BVSC Budapest and Telimar recorded wins on Day 2 of Group E of the LEN Qualification Round 2 and secured their spots in the quarterfinals.
Everything is still open in Group F in Budapest. Sabadell upset host Vasas. Ortigia defeated Solaris. Before the last round Ortigia, Sabadell and Vasas are eyeing the first two places. Even last-placed Solaris has slim chances to qualify.
2021/22 LEN Euro Cup, Qualification Round 2, Day 2
Group E (Palermo)
Strasbourg – BVSC 10:14 (2:4, 3:4, 3:2, 2:4)
Strasbourg:Missy 2, Buha 2, Misic 2, Bachelier 1, Vix 1, Denux 1, Buden 1.
BVSC Zuglo: Pasztor 7, Csapo 2, Cs.Meszaros 2, Agh 1, Gyarfas 1, T.Meszaros 1.
Sabac – Telimar 8:14 (2:4, 0:3, 4:2, 2:4)
Sabac: Markovic 4, Koptsev 2, Stanic 1, Sulc 1.
Telimar: Basic 4, Irving 3, Marziali 2, Vlahovic 2, Del Basso 2, Occhione 1
BVSC dictated the pace from the beginning of the match. Midway through the second quarter, the Hungarians, led by Olympian Matyas Pasztor, built a 5-goal lead (8:3) for the first time. Strasbourg was coming back from time to time, but BVSC controlled the match.
Telimar broke Sabac in the 2nd quarter. At the finish of the first quarter, the Serbs trailed 2:3. But, just 25 seconds before the first break, the hosts forced a penalty shot, which Vlahovic converted to a 4:2 lead. The Sicilians scored three unanswered goals in the second quarter, while Irving opened the third period with a goal for 8:2. Sabac didn’t surrender and responded with a 3:0 run (5:8). Still, Telimar regained a 5-goal lead shortly after (10:5) and didn’t let Sabac come back.
Tomorrow, BVSC and Telimar will play for 1st place in Palermo. However, that game has no importance. All four teams that advance from the second round be in the same pot of the draw for the quarterfinals. Four losing teams from the 3rd Qualification Round for the Champions League will be in another pot.
1 Telimar (ITA) 2 – 6
2 BVSC (HUN) 2 – 6
3 Sabac (SRB) 2 – 0
4 Strasbourg (FRA) 2 – 0
October 10: Sabac – Strasbourg (10:15), Telimar – BVSC (12:00)
Group F (Budapest)
Vasas – Sabadell 4:6 (1:2, 2:1, 1:2, 0:1)
Vasas: Brguljan 1, Vadovics 1, Szatmari 1, Erdelyi 1.
Sabadell: Sanahuja 2, Valera 2, Bertran 1, Averka 1.
Solaris – Ortigia 7:11 (1:4, 2:2, 1:3, 3:2)
Solaris: Penava 3, Strkalj 2, Kovalenko 1, Koprcina 1.
Ortigia: Vidovic 4, Rossi 2, Condemi 1, Di Luciano 1, Gallo 1, Mirarchi 1, Napolitano 1.
Few believed that Sabadell could beat Vasas, but the Spaniards displayed outstanding defensive play and deserved the win. Sabadell visitors stunned the Hungarians with a 2:0 lead, as Valera scored two back-to-back goals in the first three minutes. Until the end of the first half of this low-scoring encounter, Vasas leveled at 3:3. Averka gave Sabadell a 4:3 lead in the middle of the third period, but Erdelyi responded immediately for 4:4. But, Vasas couldn’t find the net in the last 12 minutes, while Sabadell netted two goals and recorded a 6:4 victory.
Ortigia defeated Solaris, but the Italians haven’t secured the quarterfinals yet. Ortigia opened the match in a great way. The Italians’ defense, commanded by an experienced Stefano Tempesti, did a good job in the first quarter and a half. Early in the second period, the Sicilians already had a 5:1 lead. Solaris couldn’t recover in the remaining time.
Ortigia and Vasas will clash in the derby tomorrow. The Italians need a point to qualify. If they lose and Sabadell defeats Solaris, then the scores in the duels between Ortigia, Vasas and Sabadell will be used to determine the rankings of the first three teams. Yesterday, Ortigia beat Sabadell narrowly.
Solaris isn’t out of the race, but the Croats will go through if they achieve a 13-goal victory over Sabadell and Ortigia defeats Vasas.
1 Ortigia (ITA) 2 – 6
2 Sabadell (ESP) 2 – 3
3 Vasas (HUN) 2 – 3
4 Solaris (CRO) 2 – 0
October 10: Sabadell – Solaris (9:30), Vasas – Ortigia (11:00).
