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Video length: 9 min
Water polo (M) – match for 3rd place: Spain vs France
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The French team finished the Worlds at the foot of the podium after its logical setback on Saturday against Spain (14-10).
The French water polo team saw its superb run at the Water Polo Worlds end on Saturday February 17 with a defeat in the match for third place, against Spain (14-10). After coming close to their very first world final on Thursday, the Blues were this time dominated more widely by their Spanish counterparts, world champions in 2022.
Is it fatigue from this revealing competition, or a little legitimate relaxation after the disappointment of this setback on penalties in the semi-final against Croatia? Saturday in Doha, the French players had difficulty getting into their match. Trailing 4-1 in the first quarter, they chased the score against a well-organized opposing defense. The French team was also often penalized, offering penalties and numerical superiorities that the Spaniards knew how to exploit very well.
Florian Bruzzo’s players had the merit of hanging on until the end, winning the second half (9-4 at the break), without managing to catch up. After this first participation in the semi-finals of a World Cup, the Blues are gaining strength in view of the Paris Olympic Games, which they will approach with a new status of outsider.
