Tarrasa (Barcelona), Jul 17 (EFE).- The Netherlands won 3-1 against Argentina in the purest ‘clockwork orange’ style in the World Cup final played at the Olympic Stadium in Tarrasa (Barcelona) with a total display of hockey.
The superiority of the team that Jamilon Mulders trains was just like their nine world titles and the third consecutive gold (2014, 2018 and 2022).
Argentina, which also reached the final undefeated, had to resign, just as it happened last year in the final of the Olympic Games, with the silver medal. So the gold also went to the Dutch.
The start of the game was for the Lionesses who had two penalty-corners in just one minute, and one of them went near Josine Koning’s goal. The Netherlands neutralized that effervescence of their rival but did not create danger in this first period.
The final turned orange in a second quarter of total dominance by the Europeans who already scored the 1-0 in the first play in a penalty-corner in which María Verschoor picked up Belén Succi’s rebound to score at an empty goal.
The goal was a hard blow for Fernando Ferrara’s team that conceded 2-0 nine minutes later in a quick transaction in a final heads-up that was resolved by Frederique Matla, the decisive scorer in the semifinal against Australia.
The Albicelestes were lucky not to go into the intermission with a larger disadvantage and that fortune had the name of their goalkeeper Belén Succi who disrupted up to three scoring opportunities.
The ‘clockwork orange’ earned this nickname in the play that ended with the 3-0 in the 5th minute of the third period.
The play began on the left wing of the orange defense. There, as a result of a triple wall, the ball went through the spinal cord and the last pass left Felice Albers alone against Succi and with an accurate shot she scored the 3-0 goal of the final and the World Cup.
Las Leonas were touched but not sunk and they showed their claws in minute 2 of the last quarter when they made it 3-1 in an action by the tournament’s top scorer.
Agustina Gorzelany scored her eighth goal of the championship, seven penalty kicks, with a shot that entered the top corner of Koning’s goal.
The stands of Olímpico de Tarrasa, with an Argentine majority, were able to celebrate the goal that gave little hope. In fact, the public did not stop applauding and obviously neither did the Dutch who came to the stadium.
