Dutch water polo players were crowned world champions last year, but began their quest to renew the title with defeat. The Netherlands lost 10-8 to the United States, the current Olympic champion, in Doha.
It was the first match in the group stage. The Netherlands has zero points, the United States has three points, Kazakhstan has two points, and Brazil has one point. The Dutch national team, led by Greek coach Evangelos Dodessis, will face Kazakhstan on Tuesday. Brazil is the opponent on Thursday.
Simone van de Kraats was the most accurate player in the Dutch team. She scored four times, including the opening goal. It also gave the Netherlands a 2-1 lead in the first half, but the American superpower then took control of the game with four straight goals. The United States was able to maintain its lead for the rest of the match.
Only in the fourth quarter did the Netherlands emerge victorious (2-1). The first quarter went 3-2 to America, who then tied the Netherlands 3-3 in the second quarter. In the third quarter, the difference was two points (3-1) in favor of North America.
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European and world champion
Last January, the Netherlands won the European title in Eindhoven in front of its fans. Last summer there was a huge success in Japan; Winning the world title.
The United States is the record holder with seven women's world titles. After four recent wins in a row, the Netherlands broke that dominance last year. In Doha, Qatar, the Dutch team lost in a playoff. In addition to last year, the Netherlands also became world champions in 1991 in the second edition.
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