NETHERLANDS 15
MALTA 9
(6-2, 3-3, 2-1, 4-3)
The Malta U-17 national team ended their commitments at the European Championships in 12th place after going down the Netherlands in the play-off for 11th place in Tbilisi.
The Dutch turned out to be the better team on the day as their fast swimming and sharp shooting made all the difference on the day.
The Maltese youngsters did try hard to stay in touch with their opponents, especially through the finishing of Jake Bonavia and Jake Muscat, who ended the day as the team’s leading scorers with four goals apiece, but their opponents superior stamina ensured their was no fairytale ending for Malta.
Despite the defeat, there were still a lot of positives to take for coach Karl Izzo and his players who have succeeded in attaining a commendable top 12 placing in the continental championships.
It’s important now, that the Aquatic Sport Association continues to support these young players who have shown in this tournament that if they continue their development they represent the future of our senior national team in the near future.
Malta took some time to settle into the match as they struggled to contend with the pace and power displayed by the Dutch players in the opening session.
When Jake Bonavia cancelled out Lars Ten Broek’s opener it looked like Izzo’s boys could get more into the groove.
However, they suddenly started to struggle to contend with the Dutch’s fast transitions as in not time they fell 4-1 behind.
Bonavia grabbed his second with a well-taken shot but the Netherlands soon confirmed their stranglehold with two more goals to race into a 6-2 lead.
Malta needed a big performance in the second session to put themselves back in contention and for much of the opening three minutes of play they managed to keep their opponents at bay and at the same time create a hatful of opportunities.
Bonavia grabbed his second of the game with a fine shot before Jake Muscat converted a penalty to close the gap to just two goals – 6-4.
But that was just a temporary reprieve as Emil Wouters, from a penalty, and Ten Broek soon restored the Dutch’s four-goal lead.
Bonavia continued to thrive with his fourth of the match but the Dutch headed into the interval firmly in contention as Mart Van Der Weijden concluded a fast break to make it 9-5.
Muscat converted a penalty early in the third session but that was as good as it got as the Dutch added three more goals to take a commanding five-goal before the final session.
The Maltese players continued to fight bravely, but the Dutch were showing more physical power and Ten Broek struck again to put his team 12-6 ahead.
The Dutch continue to hurt the Maltese with their fast breaks and Kas Te Riele concluded a quick foray to all but secure the win for his team.
Gianni Farrugia and Muscat, scorer of a hat-trick, pulled two goals back for the Maltese but there was no stopping the Dutch.
The match ended in controversy as Izzo's boys had a goal that was unfairly ruled out by the referees with the Dutch scoring their 16th goal.
But after the match, Malta lodged a protest as they successfully contested that they could score from a time-out the final 26 seconds of the match were played at the end of play of the day but no more goals were scored.
NETHERLANDS: B. Vermeulen, E. Wouters 2, A. De Haan, F. Kastrop 1, T. Ten Wolde, T. Schouwerwou 2, L. Ten Broek 3, Y. Loos, D. Rempt 2, K. Te Riele 1, J. Sjardijn 2, M. Van Der Weijden 2, J. Geurts.
MALTA: M. Vassallo, J. Farrugia, N. Schiavone, G. Melillo, M. Carani, B Cachia, L. Falzon, S. Busuttil, G. Farrugia 1, J. Bonavia 4, J. Saliba, J. Muscat 4, M. Rossi.
Referees: Luca Castagnola (Italy), Vladimir Galkin (Russia).