The Spanish women's water polo team smiled again in Budapest. Six years later, the team that trains Miki Oca again won the title in the European. A triumph that also had a certain taste of revenge. Russia, the team that prevented them from achieving gold in Malaga in 2008, fell on this occasion in a very close match, in which the attacks shone above the defenses in the first half and in which the tables were changed in the second. The stops of Laura Ester and the success of Maica García , author of four goals, the same ones that added by the Russian side Ekaterina Prokofyeva, were decisive to be imposed on a rival who also had in his goalkeeper, Anna Karnaukh, to one of his most Featured
Russia struck first taking the first quarter in extremis. The team led by Alexander Gaidukov was able to get ahead on the scoreboard up to three times through the goals of Olga Gorbunova, Ekaterina Prokofyeva and Alena Serzhantova. Spain reacted by initially matching the light with the first goal of Anni Espar and managed to get ahead through Roser Tarragó only to see how Elvina Karimova scored 2-2. Maica García, in his first appearance, would put a momentary 3-3 that would escape almost at the last breath.
Far from accusing the coup, Spain reacted strongly in the second quarter. Not only did he score 4-4 very soon, thanks to a launch by Pili Peña, but he also responded to Evgeniia Soboleva's 4-5 through a Bea Ortiz who, with two consecutive goals, put the Spanish team ahead and forced to Russia to go somewhat in tow. Soboleva, Gorbunova and Prokofyeva responded to the goals scored by Ortiz, Maica García and Roser Tarragó to send the game to rest with a tight 8-8.
The scoring effervescence of the first part of the match was replaced by a greater prominence of the defenses after the break. Russia, again, threatened the team of Miki Oca, treasuring an advantage of two goals (8-10) through Prokofyeva and Bersneva, that Maica García, again, and Anni Espar were responsible for matching to send the game to a outcome loaded with emotion. The rival goalkeeper, in both cases, managed to touch the ball, but could not prevent it from ending at the bottom of his goal. Laura Ester, with two big consecutive stops momentarily delayed the Russian escape while, in the other goal, Karnaukh also signed very good interventions.
Nothing could do, however, the Russian goalkeeper to prevent Spain from escaping on the scoreboard in the last quarter. Clara Espar, very attentive, with a slap on goal of a ball that crashed into a crossbar, Maica García, with her fourth goal, and Paula Leitón placed a 13-10 on the scoreboard that Prokofyeva and Serzhantova, in this case after Gaidukov invalidated an action that also ended up entering the goal by asking for dead time, would be responsible for transforming into the final 13-12 that gave the Spanish women's team its second European title. A triumph that allows him to face the Tokyo Olympics with morale through the clouds.
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