Group C — Sopron

BRAZIL 5 AUSTRALIA 17

 The final day of the women’s group stages has come, and in Sopron the first match was between the unbeaten Australia and the winless Brazil. The Aussie Stingers have always won against their rivals in recent years, and that happened yet again. Paul Oberman’s side started well, scoring nine goals in the first half and from now on only the goal-difference was the issue. In 2022, §the¶ still unbeaten Australians won 17-5 against Brazil and finished at the top of the group.

Match hero
The player of this match was Bronte Halligan, who scored five goals from six attempts. She was really in form tonight, and already has 11 goals in this world championships.

Stats don’t lie
The Australians’ defence worked well. Gabriella Palm saved three from four, while  pulled down six from 10, so the goalkeepers were hot.

Bottom line
The main problem of the Aussie Stingers during the preliminary rounds was the conversion of penalties. In the first match against Kazakhstan they missed four, now three from five. Oberman said they need to raise the level of concentration.

What they said
Paul Oberman (AUS) – Head Coach
“I am satisfied with finishing first in the group. We performed well during these three matches, but there are problems in concentration. We need to be better in the next stage of the competition. Our other problem was again the conversion of the penalties — we have been talking about that in the whole week. Water polo is a complicated game, it demands a mind. So our concentration level has to rise and reduce our mistakes, but we are learning from match to match. I think we missed the three penalties, because I was watching, then I turned my back and we scored one, maybe that’s the secret, I don’t know. Jokes aside, we have to take these opportunities. We need to recover from these three games; we have rest days, but we continue the hard work. We are here to win.”
Frank Diaz (BRA) – Head Coach
“I am glad with the result. In the closing quarter we played well, scored three and conceded three as well; that was the style of game I want to see more. We expected that result, now we can move forward after the first week, but that was the match I liked the most. The next step is to analyse every play we did here, and learn a bit from it.” 

 

KAZAKHSTAN 11 NEW ZEALAND 15

The match of the day, as it decided which team finished second in the group. Tension, thrill and a high level of water polo. New Zealand was the better side in the beginning of the match, leading 5-3,and 6-4. After that a turning point came, because Kazakhstan scored five goals in a row and thanks to Alexandra Zharkimbayeva’s performance, her team did not concede any. It was 9-6 to Maret Naurazbekov’s team, when another twist happened. In the second half the Kiwis scored nine goals, while Kazakhstan made many mistakes. New Zealand won 15-11.

Match hero
Malia Josephson was the leader for New Zealand. She attempted nine shots and scored four, assisting in another two. It was such a great performance from her. But we can highlight the defence as well, conceding just three in the whole second half is a hats-off performance.

Stats don’t lie
Kazakhstan made many mistakes in the third and fourth quarter. It scored only three from eight extra-player situations and lost the ball many times as the Kiwis stole it seven times in the second half.

What they said
Angela Winstanley-Smith (NZL) – Head Coach
“Both of our goalkeepers were amazing, I have a huge confidence in both of them. The girls really pulled together as a team, that was our weapon, but every single one of them has contributed to this success. There were some issues in the first half, but we managed them well, and we have been better in the third and fourth quarter. This team has shown its character tonight; we are a family, we have been together for many years. We were brave, played our game, and got what we wanted. I think it’s the first time that New Zealand was the second in the pool; we had to get used to this match as well. This comeback has shown it’s a very special team. I don’t want to have a day off, I want to play tomorrow already, because I love it.”
Marat Naurazbekov (KAZ) – Head Coach
“We started very well. We were leading by three goals in the third quarter, but after that we made many mistakes. I should have taken a timeout, but I did not, it was my mistake. It hurts now, because we were so close to the second place, but we completed our goal, we can play for places between 9th and 12.”

Final Points: Australia 6, New Zealand 4, Kazakhstan 2, Brazil 0.