Paris 2024 | Netherlands use superb second half to deliver Spain third loss in a row

The Netherlands bounced back from their loss against France two days ago, clinching their second win in the women’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 29:24, against Spain, which just conceded their third loss in a row.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP В
Netherlands vs Spain 29:24 (14:12)

Another loss for Spain at Paris 2024 would have likely limit Ambros Martin’s side chances of progressing to the quarter-finals, as matches against Hungary and France were next for “Las Guerreras”.

But Spain needed to clean out their act especially in attack, where they were the team with the lowest number of scored goals, 39, after two rounds. Partially, they did that, by putting 12 goals past the Netherlands in the first half. The bad news? Spain’s defence was in shambles in the first 11 minutes of the second half, when the Netherlands scored nine times to ensure their second win in three matches.

Spain shrugged off their two losses and enjoyed their best start so far, with a two-goal lead, 4:2 and 6:4, as left wing Jennifer Gutierrez and back Paula Arcos scored two goals each. Yet the Netherlands woke up and stopped any possibility of Spain improving that lead, as they used a 3:0 run to turn the match on its head.

Spain bounced back and Paula Arcos enjoyed her best match so far at Paris 2024, confirming her potential, with six goals, but from the 20th minute on, it was all about the Netherlands. Sure, the attacking efficiency was far from impressive, 54% at half-time, but with Estavana Polman scoring three goals and leading her side.

But the pivotal moment of the match came in the first minutes of the second half, when the Dutch side threw off the second part with a 5:0 run, courtesy of two goals from line player Tamara Haggerty and left wing Bo van Wetering. A goalkeeping change also helped the Netherlands, as Rinka Duijndam failed to save any of the first nine shots she faced before being substituted for Yara ten Holte, who saved 12 shots for a 44% saving efficiency.

As Spain continued to make mistakes in attack, the Dutch side took advantage and delivered excellent fast breaks.At that point, the Netherlands had a seven-goal lead, which proved to be unassailable, with Spain starting to make mistakes in attack, as they did in the previous matches. The Netherlands continued to push and improved their lead to nine goals, constantly rotating their players before the matches against Brazil and Hungary.

Eventually, the Netherlands settled for a 29:24 win, their second in four months against Spain, even clearer the 27:26 win which the Dutch side secured in Torrevieja in April, during the Olympic Qualification Tournament #2, when both sides punched their tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

With four points in their tally and matches against Brazil and Hungary following, the Netherlands are closing in on one of the top two positions in Group B, despite their chances to win it being slim, after their loss against France. On the other hand, Spain only have virtual chances to secure a place in the quarter-finals, needing two wins against Hungary and France, rueing out their missed chances against Brazil and Angola, where they lost.