Apollon Smyrnis finished an excellent season by winning the bronze medal in the Greek Championships, thus securing a spot in the qualifications for the 2024 Champions League.
Apollon, which won the LEN Challenger Cup recently, defeated Panionios 11;10 in the second game of the third-place playoffs. A last-gasp goal, scored just one second before the buzzer, decided the winner.
2023 Greek League, 3rd-place playoffs (best of three), Game 2
Panionios – Apollon Smyrnis 10: 11 (2:2, 1:2, 4:4, 3:3) – the score in the series 0:2
Panionios: Kopeliadis 2, Papakos 2, Gounas 2, Gkiouvetsis 1, Bitadze 1, Mouratidis 1, Kapetanakis 1.
Apollon Smyrnis: Solanakis 4, Bogdanovic 3, Chondrokoukis 2, gardikas 2.
Apollon beat Panionios by two goals in the first match in its pool (12:10), so a new exciting battle was expected in the second match.
The predictions came true. It was an even contest from the first whistle until the final buzzer. Apollon earned a slim 4:3 advantage in the first half. But, the neck-and-neck race continued in the third quarter. Both sides scored four goals apiece and nothing was decided yet. Apollon entered the final minute leading 10:9. The bronze medal was close. However, a few seconds Panionios netted a goal in its last attack. Three seconds were left on the clock.
Apollon called a timeout to prepare for the last action. Gardikas tried to find the net from the center of the field. Panionios’ experienced ace Alexandros Gounas blocked the shot. However, the ball went to Nikola Bogdanovic, Apollon’s best scorer this season, who was in the right place in the right time and found a way to score a winner and beat the buzzer. Apollon started celebrating a big win and a big success.
Apollon was founded 132 years ago. The water polo section has existed since 2013. The LEN Challenger Cup is the first-ever trophy for the Sports Society of Apollon. After that success, the bronze medal in the domestic championship is another reason the club can be more than satisfied with this season.
The final of the playoffs, Olympiacos – Vouliagmeni, continues next week. After two matches, Olympiacos leads 2:0.
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