Brescia, OSC Budapest, Jadran Split, and Vouliagmeni qualified for the Main Round of the 2023 Champions League.
The return matches of the playoffs were played today. The four teams that won last Saturday keep or increased advantages earned in the 1st leg.
Brescia beat Vasas in both matches of the most anticipated duel of the playoffs. Today, the semifinalist of the 2022 Champions League recorded an 11:8 home victory. Seven days ago, Brescia defeated Vasas 12:10 in Budapest.
Vouliagmeni suffered a 10:12 loss to Noisy-le-Sec at home, but the Greeks recorded a 17:11 victory in Paris.
Jadran Split beat Oradea in both games. After a 6-goal win in Split (9:3), the Croats edged out Oradea in Romania (12:11) today.
OSC defeated its opponent in both legs, as well as Brescia and Jadran did. The Budapest-based side defeated Panionios in Athens narrowly today (12:11). But everything was clear after OSC’s 17:7 victory in the first game in Budapest.
After today’s matches, Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Hungary will have two clubs each in the Main Round. Besides these two countries, Serbia and Germany will be represented by two clubs (Novi Beograd, Radnicki, Hannover and Spandau have wild cards). The full list of the participating teams is at the end of the article.
Four losing teams – Vasas, Noisy-le-Sec, Oradea and Panionios will play in the LEN Euro Cup eighth-finals.
2022/23 Champions League, Qualification Round 3, 2nd leg
Brescia – Vasas 11:8 (4:1, 3:2, 2:3, 2:2) – 1st leg 12:10
Brescia: C.Presciutti 2, Lazic 2, Vapenski 2, Kharkov 2, Di Somma 2, Gitto 1.
Vasas: Batori 3, Nagaev 1, Sedlmayer 1, Randjelovic, Zernivary 1, Dr.Brguljan 1.
An excellent defensive play in the second half was a key for Brescia’s 12:10 victory in Budapest last week. Today, the Italians played almost flawlessly in their half of the field in the first two periods and that put them on the right track. After less than two minutes, Brescia earned a 2:0 lead. Shortly after, Vasas had a chance from a penalty shot, but Tesanovic saved a shot from Nagaev. Gitto increased the margin to three, while Sava Randjelovic put the visitors on the scoreboard with an action goal in the 7th minute (1:3). Boris Vapenski responded with two goals and the hosts built a 5:1 advantage in the middle of the second quarter. The Hungarians scored their second goal only in the 14th minute. By the middle break, they added one more. However, Brescia also scored two goals in the last two minutes of the first half to regain a 4-goal advantage (7:3).
At the beginning of the third period, Edoardo Di Somma converted a man-up. A few minutes after, Brescia’s captain Christian Presciutti added an action goal. The Italians went to 9:3, which was the contest’s end. There was no way back for Vasas.
Vouliagmeni – Noisy-le-Sec 9:12 (4:1, 2:4, 2:3, 1:4) – 1st leg 17:11
Vouliagmeni: Papasifakis 3, Chalyvopoulos 2, Almyras 1, Troulos 1, Woodhead 1, Alafragkis 1.
Noisy-le-Sec (Cercle 93): Petkovic 4, Bowen 2,Bjorch 2, Do Carmo 2, Gogov 1, Krapic 1.
Noisy-le-Sec proved that a six-goal difference in the first game didn’t mirror the real difference in quality. The French dictated the pace in Vouliagmeni’s pool and recorded the win. Still, they weren’t close to erasing a 6-goal deficit from the first game. Vouliagmeni, supported by its fans, started excellently. The Greeks led 5:1 in the 9th minute, and it seemed that the game could turn into a one-sided contest. However, Noisy scored four goals in five minutes and leveled at 5:5 (the 14th minute). After Noisy’s fifth goal, Vouliagmeni head coach Vladimir Vujasinovic called a time-out. After a one-minute break, Alafragkis scored for 6:5. But, it was the hosts’ last lead in the match.
Noisy went ahead early in the third quarter (7:6), and from that point, the teams exchanged goals. Noisy took a one-goal lead three times, but Vouliagmeni leveled on each occasion and didn’t let the visitors think they could surprise. Three minutes before the end, Woodhead made it 9:9. Noisy-le-Sec netted three goals in the last three minutes. Antonio Petkovic set the final score by converting a penalty shot with 41 seconds to go, and Noisy recorded a consolation 12:9 victory.
Oradea – Jadran S 11:12 (1:5, 3:2, 3:2, 4:3) – 1st leg 3:9
CSM Digi Oradea: Colodrovschi 3, Asanovic 2, Negrean 2, Szabo 2, Ilsie 1, Dragomirescu 1.
Jadran Split: Buric 5, Marinic Kragic 2, Bukic 2, Delic 2.
Jadran arrived in Oradea without experienced Dobud and Setka (both are injured), but with a considerable 6-goal advantage. The Croats dominated the first quarter, earning a 4:0 and 5:1 advantage. So, before the last 24 minutes of the duel, ten goals separated the rivals in the aggregate score, and everything was decided.
However, Oradea didn’t surrender and continued chasing the rival. Jadran with unstoppable Rino Buric, was ahead for a long. Still, in the 29th minute, the Romanians leveled for the first time – Negrean converted a man-up for 10:10. Shortly after, Szabo gave Oradea an 11:10 lead, also, from a 6 on 5. But, Jadran emerged as a winner. Bukic leveled at 11:11 from a counter-attack in the 31st minute. A penalty shot was awarded to Jadran with 42 seconds to go. Jerko Marinic Kragic made no mistake from the 5m line and scored a winning goal.
Panionios – OSC Budapest 11:12 (3:4, 4:2, 3:2, 2:4) – first leg 7:17
Panionios: Kopeliadis 3, Gounas 3, Bitadze 2, Kalaitzis 2, Mouratidis 1.
OSC Budapest: Manhercz 4, Angyal 2, E.Csacsovszky 2, Salamon 1, Dala 1, Vin.Vigvari 1, Burian 1.
OSC ran over Panionios in the first leg, so today’s encounter was a formality. Both teams played without a big pressure, and that produced an interesting duel. OSC earned an early 3:0 lead. However, Panionios started coming back. A second before the middle break, an experienced Alexandros Gounas gave Panionios the first lead in the match – 7:6. In the following quarter and a half the teams traded the goals – until 11:10. OSC kept Panionios goalless in the last five and a half minutes, scoring two goals for a 12:11 victory.
Composition of the groups of the Preliminary Stage
Group A: Pro Recco (Italy), Barceloneta (Spain), Waspo Hannover (Germany), Radnicki Kragujevac (Serbia), Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia), Olympiacos (Greece), Jadran Split (Croatia), Vouliagmeni (Greece)
Group B: Novi Beograd (Serbia), Ferencvaros (Hungary), Marseille (France), Jug AO (Croatia), Sabadell (Spain), Spandau 04 (Germany), OSC Budapest(Hungary), Brescia (Italy).
The group stage will begin on November 15 (Group A) and November 16 (Group B).
