Every series must come to an end. After 40 consecutive wins in the 2024/25 season, Ferencvaros experienced its first loss.
In a thrilling Champions League Group B match, Barceloneta narrowly defeated Ferencvaros in a penalty shootout – 13:12 (9:9 in regular time). However, one point earned in Spain is likely to be enough for Ferencvaros to maintain 1st place in the group, as it has home games scheduled against Savona and Oradea in the remaining two rounds. The Hungarians have won 10 points – two more than Barceloneta.
Barceloneta’s goalkeeper, Unai Aguirre, was instrumental in the victory, recording 11 saves (nine during the four quarters and two in the shootout), which made a significant difference in the derby in Catalonia.
In the other match in the 4th round of Group B, Savona beat Oradea by five goals (14:9) to stay in the race for the F4 spot, but the Italians’ chances of reaching 1st or 2nd place are slim.
2024/25 Champions League, Round 4, Group B
Barceloneta – Ferencvaros 13:12 (3:1, 2:3, 2:3, 2:2, PSO 4:3)
Barceloneta: Vin. Vigvari 2, Famera 1, Munarriz 1, Sanahuja 1, Burian 1, Perrone 1, Biel 1, Bustos 1.
Ferencvaros: Argyropoulos 2, Ak.Nagy 2, Mandic 1,Manhercz 1, Vamos 1, Di Somma 1, De Toro 1.
Penalty shootout: Mandic – Aguirre saved, Perrone 1:0; Manhercz – Aguirre saved, Granados 2:0; Fekete 2:1, Sanahuja 3:1; Vamos 3:2; Biel hit the crossbar; Argyropoulos 3:3, Vin.Vigvari 4:3
Barceloneta got off to a strong start, taking a 2:0 lead. The Spaniard Miguel de Toro brought Ferencvaros to the scoreboard with a nice backhander in the 5th minute. However, the hosts regained a two-goal advantage when Hungarian Gergely Fekete scored from a counterattack. It was the last time that two goals separated the rivals.
Most of the goals in the second quarter were scored between the 3rd and 5th minutes. Ferencváros leveled the score with two goals in just 37 seconds. Mandic made it 2:3. After Ferencvaros defended its net while being a man-down, Di Somma equalized from a counterattack. The hosts then managed to earn a penalty shot on their next possession, which Vince Vigvari converted to make it 4:3. Argyropoulos responded to tie the game at 4:4. Nevertheless, Barceloneta held a slim lead at halftime, as Munarriz converted a double man-up opportunity with 40 seconds remaining in the quarter. This attack followed two personal fouls committed by the visitors in Barceloneta’s half of the field.
Ferencvaros opened the third period in the same way as the previous one – with two quick goals (Manhercz and Akos Nagy) and went ahead – 6:5. It turned out that it was Ferencvaros’ only lead in the game. But a new twist followed that. Perrone equalized with a long-distance shot. Famera found the net from almost the same place for 7:6. Between these two goals, Barceloneta’s goalie, Unai Aguirre, who started playing better, saved a penalty shot from Mandic. Still, he couldn’t stop Argyropoulos, who converted a man-up in the dying seconds, so the teams were tied at 7:7 before the final eight minutes.
The teams engaged in a “tit for tat battle” during the fourth quarter. Barceloneta took the lead twice, thanks to goals from Sanahuja and Bustos. However, Ferencvaros equalized on both occasions (Vamos and Akos Nagy). In the last two minutes, Ferencvaros’ goalie, Soma Vogel, saved two man-up shots. The visitors had the final possession and the chance to secure all three points, but Aguirre blocked Di Somma’s shot, leading the match into a shootout.
The start of the penalty shootout was critical for the outcome. Aguirre denied Mandic and Manhercz from scoring, while only Biel failed to find the net on the opposite side. The shootout concluded after the tenth shot, when a young Hungarian in Barceloneta’s team, Vince Vigvari, confidently scored, setting the final score at 13:12.
Ferencvaros was unbeaten for almost 12 months. Their previous loss was the one in Piraeus in the Quarterfinal stage of last season’s Champions League, on April 23 (8:10).
Savona – Oradea 14:9 (4:1, 3:1, 2:2, 5:5)
Savona: Gullotta 3, Occhione 2, Bruni 2, Erdelyi 2, Patchaliev 2, Figlioli 1, Rizzo 1, Merkulov 1.
Oradea: Gardasevic 5, Negrean 1, Gheorghe 1, Gusarov 1, Velkic 1.
Savona dictated the pace from the beginning and jumped to a 3:0 lead after less than five minutes. After the first eight minutes, the score was 4:1. There were not many goals in the second period. A minute and a half before the halftime, Oradea trailed by three goals (2:5). Still, the hosts closed the first half with two goals, and added two by the middle of the third period, extending their advantage to 9:2. Already then, they secured a convincing win. After that, the Italians’ slowed. Oradea, led by Montenegrin Filip Gardasevic, scored seven goals in the last 12 minutes, but couldn’t come close to the home side.
Standings: 1. Ferencvaros 10, 2. Barceloneta 8, 3. Savona 6, 4. Oradea 0.
Group A (April 2)
Standings: 1. Novi Beograd 9, 2. Marseille 6, 3. Olympiacos 3, 4. Jadran Split 0.
All matches start at 20.00 CET. Follow the live scores and the statistics on Total Waterpolo Arena
