The women’s water polo team is on its way to the final of the Games after beating Holland on penalties (14-14 and 4-5) in a semi-final that will be remembered for the infinite resilience of this group of players coached by Miki Oca. Australia or the United States will be the rivals on Saturday (3:35 p.m.) of a Spanish team that danced around a very tough team during the first half and suffered like never before in the second to earn the chance to take the gold. Spain returns to the big stage in search of the metal that crowns a majestic stage, silver in London 2012 and in Tokyo 2021. The players change in the inevitable generational change, the veterans mix with their heirs, but the DNA of some tireless fighters who have reached their third Olympic final in the last four Games remains stapled.
Spain played out the first quarter as if they had imagined it that way, scoring 6-1 in La Défense’s pool with enormous effectiveness and with goals spread out evenly. Miki Oca’s team found gaps in the Dutch rearguard and were a tough nut to crack without the ball, more aggressive and faster.
Martina Terré was a wall in the Spanish goal, an octopus for stopping from short distances, firm as an anchor and also extremely fast to leave the posts and recover a ball as if she were the first attacker. “Seven, six, five!” shouted the Spanish bench to warn of the end of the possession. Two goals by Holland, taking advantage of their superiority, tightened the match. Spain had a harder time finding the gaps in the water in the first quarter, although they bit in defence with the same fang. Almost every Dutch attack led to a numerical advantage. Elena Ruiz armed herself to give oxygen with a shot close to the post and shortly after Judith Forca gave the team back that small cushion. Spain grew from a defence of many tons and caught the break in command (5-10).
Each goal from the orange team was cheered in the arena as if it decided the match, and there were three consecutive goals from the same side that opened the third quarter. Spain was playing against the elements, and at that moment all its capacity for resistance was being tested. The lead was reduced to the minimum space against the Dutch push (9-10) with the fourth consecutive goal while in the opposing goal Oca’s group was running out of time and space. Once again Judith Forca brought her teammates out of the back and the crossbar returned a penalty against Spain. But Holland came back and came back, physically strong, led by Van de Kraats, and a 6-1 partial sent the duel to the starting point (11-11) before the decisive stretch.
The match had turned around when Spain seemed to have it under control in the first half. It was already a power struggle at La Défense. Anni Espar’s exclusion gave Holland the first advantage, and it seemed that the final was in their hands because they were going from less to more, emerging when Spain was sinking. But these players coached by Miki Oca are made of steel, pure resistance. They would have to be drowned again and again if they thought they would be kept from the dream of gold. Forca sharpened her aim and Spain reached 13-14 with 30 seconds left. Holland’s 7-7 draw sent the match to penalties, and that’s where Martina Terré emerged colossally to stop the fourth Dutch shot. The ball hit her arms, but behind her was a whole team that does not conjugate the verb to give up. The fifth success, by Maica García, led the Spanish to swim for the gold.
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