The 15th round of the French League brought two derbies.
One of the two games lacked excitement -Marseille demolished Noisy-le-Sec 20:5. An encounter between Strasbourg and Tourcoing was more interesting than the game in Marseille. Strasbourg recorded a 12:9 victory and climbed into 2nd place, while Noisy dropped to 3rd.
2021/22 French League, Day 15
Marseille – Noisy 20:5 (6:0, 5:2, 3:3, 6:0)
Marseille: Crousillat 6, Prlainovic 3, Vernoux 3, Spaic 2, Vukicevic 2,Marion-Vernoux 2, Kovacevic 1, Mas 1.
Cercle 93 Noisy-le-Sec: Petkovic 2,Marzouki 1 Saudadier 1, Bjorch 1
Olympic Nice – Pays d’Aix 6:9 (2:3, 0:2,1:3, 3:1)
Olympic Nice: K. Butic 3, D. Butic 2, Barsotelli 1.
Pays d’Aix:Khasz 3, Dino 2, Beteielle 1, Monneret 1, Bakircalir 1, Giga 1.
Montpellier – Reims 11:5 (3:0, 2:0, 3:4, 3:1)
Montpellier: Ivankovic 3, Mustur 2, D. Zivkovic 2, Piot 1, Delas 1, Vasseur 1, Spilliaert 1.
Stade de Reims: Pesteric 3, Buden 2.
Sete – Douai 11:12 (1:2, 3:4, 4:3, 3:3)
Sete: Sauton 3, Aquila 2, Chandieu 1, Lopinot 1, Jovanovic 1, Debias 1, Furman 1, Vujovic 1.
FNC Douai: Lepoint 3,Croquet 2, Michel 2, Grria 2, Vitrant 1,Vandamme 1, Balaz 1.
Water polo fans enjoyed a great battle between Strasbourg and Tourcoing. The game was an even contest until the middle of the fourth quarter. Both sides scored four goals apiece in the first half. Strasbourg built a 2-goal lead in the third period (7:5 and 8:6), but Tourcoing halved the deficit before the final quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, a goal separated the rivals (9:8). Then, Strasbourg scored two goals within 96 seconds (Canovas and Buha), went to 11:8, which proved vital for the hosts’ victory.
Marseille has defeated Noisy-le-Sec three times in the last six weeks. The series started with a 17:11 victory in the French Cup final. Ten days ago, Marseille beat Noisy in Paris in the rescheduled league match (15:10). The third game turned into a one-sided contest quickly. Marseille netted seven unanswered goals in the first 11 minutes. Noisy couldn’t recover from an opening 0:7 shock.
Montpellier broke Reims quickly. Montpellier’s defense was superb in the first half. The hosts scored five and didn’t concede a single goal. Early in the fourth, Montpellier went to 6:0 and kept the distance until the end. After this victory and Tourcoing’s loss in Strasbourg, Montpellier caught up with Tourcoing. The two teams share 4th and 5th place.
Pays d’Aix recorded an important away victory in Nice and made a big step towards the playoffs (the top six teams will advance to the playoffs). The middle two quarters were crucial for the outcome. In the 19th minute, Pays d’Aix earned a 5-goal lead (7:2) and maintained the difference until the last break. Nice reduced the gap in the fourth quarter.
Douai defeated Sete narrowly (11:10), although it controlled the match for two quarters and a half. Midway through the third period, Douai earned a 4-goal advantage (9:5). However, Sete was able to come back and equalize (9:9, 10:10, 11:11). Still, Douai took all three points as Hugo Lepoint closed the match scoring for 12:11 with 28 seconds to go.
1.Marseille 13 – 39
2.Strasbourg 14 – 34
3. Noisy-le-Sec 14 – 28
4. Tourcoing 14 – 22
5. Montpeller 14 – 22
6. Pays d’Aix 13 – 21
7. Douai 14 – 15
8. Nice 14 – 10
9. Reims 14 – 7
10. Sete 14 – 6
