Vouliagmeni wins crucial match; Szolnok survives drama to stay in Euro Cup

October 5, 2025

Kas te Riele (Vouliagmeni) Photo by Toni Franic/HAVK Mladost

Spandau, Trieste, Solaris and Terrassa advanced to the Euro Cup Group Stage as the winners of the qualification tournaments.

Vouliagmeni (Group B), Steaua (Group C), and Szolnok (Group D) joined them as the three best-second-placed teams. Apollon Smyrnis, the host of Group A, is the only team that finished as runner-up at its tournament that didn’t reach the Round of 16.

All four 2nd-placed teams won six points, so the goal difference determined the standings. Apollon is the worst by that criterion.

The crucial game of the last day was the first one, played in Group B in Montpellier. Vouliagmeni defeated Trieste in a penalty shootout (23:22), finishing the tournament with six points and a good goal difference. Nothing was over yet, but after that result, it was almost sure that Vouliagmeni and the second-placed teams in groups C and D would advance to the Group Stage.

Still, Apollon’s hope was alive until the very end of the qualifications. After beating ZV De Zaan, the Athens-based team waited for the news from Spain.

The last match of the day, Terrassa – Szolnok, decided the first place in Group D. Terrassa won, but Szolnok seriously endangered its spot among the top three 2nd-placed teams. The Spaniards surprisingly recorded a very convincing 13:4 victory. Still, Szolnok advanced because of a slightly better goal difference than Apollon: +8 compared to +6

Rankings of 2^nd-placed teams: 1. Vouliagmeni 6 pts (51:37), 2. Steaua 6 pts (45:31), 3. Szolnok 6 pts (41:33) 4. Apollon 6 pts (47:41).

You’ll find the composition of the groups in the Group Stage at the end of the article.

Almost all eliminated teams will continue the season in the newly launched Conference Cup. The only exception is Pays d’Aix. According to the rules, the teams that played in the Champions League Qualifications and failed to reach the Euro Cup Group Stage don’t have the right to play in the third-tier European competition for clubs.

2025/26 Euro Cup, Qualifications, Day 3

GROUP A (ATHENS)

Spandau 04 – Sport Management 11:16 (2:4, 1:3, 5:4, 3:5)
Spandau 04:Andruszkiewicz 2, Stamm 2, Culina 2, Hofmann 1, M.Nagy 1, Kojic 1, Chiru 1, Sekulic 1.
Sport Management: Alekseev 5, Rogac 4, Mudrazija 3, Malyshau 1, Vuksanovic 1, Kiriakidi 1, Kapanadze 1.

Apollon – ZV De Zaan 23:15 (6:4, 7:3, 4:4, 6:4)
Apollon: Bogdanovic 5, Daube 5, Pappas 3, Kapotsis 3, Rmpopoulos 3, Laskaridis 2, Gardikas 1, Alveridis 1.
ZV De Zaan:Garancsy 4, Rempt 2, Janssen 2, Bakker 1, Brantjes 1, Meijn 1, Ketelaars 1, Haasnoot 1, Van den Dobbelsteen 1, Bucevic 1.

The water polo players of Spandau lacked sufficient energy and motivation for the game against Sport Management, as they secured 1st place and a qualification berth the previous day. On the contrary, the Georgians did their best to keep their slim chances of reaching the Group Stage. Already after six minutes, Sport Management was three goals ahead of Spandau (4:1). By the end of the first half, the Georgians increased the margin to four (7:3). Sport Management earned three points with a 16:11 victory, but, as it turned out, this was only a consolation victory.

Before the match against ZV De Zaan, Apollon learned the result of a crucial game of the day at the tournament in Montpellier. The hosts knew they needed to achieve a convincing double-digit victory to qualify for the Group Stage. In the middle of the first period, the score was tied at 3:3. The Greeks then scored two quick goals for 5:3 and were always in front from that point onward. However, an 8-goal victory was not sufficient for their needs.

Stadnings: 1.Spandau 6 (+11), 2. Apollon 6 (+6), 3. Sport Management 5 (+3), 4. ZV De Zaan 1 (-20)

GROUP B (MONTPELLIER)

Vouliagmeni – Trieste 23:22 (3:6, 5:2, 4:5, 5:4, PSO 6:5)
Vouliagmeni: Troulos 6, Ubovic 2, Te Riele 2, Spachits 2,Angelopoulos 2, Chatzis 1, Kastrinakis 1, Tottis 1.
Trieste:V. Draskovic 6, Mezzarobba 4, Podgornik 2, Petronio 2, Manzi 2, Razzi 1.

Montpellier – Crvena Zvezda 10:23 (0:5, 3:4, 2:5, 5:9)
Montpellier:Krekovic 2, Mustur 2, Radovanlija 2, Stojanovic 2, Vix 1, Spilliaert 1.
Crvena Zvezda: Sulc 5, Pjesivac 4, Markovic 3, Vitorovic 2, Gajic 2, Tankosic 2, Radanovic 2, Petkovic 2, Gak 1.

The game Vouliagmeni – Trieste produced a lot of twists and turns. The lead changed hands six times during the match, which ended with a total of 34 goals and with no winner in regular time. Vouliagmeni triumphed over the Italians in a penalty shootout. This outcome benefited both teams: Trieste kept its position at the top of the standings with one point, while Vouliagmeni advanced to the Euro Cup Group Stage.

Vouliagmeni started strong, leading 2:0 and 3:1 in the first quarter, but Trieste responded with a 5:0 run to take a 6:3 advantage entering the second quarter. Vouliagmeni regained the lead early in the second by scoring four straight goals, making it 7>6. At halftime, the teams were tied at 8:8. Troulos put Vouliagmeni ahead again with a penalty shot early in the third period, giving them a 9:8 lead, which turned out to be their last advantage in regular time. Vuk Draskovic answered back for Trieste with two goals from the 5-meter line, putting them ahead 10-9. From that point until the 32nd minute, Vouliagmeni chased the Italians. Four minutes before the end of the game, Trieste held a 17:15 lead. However, with just 29 seconds remaining on the clock, Te Riele converted a man-up opportunity, equalizing the score at 17-17. In a thrilling conclusion, Vouliagmeni ultimately secured two points after winning in a shootout that extended to seven rounds.

Overall, the qualification group in Montpellier was as competitive as expected and the most balanced in the qualifications. Trieste defeated Crvena Zvezda by a single goal on Day 1, while the Serbs went on to beat Vouliagmeni in a penalty shootout. Vouliagmeni’s shootout victory today rounded off a series of exciting matches.

The first two places were decided after the encounter between the Greeks and the Italians. Therefore, the last game was just a formality. Crvena Zvezda said goodbye to the Euro Cup with a 13-goal victory over Montpellier.

Standings: 1. Trieste 7 (+11), 2. Vouliagmeni 6 (+14), 3. Crvena Zvezda 5 (+12), 4. Montpellier 0 (-37).

GROUP C (SIBENIK)

Solaris – Steaua 13:12 (3:4, 4:2, 5:4, 1:2)
Solaris:Bajic 3, Vlahovic 3, Cubranic 2, Pelicaric 2, Mijic 2, Koprcina 1.
Steaua:Vucinic 2, Iudean 2, Georgescu 2, Fulea 2, Bota 1, Neamtu 1, Fenech 1.

Dinamo T – Rapid 11:15 (2:4, 4:3, 4:4, 1:4)
Dinamo Tbilisi: D. Draskovic 4, Bucan 3, Tkeshelashvili 2, Dzikhtsiarenka 1.
Rapid Bucharest: Goreta 5, Kovats 3, Giga 3, Vrbnjak 2, Rath 1, Bacu 1.

Solaris and Steaua fought a hard battle for the top spot. Neither of the teams had mathematically secured its place in the group stage before the derby, but they had been close to achieving their goals. Steaua started better, holding a 4:2 lead deep into the first period. Solaris then made a 5:1 series in six minutes to turn around a 2-goal deficit to a 7:5 lead in the middle of the second quarter. In the remaining time, the hosts maintained their lead. Captain Vlahovic scored from a 6 on 5 with six minutes and a half remaining to make it 13:10, and three goals separated the rivals for the first time. Steaua did not give up. The Romanians reduced the deficit to 12:13 and had the last possession of the match. However, they failed to score and ultimately finished in second place in their group.

The other Romanian club, Rapid, secured third place with a 15:11 victory over Dinamo Tbilisi.

Standings: 1. Solaris 9 (+11), 2. Steaua 6 (+14), 3. Rapid 3 (-12), 4. Dinamo 0 (-13)

GROUP D (TERRASSA)

Terrassa – Szolnok 13:4 (5:0, 2:0, 3:1, 3:3)
Terrassa:Bargallo 5, Ten Broek 2, Sabadell 1, Bruce 1, Cuacos 1, Blasco 1, Salvador 1, Chico 1.
Szolnok:Kakstedter 1, Zernivary 1, Cseh 1, Bedo 1.

Pays d’Aix – OSC Potsdam 13:8 (2:1, 2:2, 6:2, 3:3)
Pays d’Aix: Yutmaz 3, Bachelier 2, Drahe 2, L. Betteille 1, Scorletti 1, Braise Fernandez 1, Lena 1, T.Beteille 1, Cavano 1.
OSC Potsdam: Hofmann 2, Arnols 2, Goethke 2, Taubert 1

Before Day 3, Terrassa and Szolnok had 6 points and very good goal differences (Terrassa +20, and Szolnok +17). It seemed that neither of the teams would have problems qualifying for the Group Stage, regardless of the outcome of today’s duel.

However, Szolnok had a terrible start. The Hungarians didn’t score a single goal for almost three quarters. Terrassa earned a 9:0 lead. Kakstedter put Szolnok on the scoreboard only in the 23rd minute (1:9). The hosts stretched the margin to ten goals twice in the fourth quarter (11:1 and 12:2). Still, Szolnok cut the deficit to eight with 01:49 minutes left on the clock (4:12). Only one goal was scored in the rest of the match. Bruce set the final score – 13:4 – with 31 seconds to go, and Szolnok survived in the Euro Cup.

Pays d’Aix finished its European season with a victory over OSC Potsdam.

Standings: 1. Terrassa 9 (+29), 2. Szolnok 6 (+8), 3. Pays d’Aix 3 (-13), 4. OSC Potsdam 0 (-24)