SINGAPORE, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China lost 13-7 to the Netherlands in their final Group B match of the women's water polo event at the World Aquatics Championships here on Tuesday.
Both China and the Netherlands entered the match with one win and one loss, and facing the world No. 2, China made a strong start, trading goals with the rival in a closely contested first period.
Yan Siya and Shao Yixin each scored to keep China close within their opponents by 5-3 in the first half, while goalkeeper Shen Yineng made several key saves.
The second half saw intensified physical challenges on both ends of the pool as China struggled to score during the first six minutes of the third period. Dutch captain Sabrina van der Sloot led her team on a scoring run that extended their lead and the Dutch side held firm until the final whistle.
Defending champions the United States beat Argentina 26-3 in the other match to finish atop the group with a perfect 3-0 record, earning direct qualification to the quarterfinals. The Netherlands and China, which finished second and third respectively, will move on to playoffs for berths in the quarterfinals.
"We fight with everything we have, and we've been trying very hard," said China head coach Miki Oca. "We've been playing two periods very close to them, but they're better than us today." ■
