Africa beats Oceania: The team from South Africa has finished seventh at the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup in Berlin defeating the team from New Zealand 9:7 (3:1, 1:1, 3:2, 2:3) on Sunday afternoon.
As expected, it was a hotly contested and close game. New Zealand were successful in the first attack, but the team’s initial success didn’t last long. Both teams created a number of chances, but the players on both sides failed repeatedly due to the strong goalkeepers. Later in the first quarter, the South Africans increasingly dominated and ended the first period 3:1 in their favor.
New Zealand didn’t give up in the second quarter, but managed to concede just one goal thanks to the opposition’s strong defense. But South Africa also only scored once. In the third quarter, the South Africans were then able to extend their lead decisively. The continued strong defensive performance and an excellent goalkeeper Lwazi Madi (RSA) ensured that the South Africans were ahead 7:4 before the last section – despite the opponent’s shot superiority of 33:20 shots at the end of the game. “In the first few games we concentrated a bit too much on offense and neglected defense. Today we focused on that and it worked well. Our boys did a great job today, especially when it came to blocking,” said Joshua Faber, who scored three goals and was also voted player of the match. The New Zealanders’ final push in the fourth quarter came too late.
South Africa will next compete at the World Championships in Fukuoka (JPN) in July. “We don’t get too many opportunities to play internationally, which is why this tournament here in Berlin was so important for us in preparation for the World Cup,” said Faber.
