It has not been. The Spanish women’s water polo team falls in the semifinals once morest the United States and will not compete in the final of the Doha World Cup (11-9). Miki Oca’s team had had an immaculate first phase – victories once morest China (18-5), Greece (16-8), France (14-7) and Canada (12-9) – but they might do nothing once morest the Americans , who dominated at will in a painful defeat in which Spain conceded in defense and was not inspired in attack.
The anthems sounded in the Doha pool, where the Spanish sought to repeat their presence in the final following losing in 2023 once morest the Netherlands on penalties. The first sprint fell to the United States, a harbinger of what would come later: Madeline Musselman opened the scoring for Adam Krikorian’s team. Three attacks, three goals for the Americans. Miki Oca’s team tried, but they always found themselves facing a relentless Ashleigh Johnson, for many the best goalkeeper in the world. A goal from Catalan Elena Ruiz, the only hope for a Spanish team that failed in defense, conceded too many advantages and wasted their own. The bad news accumulated for the Spanish, with the second expulsion of Anni Espar in the first quarter.
“The United States is a very powerful rival, a team that concedes very few goals, with a very strong, very solid defense and a very powerful counterattack. “It is a very complete team,” Oca warned before the game. He read it perfectly, despite the fact that Spain came out in the second quarter determined to reduce the gap with the Americans. And they got it. Pili Peña, Isabel Piralkova and a great goal from a confident Nona Pérez tied the score (4-4). There was no truce. Spain seemed to have stopped the blow, but the Americans took the lead once more with a great long shot from Flynn. Miki Oca’s team, despite growing in the second quarter, was never ahead. Doubts and more doubts that only led to the United States putting sixth on the scoreboard. The dream of fighting for gold was slipping away.
Judith Forca and Paula Crespí, Spain’s top scorers in this World Cup in Doha – with 8 goals each – did not shine, as they failed to score in the semi-finals. Nothing changed in the third quarter, once morest a United States that was always calm, increasingly opening the gap on the scoreboard – they took advantage of 8 of their 13 superiorities. Elena Ruiz, determined to carry the team on her back, provided the greatest ray of Spanish light: two goals in the third quarter, when the Spanish already seemed doomed. Spain barely stayed alive in the game and with less and less hope, convinced, perhaps, that nothing might be done once morest the United States, the great favorite of the tournament.
Only the heroics counted, which did not exist in the pool of the Aspire Dome in Doha. The Americans finished off, with another goal from Musselman impossible for Martina Tarré (11-7). Isabel Piralkova scored the last Spanish goal – a hat trick for her, which is her first on the scoreboard in this competition – when nothing was of any use. This confirms the expected fall (11-9), although painful, of the Spanish team, which will not be able to repeat even the silver achieved in the 2017, 2019 World Cups, the 2021 Games, the 2023 World Cup or the European Championship. , a little over a month ago. Spain will compete for bronze – the only medal missing from its World Cup locker, following one gold and three silvers – with the winner of Hungary-Greece, next Friday at 9:30 am.
