Belgrade it was 13-13 after four quarters, after which the reigning Olympic champion won the penalty series.
The Netherlands gave the top favorite for the European title an excellent match throughout the match. At the end of the third quarter, national coach Branko Mitrovic’s team still led 10-9. Kas te Riele excelled with five goals, as did Lars ten Broek who scored four times.
The Netherlands retained one point in the opening match at the European Championship, because it had ended in a draw after regular playing time.
Standings group C
| Land | Points Played (goal difference) | |
| 1. Spain | 1-3 (28-3) | |
| 2. Serbia | 1-2 (13-13) | |
| 3. Netherlands | 1-1 (13-13) | |
| 4. Israel | 1-0 (3-28) |
In the first group stage, the Netherlands will play against Israel on Monday and reigning world champion Spain (Wednesday). The best three countries in the first group stage qualify for the second round.
If the Dutch finish in the top eight at the European Championships, they will qualify for the World Cup, for which the Netherlands has not qualified since 1993. The route to the 2028 Olympic Games runs via the World Cup, a tournament that water polo men secretly dream about.
The Netherlands came to the European Championships in Serbia with one of the youngest teams. The average age is 24 years. Seven players from the selection are making their debut at a European Championship.
Nevertheless, national coach Mitrovic was confident in a strong start for his team, fueled by good preparation. He saw opportunities against Serbia. And it showed.
Thanks to three goals from the right-handed Ten Broek and two from the left-handed Te Riele, the Netherlands ended the first quarter with a lead. The Dutch team held on to their lead in Q2. Te Riele scored again (nice lob), as did Mart van der Weijden (penalty) and Benjamin Hessels (curl in the far corner).
After the break it was expected that Serbia would step up their game, but again the Dutch team held up well. Hessels made his second and Te Riele his fourth, with which the Netherlands also ended the third quarter with a lead (10-9).
But then the Serbs fought back. The score was 10-10 and five minutes before the end, the Olympic champion took the lead for the first time in the match through the powerful left arm of Dusan Mandzic.
But with a fifth goal from Te Riele and a fourth from Ten Broek, the Dutch team remained in the match. Just before the end, the Netherlands made it 13-13 thanks to a cannonball from Sebastian Hessels and in the very last seconds Te Riele seemed to decide the match with a beautiful lob. But the ball did not leave his hand in time.
The experienced Serbs took the penalties flawlessly. For the Netherlands, only captain Bilal Gbadamassi was missing.
‘We can do this’
Afterwards, national coach Mitovic was satisfied. “We are here to take steps, not just to participate. I am happy with what I saw. The boys carried out the agreements well. We can do this, we saw that today.”
The Netherlands will get a second chance against weak Israel on Monday evening.
