A series of the summer water polo competitions for national teams hasn’t finished yet, but the season of clubs’ competition has already started.
The Hungarian League started this evening.
Fourteen teams take part in the Championships (two fewer than in the previous season). After 26 league rounds, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs for the title. The teams ranked 5th-8th will play in the playoffs for the 5th place and a spot in the LEN Euro Cup. The playoffs for places 9th-12th will be held, too. The 14th-placed team will be relegated, while the 13th-placed will go to the relegation playoffs.
Title-holder Szolnok, Ferencvaros, Vasas, Honved, and Eger opened the season with wins today. Two games of Round 1 have been postponed.
2021/22 Hungarian Championship, Day 1
DVSE – Szolnok 6:13 (3:2, 1:5, 1:3, 1:3)
DVSE: P.Macsi 2, Somlai 2, M.Macsi 1, Zsilak 1.
Szolnok: Angyal 6, Konarik 2, Szeghalmi 1, Schmolcz 1, Jansik 1, Zovic 1, Gbadamassi 1.
Kaposvar – Ferencvaros 8:16 (2:2, 0:3, 3:5, 3:6)
Kaposvar: Vindisch 2, Horvath 2, Juhasz-Szelei 1,Petrovski 1, Berta 1, Dobos 1.
Ferencvaros: Vamos 4, Damonte 3, Jansik 2,Gabor 1, Pohl 1, Merkulov 1, Ubovic 1, Fekete 1, Gal 1, Molnar 1
PVSK – Vasas 6:9 (2:1, 0:3, 2:3, 2:2)
PVSK Pecs: Koloszi 2, Kereszturi 2, Csorba 1, Gal 1.
Vasas: Randjelovic 3, Mezei 2, Batori 1, Bedo 1, Sedlmayer 1, Zernivary 1.
Miskolc – Honved 8:12 (1:2, 4:4, 0:3, 3:3)
Miskolc: Seman 2, Krasznai 2, Tanczer 1, B.Biros 1, Boroczky 1, Tozser 1.
Honved: A. Manhercz 3, Kiss2 , G.Molnar 2, Solyom 2, Fejos 1, Hosnyanszky 1, Ekler 1.
Eger – UVSE 20:16 (6:4, 7:5, 1:2, 6:5)
Eger: Magyar 5, Szalai 4, Baksa 3, Murisic 3, Santavy 1, G.Kovacs 1, Radli 1, Sati 1, Lorincz 1.
UVSE: Ekler 3, Belenyesi 3, Csapo 3, Szentesi, Vamosi 1, Bencz 1, Korbacs 1, Hegedus 1.
Szentes – BVSC on September 15
Szeged – OSC on September 29
Reigning champion Szolnok entered the new season with a quite reshaped team comparing to the previous season. Four players left the club (V.Nagy, FIlipovic, Pijetlovic, Drasovic). Szolnok started slowly in the first match, against Debrecen. The hosts stunned the champions with an early 3:1 advantage. In the middle of the 2nd quarter, the rivals were tied at 4:4. But, Szolnok took control shortly after. The visitors scored six straight goals and went to 10:4. Danial Angyal, the winner of the Olympic bronze medal, scored six goals today. Akos Konarik, a captain of the Hungarian U20 team, which finished 4th at the World Junior Championships last week, found the net twice. Two newcomers – Croat Ivan Domagoj Zovic and Dutch Billa Gbadamassi – were among the players who got on the scoresheet.
Denes Varga missed Ferencvaros’ first match in the season. However, the former European champion beat Kaposvar easily. After a balanced first quarter (2:2), Ferencvaros jumped to an 8:3 lead by the middle of the third quarter and secured three points. An experienced Marton Vamos scored four goals. All newcomers (Luka Damonte, Nemanja Ubovic, Daniil Merkulov, Luca Damonte, Lorinc Gabor, Erik Molnar) found the net in their debut for Ferencvaros.
Vasas defeated PVSK in Pecs. The first quarter belonged to the hosts (2:1). But, Vasas’ water polo players regrouped themselves after the first break. They produced a 4:0 run for a 5:2 lead and PVSK couldn’t come back. Olympic champion Sava Randjelovic was the best scorer with three goals. Tamas Mezei, who arrived at Vasas from Ferencvaros this summer, added two.
Eger defeated a young team of UVSE in a flood of goals – 20:16. Eger dictated the pace in the first half. Midway through the second quarter, the hosts earned a 5-goal lead (11:6). UVSE reduced the gap to two (11:13). Early in the fourth period, Eger, led by Marton Magyar, rebuilt a 5-goal advantage (16:11) and controlled the match until the end.
Honved led for most of the time of the match against Miskolc. Still, the hosts went in front in the 14th minute (5:4). Honved responded with five goals in a row. The Budapest-based side entered the final period with a 9:5 advantage and maintained the difference.
