Romania's women's team qualified for the round of 16 at the World Championship after beating the Netherlands

The Romanian women's team started its journey in the elimination phase, where 32 national teams reached, of the World Team Championship in London, with a victory over the old European rival, the representative of the Netherlands.

The tricolor team is the seventh team in the world, while its opponent has slipped to the 39th position, going through a period of transition. From the team that won European titles in a row, only Li Jie remained, at the age of 42, she was seconded by domestic players.

The Romanian women's national team reached the meeting of the “sixteenth” after two victories in group 1 of phase 1A, intended for the first eight favorites. The Netherlands progressed to phase 1B, where they also recorded two wins.

The confrontation between the two representative teams took place at the third table in OVO Arena Wembley, immediately after the Romanian men's national team beat Poland 3-2, qualifying for the round of 16.

Eliza Samara, incredible comeback

Bernadette Szocs opened the match, but had a hard time entering the match, losing the first two sets. With advice from Andrei Filimon and supported by the Romanian mini-gallery, she managed to turn the match around and win 3-2.

The veterans of the two teams, Eliza Samara and Li Jie, delivered a spectacular match, with many twists and turns coming from the contrast of their playing styles. The Romanian came back from 1-4 in the decider and prevailed 11-8, winning the game 3-2. An important victory for Samara, who celebrated this victory vocally.

Andreea Dragoman was the one who closed the match, she won briefly against Tanja Helle with 3-0.

Romania-Netherlands 3-0

• Bernadette Szocs – Britt Eerland 3-2 (9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4, 11-7)

• Eliza Samara – Li Jie 3-2 (11-3, 3-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8)

• Andrea Dragoman – Tanja Helle (11-3,11-3,11-4)

• the team also includes Adina Diaconu and Elena Zaharia

Romania has a day off, because its opponent is to decide after the confrontation between Slovakia and Egypt, a duel that will take place on Tuesday.

At the previous edition, in 2024, the Romanian women's team reached the quarter-finals, where they were defeated by Japan.

The women's team's record includes five gold medals (1950, '51, '53, '55, '56), four silver (1952, '57, '63, '69) and four bronze (1939, '48, '61, 2000).