Spanish women’s water polo still cannot complete its trophy cabinet. The team led by Jordi Valls fell this Sunday in the World Cup Super Final against the United States by 13-9, in a match played in Sydney that leaves Spain with silver as its best historical result in this competition, adding to the two bronzes achieved in previous editions. The World Cup gold remains the only major pending subject for a team that has already won Olympic gold, World Championship gold, and three European titles.
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The American team, a habitual dominator of the tournament, secured its sixth title and fifth consecutive one, thanks mainly to the performance of Emily Ausmus, who scored six goals and was the undisputed star of the match, as well as an outstanding defensive effort in goal by Amanda Longan, who finished the game with ten saves.
The match was even in its first phase, with Spain responding blow for blow to the American attacks, but the imbalance came through numerical superiorities: the Spanish team converted only three of the ten advantage situations they had, a balance that proved decisive in the final result. At halftime, with a poor 1 of 5 in numerical superiority, Spain was behind on the scoreboard, though without losing sight of their opponent.
The third period proved key to the outcome. After Spain managed to tie the match at eight goals, an adverse three-goal unanswered run definitively tipped the scales in favor of the Americans, who capitalized on the Spanish team’s own errors and an increasingly solid defense to pull ahead on the scoreboard. Not even the reaction in the last quarter, with a goal from Nona Pérez that brought hope back to the Spanish team, served to further gloss over the result, as two consecutive crossbars and a lack of attacking accuracy prevented any comeback attempt.
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In the individual chapter, Carlota Peñalver was the top Spanish scorer with three goals, followed by Ari Ruiz and Elena Ruiz, with two each. In goal, Martina Terré made nine saves despite conceding thirteen goals, in a match where expulsions also set the pace: sixteen for Spain to eleven for the United States, with Lucía Rodríguez and Ari Ruiz eliminated due to accumulated exclusions.
With this result, Spain certifies its best historical participation in the World Cup Super Final, in a process of generational renewal that, despite the defeat, leaves positive feelings for upcoming international events, with next year’s World Championship already on the horizon. The United States, for its part, reaffirms its hegemony in the tournament and its perfect record of victories in finals played against the Spanish national team.
Australia, for its part, took the bronze after defeating Russia 12-9 in the third and fourth place match.