The women's handball team can only save one shot in their Olympic ambitions. Against the strong Netherlands it was helplessness in handball (29-21), they capitulated right after the break and very soon forgot about the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the big goal because it gave them a direct ticket to the preliminary round -Olympics. The collapse was absolute, although he still has a thread of life to participate in this tournament and dream of Paris 2024: it depends on Montenegro, which faces Sweden (8:30 p.m.), one of the hosts, this Monday. If it reaches the quarterfinals or finishes ninth in the championship, Spain would secure a place in the pre-Olympics, according to a complicated classification system outlined by the federation. The Warriors haven't failed in the Games since Beijing 2008 and seeing them on TV would be a wake-up call for the future.
After the defeat against the Czech Republic (30:22), the Spanish players said they repented in the hotel, met, conspired and appealed to faith. The effect was zero. Losses – always losses – and a stunted attack dashed any hope of victory. Only rookie Danila So Delgado's final stand-up (five goals without a miss), which seemed completely resolved, prevented even more poor offensive numbers. On Friday the team was left with 22 goals and this Sunday it was even worse. The 21 holes in a recent hand game with great numbers reflected the decline of the attack.
This is how a World Cup ended with bad feelings for Spain. He experienced difficult phases against weaker rivals (Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Argentina); And against a power like the Netherlands and a team in a state of emergency like the Czech Republic, victory was a chimera. The arrival of Ambros Martín, the most successful coach in Spanish women's handball (four Champions Leagues), a few months ago has not improved the current situation. He is the third coach in this three-year Olympic cycle: Carlos Viver said goodbye in Tokyo 2021, José Ignacio Prades took the helm at the 2021 World Cup and the 2022 European Championship, and in the spring the Canary Islands landed.
“I take full responsibility,” Martín said in statements released by the Spanish federation. He didn't put any hot towels on the bat. “It was complete helplessness. We had neither the quality nor the clairvoyance to solve certain situations. We gave balls to the opponent. That punished us a lot. Too many mistakes in these types of games pay off. It's hard to end a championship with that feeling. We made the most mistakes in the two key games. “We have to find a solution,” analyzed the coach and – “without using that as an excuse” – also referred to the physical problems of some players.
The fact is that in the early afternoon, with the defeat of the Czech Republic against Brazil (27:30), a small clearing opened in the black sky of Spain. The eight-thousanders in front of us were the same, but he would climb them on oxygen. They no longer needed to beat the Netherlands by a four-goal margin to secure the quarter-finals, but a draw was worth it. It was useless.
Losses and poor attack
Reaching halftime with only nine goals was the clearest sign of premature death. Spain prevailed 2-4 and clung to the energy of Paula Arcos, but the lightning did not prevail. The theory was repeated to the point of exhaustion by all the players: losses had to be limited more than ever in order to avoid the Dutch's fast game. It was the same. The everyday black hole was still there.
In addition, there was a blunt attack, without any shots from outside, which consisted of a very powerful central zone for the Orange, without finding the game on the wings and also missing some clear shots. The Warriors scored just one goal for 13 minutes (going from 2-4 in the seventh minute to 8-5 in the 20th). The defense wasn't bad, despite the damage caused by the play on the pivot, but the attacking maneuvers took place in a dark tunnel.
The Secarral could have ruined any option for Spain, but Holland wasn't pretty either. They lost as many balls as the team at halftime (10). However, they just had to wait for the law of gravity to do its job thanks to their obvious superiority to increase the lead: 13-9 at the break.
What shouldn't you do when you come back from the locker room? Lose balls. Well, Spain's first three possessions went to hell. Without reaching the fourth minute, Ambros Martín had to hit the timeout button and fight his team like he had never seen before in the World Cup. But the story was already written. There was no remedy. Nobody could stop the decline. While Spain had a hard time finding extremes, the Netherlands had a highway without tolls on the outside. Three goals in 15 minutes and a score of 21:12 ended a helpless afternoon for the Guerreras. Paris experiences a carom with Montenegro.
Netherlands, 29 – Spain, 21
Netherlands: Ten Holte; Malestein (5, 2p), Housheer (2), Broch (-), Dulfer (2), Nusser (2) and Van Wetering (2) – starting team – Duijndam (ps), Van der Heijden (3), Abbingh (2 ), Haggerty (-), Smits (1), Sprengers (6), Vollebregt (-), Van der Vliet (3) and Polman (1).
Spain: Castellanos; Etxeberria (1), M. González (5, 1p), A. Fernández (2), Arcos (3), S. López (3) and Tchaptchet (-) – Starting team – Zoqbi (ps), M. López (- ), Campos (-), Arderius (-), Somaza (-), L. González (-), So Delgado (5), Gassama (-) and P. Pérez (2, 1p).
Mark every five minutes: 2-2, 6-4, 7-5, 8-5, 10-7 and 13-9 (rest) 16-10, 19-12, 22-12, 25-14, 27-19 and 29-21 (Final).
referee: Hansen and Madsen. Broch (2), Haggerty, M. González and Tchaptchet were ruled out for two minutes.
Arena Nord in Frederikshavn (Denmark). 1,314 spectators.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.