Serbia was on the verge of a defeat that would have turned their path to the semi-finals into a difficult mission to accomplish. The referee ruled that the persistent Dutch would not win in regulation time. The referees ruled that the brilliant Te Riel had hit the net after the time expired and the score remained 13:13.
When taking the five-pointers, all Serbian shooters were flawless, Glušac saved Gbadamasi’s shot and that decided the penalty shootout.
Serbia played badly, with so many mistakes that the Netherlands were closer to victory. Apart from the brilliant Mandić, nothing was right in the Serbian team. Glušac deserves praise for his five saves, but he also made a mistake that gave his rival a goal.
The Dutch were more relaxed at the start. After Serbia led 2:1, Ten Broek and Te Ril came into play. The rival tormented the Serbian defense from the awkward side, the Dutch led 4:2 and 5:3, but in that part the Serbian team was kept above water with two goals by Mandić, Strahinja Rašović and Martinović.
Apart from Mandić, nothing worked in the second quarter. The tenacious Dutch were 7:4 after three minutes. Serbia missed a player more in the series, out of eight chances, Mandić took advantage of only one. Then Strahinja Rašović scored for 6:7, but Hessels beat the uncertain Filipović six seconds later.
The first half was weak for Serbia. A turnaround was needed in every segment. Filipović, who had only one save, was replaced by Glušac.
Serbia played better in the third half. The Dutch were burdened with personal errors. After Hessels’ goal for a 9:7 lead, the Serbian water polo players finally equalized through Ćuk and from the five-pointer Jakšić. However, the rival went into the last half with a goal to spare, and that was the result of catastrophic errors by Stevanović’s players in attack.
In the last part, centers Lazić and Vico, along with the great Mandić, kept the lead from the goal, but there was never a plus two that would have broken the excellent Dutch. At 11:10, Glušac threw a bad counterattack, and a counterattack followed with a goal to equalize. Vico at 12:11, Mandić at 13:12 indicated three points.
However, Hessels equalized 42 seconds before the end. In the last attack, Ćuk failed: the Dutch had the victory on a platter, followed by a shot from Te Ril. It was a fight, the Dutch protested, but the referees were relentless. Five-pointers followed, which brought Serbia two points but also a lot of worries before the continuation of the competition because the first game was really bad.
Netherlands – Serbia 16:18 (5:4, 3:2, 2:3, 3:4 – 3:5)
Arena Pool. Referees: Ohm (Germany), Berishvili (Georgia). Player more: Netherlands 10 (6), Serbia 17 (7). Peterci: Serbia 2 (1), Netherlands 1 (1)
Netherlands: Butenhus, Gbadamasi, Rouwenhorst, B. Hessels 1, Van der Meyden 2, De May, Te Riel 6, S. Hessels 2, Van den Burg, De Werd, Snell, Ten Broek 4, Speijker, Hofmeyer.
Serbia: Filipović, Mandić 7, S.Rašović 3, Randđelović, Ćuk 2, Lazić 1, Drašović, N.Jakšić 2, Vico 1, Dedović, P.Jakšić, V. Rašović, Glušac, Martinović 2.
Peterci: Strahinja Rašović 14:13, Ten Broek 14:14, Mandić 15:14, Te Ril 15:15,16:15 Martinović, Gbadamasi saved by Glušac, Nikola Jakšić 17:15, Van Der Mejden 17:16, Ćuk 18:16.
