KO8: HC Rotterdam – Hamburger Polo Club

Match report

Rotterdam produced a comeback for the ages to snatch an EHL FINAL8 spot, equalising with 2.3 seconds to go against Hamburger Polo Club before winning a shoot-out.
They trailed 3-1 in normal time and then again in a shoot-out but kept fighting back each time to draw 3-3 and then prevail 4-3 in sudden death.
Jeroen Hertzberger and Derk Meijer were the heroes in the midst of the drama; the former scored the leveller and then netted twice in the shoot-out while his goalkeeper kept out three efforts.
The Dutch side had started in the ascendancy with Matthijs van der Wielen turning in a Hertzberger cross from the left baseline.
Polo swapped things around, though, before the end of Q1 with Tom Craig scoring a blistering individual goal and then Kane Russell added a penalty corner for 2-1.
They went close a couple of times when a deflected corner hit a body close to goal, a video review confirming the shot was going wide and so a stroke was annulled.
Russell did add a third in the 41st minute before Rotterdam started their big comeback in the closing quarter. Guus Jansen turned in a deflection move but it looked like they were running out of time until a hopeful ball into the circle got the Hertzberger treatment for 3-3.
Two early saves from Jasper Milt in the shoot-out had given Polo a 3-1 advantage with three chances to get over the line. Rotterdam, though, held their composure to take it sudden death where Hertzberger scored and Meijer denied Tim Brand.