84-72: Spain celebrates their place in the World Cup by beating the Netherlands

Spain has celebrated its qualification for the 2023 World Cup with a more complicated victory than expected by 84-72 over Netherlands. The bottom of the Group L, who arrived in Huelva without knowing the victory in their previous seven games and who this summer had lost to Spain in their fiefdom by 64-86, has presented a tough battle to a Spanish team that has played with less defensive intensity than usual. It was not strange, since Spain knew from a couple of hours before starting the duel that they already had the ticket guaranteed for the next World Cup after the defeats of Iceland Y Georgia in their matches, which has translated into a certain relaxation. The rotations introduced by Sergio Scariolowho took advantage of the match to debut with the national team Eric Villa Y Pep Busquets and that he has also given minutes to Francis Alonsothey have just finished off a team that, despite everything, has managed to find the arguments to end up beating their rival.

There was nothing to foresee the subsequent resistance of the Dutch when the team of Radenko Varagic It has been seen fast with 7 points behind (14-7). But Netherlands has been redone based on triples, with a special mention for the former Girona Olaf Schaftenaar, who has converted the four he has tried before the break. The visitors have gotten ahead on the scoreboard (25-29 at minute 13, 36-42 at minute 18) before retiring at half-time with their options still intact (43-43).

Scariolo He has tightened the bolts on his players in the locker room and the team has returned to the field with a renewed defensive spirit. A streak of inspiration from Joel Parra has returned control to Spain (55-48), which from then on has been able to play more calmly although without managing to distance a rival who did not lose effectiveness in their game and who has planted only two points per quarter in the last quarter. behind (61-59).

It was at the start of the final quarter when Spain definitively tipped the balance. A triple of santi yusta has finished a 7-0 run to extend the score (68-59) and the team has always moved in differences around ten points. In the end, a victory that was more worked than expected but that does not detract from the great work of the team in this qualifying phase, with the objective achieved when there are still two games to play in the next February window.

Eleven World Cups in a row

The 2023 World Cup will be held between August 25 and September 10 next year in Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. In it, 32 teams from the five continents will take part, the Philippines and Japan as hosts and another 30 after winning their place in the respective continental qualifying tournaments (5 for Africa, 7 for America, 6 for Asia / Oceania and 12 for Europe ).

For Spain It will be the 11th consecutive participation in a World Cup, which has not been missing since the 1978 edition, played precisely in the Philippines. The Spanish team will attend the event as reigning world champion after the title obtained in the 2019 World Cup in China and also as reigning European champion after the success of this last summer.

Apart from Spain, there are already another handful of teams that have already secured a place in the next World Cup. After yesterday’s results, the list is made up of Ivory Coast (Africa), Canada (America), New Zealand, Lebanon, Australia, China (Asia/Oceania), Latvia, Greece, Serbian, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, France, Lithuania and Italy (Europe).

Data sheet

Spain-Netherlands, 84-72

84 – Spain (21+22+18+): Alberto Díaz (8), Jaime Fernández (8), Sebas Saiz (12), Joel Parra (10), Miquel Salvó (3) -starting five-, Francis Alonso (2 ), Pep Busquets (3), Eric Vila (8), Darío Brizuela (16), Juan Núñez (0), Yankuba Sima (4), Santi Yusta (10)

72 – Netherlands (21+22+16+ ) Maarten Bouwknecht (5), Jito Kok (0), Luuk van Bree (8), Keye van der Vuurst de Vries (12), Jordy Kuiper (2)-starting five- Olaf Schaftenaar (19), Boyd van der Vuurst de Vries (3), Willem Brandwijk (8), Nathan Kuta (4), Dylan van Eyck (2), Marijn Ververs (9)

Referees: Aleksandar Glisic (Serbia), Martin Vulic (Croatia) and Josip Jurcevic (Croatia).

Incidents: Match corresponding to the second phase of the qualifying window for the 2023 World Cup, played at the Carolina Marin Sports Palace in Huelva, which registered a full house (5,000 spectators).