Month: August 2011

South Africa had a goal in the Championships — to score at least one goal. In their final match South Africa, held scoreless in every previous match, faced Switzerland. In the first half South Africa was down 0-5. But in the second half Jacques Naude scored a goal on a penalty.

“I got him around the neck pulled him off,” said Naude when asked how he managed to give South Africa its first goal in World Championship play.

Prior to their first game the South Africans said that they had heard that the USA had only managed to make single goal at three world championships.

“We want to do better than that,” said one of the team. Goal achieved.

When South African diplomat Rudi Janse van Vuuren received a phone call, informing him that his country was represented at the World Championships he was incredulous.

“I thought someone was pulling my leg at first,” confessed van Vuuren, who later joined Team South African at their hotel for a beer.

A three-strong German break for the goal with one minute to go looks bad for Sweden, but Felicia Nyberg catches them from above and snatches the outstretched ball. Less than minute remains. It will be a penalty shootout…. No, suddenly with five seconds left Ann-Sofi Krakau, perhaps Sweden’s top player, certainly a physical and explosive athlete, is over the goal and shoves one in. An amazing finish. The Germans have been somewhat unlucky but possession must be converted into goals or it means nothing but a bitter taste… no that’s not true. Germany played very well. It is a hard defeat but they can be proud.

From now on we are in the quarter finals. For the rest of the Championships there will be no more undecided matches. Now, the event of a tie, there will first be a 15-minute overtime period of sudden death play. If that produces no resolution, then the game will go to a penalty shootout.

All 12 players are allowed to shoot, providing the game is not decided by a mathematical impossibility for the team that has fallen behind.

In the penalty shootouts if the goalie commits an infraction, he or she receives a two round seat in the penalty box.

The match between Colombia and German provided a stark contrast in strategies. The German team, collectively more than 10 percent larger in terms of length and weight, wanted to play a battle on the bottom, using rhythm and speed to punch through. This approach was no doubt correct but the Colombian women, who could not rip or wrestle the balls away in one-on-one play, had a strategy of their own.

Every time they clamped onto a German player another would close in so that German player ended up floating to the surface. At times some of the Colombian players would attach themselves to the balls and curl up in a protective fetal position. It was impossible for the German players to pass or score with such large remora on the balls. Worse the Colombian player had no interest in symbiosis. As soon as two came into the picture there was battle.

The Colombians could easily have been down 3 – 0 at the half but their goalies were very quick to seal the basket.

“They have a lot of air,” said the husband of one of the German players.

Conditioning is a vital advantage in underwater rugby. The Colombians were on the defensive much of the game. Sometimes when attacks were mounted and the goalie were in danger of being lifted off, their teammates usually the backs and or other goalie would push them down on the rim.

Germany was the stronger team but it looked as if the Colombians might pull off a long shot victory by doing approximately the same as the Japanese women did to the Americans in the World Cup. It was not to be though, as the Colombians had too few break away threats to catch the German 2 goal lead.

The other teams will have to adjust themselves to beat Colombia. Germany are after all the defending Champions, so this was not a surprize result.

We have just watched the best match of the Championships so far. In the opening minutes a very strong German team looked as if they might dominate, but Denmark got successively tougher as the match progressed.

In the first quarter of the game Germany often managed to methodically build up attacks. The Danes looked somewhat passive with the team’s forwards seemingly content to wait for passes, instead of challenging the tempo established by their opponents. The danger for Denmark was that during the exchange of backs the Germans would make a rush backed by 3 or 4 players.

Shortly before the 10 minute mark, the collection of half fresh lungs outside the Danish goal gave Germany’s Stefan Klett a chance to flip the switch, putting one on the score board. Not long after that Dennis Pahl made a second goal for Germany. Two to zero might have spelt the end for another team but not this one from the country lying so close to Germany. 

Denmark’s lapse was no burnt-out fuse. The Danes reset the circuit breaker and in workman-like fashion gradually deprived their opponents of the tempo control strategy. It did not come easily. On more than one occasion, though they did not have physical dominance, the Danes scooped up sub-prime Deutsche passes and tried to go to the bank. With around 5 minutes remaining Denmark’s Simon Schäfer put in goal, erasing Germany’s self assurance.

Perhaps frustrated at the trend, the Germans committed two roughing fouls, which only encouraged the Danes to dig in and fight harder. After half-time the Danish forechecking became urgent. If in the first half Danish counterattacks quickly met resistance, in the second half they extended their forward movement. Every time they closed on the German goal, two Russia spectators rooting for Denmark said, “come-on! Tie game now.”

The Danish pressure had a sort of increasing grimness that the Germans had no answer for. However, in the end team Germany  hung on to their one nil lead to the end. The last few minute were nail biting entertainment.

Davrell Tien poolside 

Second penalty shot for holding the basket decides game in favor of Norway.

Late in the first half Swedish goalkeeper Anna Överby goes into the penalty box for gripping the basket. Sweden survives the 2-minute power play. In the second half around 8 minutes remaining the referee calls basket holding again. Penalty shot. The Swedish goalie easily holds off the attacker and the Swedish players on deck scream with delight.

However, the Swedes are caught again. The goalkeeper is not a large player so it is easy for her to slip a shoulder too deep. The ref calls for a second penalty.

Now Felicia Nyberg (No 10) of the Swedes must face another penalty shot attempt. This time the Norway’s Karine Haugland harasses her from the bottom. Nyberg cannot risk letting a crack open. There are 45 seconds for a penalty and Haugland shrewdly heads up for a deep breath and comes back like a seal who has figured out a fisherman’s trap. She has a stressed goalie short of air and in goes the ball.

Sweden is down but not out. The action now has a frenetic quality. The Swedes are anxious to equalize. They come in more aggressively but they cannot break the Norwegian defense. With relatively little time remaining the Norwegians tie up the Swedish captain Helena Fagraeus on the surface in a tiring battle to nowhere.

Time is running out. A free ball awarded Norway gives the side a chance to call for a time out. Perhaps not a good move because it allows the Swedes to rally for a final attempt. They take the ball from Norway but Norway takes it back. Norway then burns up the remaining minute and half passing safely in the corner.

Norway has too many players in the water. A time penalty is awarded Sweden but only three seconds are left the Swedish and Norwegian players are taking off their masks as the meaningless free ball goes into play. It’s over. Norway has a victory under their suits. Sweden must regroup.

This was match commentary from a women’s match in Helskini, first published August 16, 2011

Both teams have seen a player sent to the penalty box for holding the goal. Still no score, even with the advantage of being a woman up, neither can do much. Too many dropped balls. Play is in the middle a bit too much.

Both teams are hesitating to take it into the basket area. It hurts there and there are risks but you cannot score without some pain. “I was expecting a bit more but it’s the first match,” says one a Danish ref on his break.

Report from an ongoing match during the 2011 Helisinki World Championships originally published August 16, 2011

Two strong teams are meeting. The 3 – 1 Turkish lead is the product of having more attacking players swarming around the goal. Turkey has been tougher in clinched ball situations, ripping it away from the Spaniards. In the second half Spain has been more aggressive and they need to be.

Vocal Spanish fans punctuate the spacicious pool hall with shouts of encouragement. “There is free player beneath ,” cries a woman, as if the players below could hear her.This is a nice place to play. The doors are open to let in air. One side of the pool hall is all glass, giving the Championships good light, although it is overcast. How is the video stream? Let us know.

The Turkish players sing the national anthem in salute to their opponents, for whom this was a hard blow. The Spanish players look distracted in defeat. Will they be able to pull themselves together.