Thriller in Malmö, heartbreak for the Netherlands and Martinovic magic – here are Ola Selbys 3 takes after Croatia beat Netherlands, 35–29.
Thriller in Malmö
This game went down to the wire. Croatia were in front basically all game long, but they couldn’t get rid of the flying Dutchmen, who were always close by. 21–21 after 41 minutes and a shot from Nils Versteijnen in the right post, then followed by a bounce into the left post, was all that stood between the Netherlands and a lead with less than 20 minutes to go.
In the end Croatia did what they needed to win the game and can now look forward to the Main round.
Heartbreak for the Netherlands
For the Netherlands on the other hand it’s heartbreak after two straight losses in the preliminary round in Malmö. For the second game in a row they played well, but it wasn’t enough against two great opponents. Perhaps the loss of Ravensberg and Smits before the tournament proved to be too much. And just 25 minutes into the game star Dani Baijens limped off, and would not return in this game.
Netherlands are down, but not out. At least not yet. If Georgia defeats Sweden later tonight there is a slim possibility for the Netherlands to make it through to the Main round.
Martinovic magic
The Croatian captain was quite obviously the best player for his team throughout the game, and when Croatia needed it the most he scored goals or drew so much attention from the Dutch defence that his teammates could easily score. Star quality!