BARCELONA, 13 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women's water polo team faces the United States this Wednesday in the semifinals of the World Championship in Doha, a real great game with the flavor of an early final in which Miki Oca's team will seek to be in the final and in the fight for gold , to defend the World Cup crown won in Fukuoka (Japan).
Spain wants to play in a new World Cup final, after losing the last one in the Japanese event against the Netherlands in the penalty shootout, and to be able to win the gold they touched then, but to do so they will have to eliminate a powerful United States that is a true ogre for Miki Oca's.
In Fukuoka 2023 they did not cross paths, but the most common thing is that Spain and the United States face each other in the World Cups and Olympic Games and, of the last seven occasions, Spain was only able to beat the Americans in the 2013 World Cup in Barcelona, which, Furthermore, they conquered the Catalan capital.
But that 6-9 in favor of the Spanish did not happen before or after. The last match was in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Budapest, with 13-8 for the North Americans. And, previously, they played for gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and it went to the USA by a clear 14-5.
Furthermore, in London 2012 the Olympic gold also went to the United States (8-5) and in the two World Cup finals played between both powers, the United States also took the lead; both in Gwangju 2019 (11-6) and in Budapest 2017 (13-6).
It is a difficult task for Spain, which, despite being current world and continental runners-up, faces a United States that wants to regain its hegemony after the setback in Fukuoka, when they lost in the quarterfinals to Italy.
In this World Championship in Doha, Spain surpassed the group stage with complete victories against China (5-18), Greece (16-8) and France (14-7). Results that allowed them to go directly to the quarterfinals, where they beat Canada, neighbors of the United States, 12-9.
For its part, the United States also moved into the quarterfinals as leader after beating the Netherlands in its Group A (10-8), in what could well have been a final, in addition to Brazil (5-21) and Kazakhstan (32 -3). So they came fresh to the quarterfinals, to beat Australia (10-9) with more problems than expected.
So Spain, which is having a great water polo in Doha despite the fact that it should sharpen its aim to avoid hitting the sticks so much, can and intends to end its jinx against the United States and tell its executioner to the face that it is time to open A new age. But the water of the Aspire Dome in Doha will be the one who decides who goes to the final and who goes to the fight for bronze.