Group A

New Zealand 7 Romania 16

All photos courtesy of: Jo Kleindl/DSV/World Aquatics

Romania took an easy route to the qualification semifinals with a nine-goal margin over the less-experienced New Zealand. Built on a 4-0 first quarter and 5-0 before New Zealand responded on the scoresheet, the margin was 9-4 at halftime and 12-6 at the final break. Romania went 16-6 with New Zealand having the final say from the penalty line more than 10 minutes from its previous score.

With Romania shutting out New Zealand for the first 11 minutes and then for 10 minutes at the end of the match, it was a precursor to what China can expect on Sunday.

Match heroes:
Levente Vancsik was again to the fore for Romania with four goals, one more than team-mate Tudor-Andrei Fulea. New Zealand goalkeeper Matthew Taylor snaffled one more save than Romania’s Marius-Florin Tic — 10-9. Tic, however, was named player of the match.

Turning point:
The opening quarter.

Stats don’t lie:
Romania took 35 shots to 27, converted six from eight on extra-man attack to the Kiwis’ one from two and both teams converted two penalty fouls. Romania stole the ball nine times to six.

Bottom line:
Romania wants nothing less than qualification and that reality is not far away unless China can produce something spectacular in the semifinals. For New Zealand, it was a third loss, this time with a larger margin than the previous two. Its time will come in the Commonwealth clash against South Africa on Sunday to decide who will be seventh in Berlin.

Kazakhstan 7 Iran 6

Iran led for the majority of the match and then faded for the remainder, scoring only once in the second half. Iran led 2-1 in a tight first quarter, edged out to 5-3 at halftime and then struggled to find the net as Kazakhstan scored three to head into the last quarter leading 6-5.

Arshia Almasi converted extra-man attack for his third goal at the top of the final quarter to give some hope. When Sultan Shonzhigitov netted his second at 1:36, it proved to be the winner. For Shonzhigitov, who was named player of the match, it was better than expected as, after scoring his centre-forward goal at the top of the third quarter, he required medical assistance as he was clutching his chest. His return helped Kazakhstan into the qualification semifinals.

Kazakhstan lost its veteran star Murat Shakinov at 4:47 in the second quarter when he splashed the water after a decision against him, earning a red card and denying his team that extra firepower he normally provides.

Match heroes:
Kazakhstan goalkeeper Temerlan Balfanbayev was again the chief destroyer with his magnificent 10 saves. Eduard Tsoy scored Kazakhstan’s first three goals with some excellent shots. For Iran, Almasi was the best with three goals.

Turning point:
The third quarter where Kazakhstan came from two behind to one ahead.

Stats don’t lie:
Iran won the extra-man attack statistics by far, yet lost the match. It converted four from nine to Kazakhstan’s two from four. Iran shot more at 24-22, but Kazakhstan made the most of field goals. The victor grabbed 13 steals to 10.

Bottom line:
Kazakhstan goes through on a whisker-close margin and Iran will rue lost opportunities to at least force a shootout. Its final timeout yielded sloppy passing and an eventual offensive foul, losing any hope.

Group B

Malta 15 South Africa 8

In the clash of the Commonwealth nations on the day of King Charles III’s coronation in London, Malta came from three down early in the second quarter to over-swim South Africa for the remaining time. South Africa led 2-0 and 4-3 at the first break and shot to 6-3 before Malta rifled in three goals for the equaliser by 2:58, levelled again at 2:10 and went into the second half with an 8-7 advantage.

This became 12-7 with Jonathan Swanepoel netting a second and then Liam Galea scoring his third for 13-8 just before the three-quarter buzzer. A 2-0 final-quarter shut-out secured the big win for Malta.

Match heroes:
Goalkeeper Jake Tanti was the Maltese saviour with 11 saves, continuing his excellent tournament. Liam Galea — the first two responders to South Africa’s two-goal start — and Sam Gialanze scored three each for Malta with South Africa’s best Swanepoel with a pair. Malta shut the gate in the final period, scoring twice itself for the 15-8 victory and a first win and third in the group. Nine players scored for Malta.

Turning point:
The 9-1 Maltese effort from 6-3 down from the six-minute mark in the second quarter until 1:52 in the third period.

Stats don’t lie:
Malta shot less than South Africa — 29-32, but converted four from six on extra to South Africa’s three from eight and made five steals to six South Africa converted two penalty fouls to Malta’s one. South Africa won the steal count six to five.

Bottom line:
Neither team made it to the qualification semifinals. However, they gained more international experience that will assist in further 2023 competition.

Germany 16 China 11

The last match of the day promised so much with both teams unbeaten. The big shock was Germany’s 3-0 and 6-2 leads by the quarter, elevating to 8-2 early in the second quarter. China retaliated in immaculate fashion with four straight goals from four different players — two on extra-man attack, one from the penalty line and the fourth on counter.

Germany took a timeout and scored off the extra-man ploy with 13 seconds left. China slipped in a penalty goal to bring it to 9-7 by the buzzer. Germany had a penalty attempt saved, went to 10-7 and 12-8 when Zoran Bozic smashed in a centre-forward goal. By the final break, Germany had the match in hand at 14-9. The final quarter was 2-2 and Germany had top slot in the group, while China also qualified for the semifinals by coming second.

Match heroes:
Denis Strelezkij netted four from five attempts as he led Germany to victory and collect player-of-the-match honours. Zoran Bozic also scored four, albeit from nine attempts. China’s best was Zhongxian Chen with five goals — three on extra and two from penalties. Chufeng Zhang, so good in Berlin, added three more before being fouled out in the dying seconds.

Turning point:
That 8-2 start said it all. Germany then went into a holding pattern.

Stats don’t lie:
With 33 shots to 23, Germany held the upper hand. The six from seven on extra-man attack was most commendable as was China’s four from seven. China converted all four penalties and Germany two from three. The steal count was 5-4 to Germany.

Bottom line:
Germany has the all-round play to go to Los Angeles and China could make the grade as well. It all depends on what games the teams bring to Sunday’s crucial qualifiers. China’s clash with Romania could be a hurdle too high.

Final Points

Group A: Romania 9, Iran 6, Kazakhstan 3, New Zealand 0.
Group B: Germany 9, China 6, Malta 3, South Africa 0.

Day 3 programme

14:00, Classification 5-6, Malta v Iran
15:45, Classification 7-8, South Africa v New Zealand
17:30, Qualification Semifinal, Romania v China
19:15, Qualification Semifinal, Germany v Kazakhstan