The Red Sharks advance to the EJC Div I Final

The water was boiling. The lights reflected on the surface like flashes of lightning. And there they were, our Red Sharks. Not as players. But as warriors.

Belgium started furiously. The ball moved quickly from hand to hand and after the first time, the Red Sharks were leading 4–3. Bulgaria tried to respond, but our defence was a wall of willpower.

The Red Sharks played with a knife between their teeth. With control and class.
 The coach shouted: ‘Stay calm, stay sharp!’ After missing a few penalties, the Bulgarian storm came, hard and physical. They pulled on everything they could, pushed under water and scored three times. Belgium faltered, was surprised but did not break. Our goalkeeper punched a ball out of the top corner that you could only see in slow motion.

Everything was at stake and the clock was ticking. The tension was unbearable. Belgium fought with everything they had. A rock-hard backhand, an interception on the edge, the crowd was on its feet.
Players were gasping for breath, cramping, bleeding, pure exhaustion, hell in the water. But no one gave up. One goal each. 11-11 And then... penalties.
Bulgaria started, player after player scored and there were just no saves. But then it was Bulgaria's turn and bam, a fantastic save by our goalkeeper.

Belgium remained flawless. The last penalty for the Belgians, “I'm going to shoot it through the wall,” Boris must have thought, and bang, through the wall it went.
16–15 Belgium wins.
After the last penalty, all the players jumped into the water, hugged each other and shouted with joy. The coach fell to his knees, the staff embraced each other. Supporters cried. This was not a victory. This was a manifesto. A promise: ‘We're not done. We're going for gold.’

Period 1: 2–3
Period 2: 2–3
Period 3: 2–4
Period 4: 6–4
Penalty shootout: 6–4