Four teams have qualified for the Champions League Qualification Round 3 after the third day of the tournaments of the second stage.
Jadran Split will finish atop Group A, while Noisy-le-Sec cemented 1st place in Group B. Brescia and Panionios will advance to Round 3 from Group D.
Vasas and Savona will battle for 2nd place in Group A, while Barcelona needs a point in tomorrow’s clash with Oradea to stay in 2nd place in Group B.
Everything is open in Group C in Kotor. Today, Tourcoing upset OSC Budapest (10:7) and climbed atop the group, while Vouliagmeni demolished Primorac (15:2).All four teams still have chances of reaching the top two places. However, despite the fact that it lost today, OSC is closest to Round 3, because it will play against Primorac tomorrow. The highlight of the day in this group will be an encounter between Tourcoing and Vouliagmeni.
Day 3, results – Group A (Split): Sabac – Steaua 17:7, Savona – Jadran S 5:13, Group B (Barcelona): Barcelona – Jadran HN 13:12, Oradea – Noisy-le-Sec 7:11, Group C (Kotor): Primorac – Vouliagmeni 2:15, OSC – Tourcoing 7:10. Group D (Athens): EVK Zaibas – Brescia 4:25 , Panionios – Mladost 7:6.
LEN Champions League, Qualification Round 2, Day 3
Group A (Split), Round 4
Savona – Jadran S 5:13 (1:4,1:1, 1:4, 2:4)
Savona: Rocchi 2, Panerai 1, Rizzo 1, Campopiano 1.
Jadran Split: Tomasovic 4, Buric 2, Bukic 2, Z.Butic 1, Pejkovic 1, Zovic 1, Delic 1, Duzevic 1.
Sabac – Steaua 17:10 (4:2, 5:4, 5:1, 3:3)
Sabac: Krug 3, Toholj 3, Stojanovic 2, Shakhutdinov 2, Maras 2, Barac 2, Repnovic 1, Tubic 1, Sulc 1.
Steaua Bucharest: Dinca 2, Gheorghe 2, Georgescu 1, Neamtu 1, Klikovac 1, Antipa 1, Iudean 1.
Vasas bye
Yesterday’s victory over Vasas after a hard battle boosted Jadran’s self-confidence. The hosts defeated Savona easier than expected and secured 1st place in the group. Savona scored the first goal in the match. But, a 4:0 series between the 4th and the 8th minute for a 4:1 advantage put the Croats on the right track. After a balanced second quarter, Jadran knocked down Savona with four new goals in a row in the third quarter. In the 22nd minute, Jadran already had a 9:2 lead. The hosts kept Savona goalless for almost 12 minutes. Campopiano ended his team’s goalless phase in the 23rd minute (3:9). Still, the Italians had no chance to come back.
An encounter between Vasas and Savona will decide which team will go to Round 3, with Jadran.
The duel Sabac -Steaua was an even contest in the first ten minutes. Early in the second period, Steaua trailed just by a goal (3:4). But, in the middle of the quarter, Sabac scored three goals in a row, jumping to 7:3. The Romanians narrowed the distance before the middle break (6:9), but Sabac dominated in the third period and secured a big win.
1. Jadran S (CRO) 3 – 9
2. Vasas (HUN) 3 – 6
3. Savona (ITA) 3 – 6
4. Sabac (SRB) 3 – 3
5. Steaua (ROM) 4 – 0
Group B (Barcelona), Round 4
Barcelona – Jadran HN 13:12 (2:5, 4:2, 5:3, 2:2)
Barcelona: Mallarach 3,Asensio 2, Goma 2, Vavic 2, Valls 1, Frigola 1, G.Garcia 1, Ramon 1.
Jadran Herceg Novi: Da.Radovic 3, V.Radovic 3, M.gardasevic 1, Muscat 1,Sladovic 1, Caraj 1, Khalturin 1, Zizudin 1.
Oradea – Noisy-le-Sec 7:11 (4:4, 1:3, 0:0, 2:4)
Oradea:Colodrovschi 3, Vancsik 2, Asanovic 1, Gheorghe 1.
Noisy-le-Sec (Cercle 93): Gogov 3, Petkovic 3, Bjorch 3, Saudadier 1, Do Carmo 1.
Vitoria bye
An encounter between Barceloneta and Jadran Herceg Novi was a do-or-die match. Before the start, it was almost certain that the winner would play in the third round, and the loser in the LEN Euro Cup. A young team of Jadran started excellently and proved that it could be an equal opponent to the more experienced teams. However, Jadran couldn’t keep the momentum gained in a 5:2 first quarter.
Barceloneta cut the deficit to one goal late in the second quarter (5:6, 6:7). Still, the hosts needed a lot of time to equalize. Jadran earned a two-goal lead twice in the third quarter (8:6, 9:7). Jake Muscat converted a penalty to give Jadran a 9:7 advantage. Still, after that, the crucial phase of the game started. Barcelona tightened its defense while the attack was up to the task. The hosts produced a 4:0 series. Thirty seconds before the last break, Vavic found the net and Barcelona earned an 11:9 lead.
Jadran’s Khalturin closed the third quarter with a goal scored three seconds before the buzzer, and Caraj leveled at 11:11 in Jadran’s first possession in the fourth period and the teams were at a new beginning. Still, Garcia answered immediately – 12:11 for Barcelona. After that, both teams missed their chances. In the 30th minute, Mallarach, the man of the match, scored from a counter-attack for 13:11. There was still enough time for a new turn. Jadran halved the difference (12:13) in the next minute, but Barcelona was calmer and more concentrated in the final two minutes and pocketed important three points.
Noisy-le-Sec needed a lot of time to break Oradea’s resistance. Still, the Parisians proved who the favorite was. The lead was constantly changing the side in the first quarter, which ended with no winner (4:4). Oradea took a 5:4 lead at the beginning of the second period, but Noisy responded with three goals for a 7:5 advantage at halftime. There were no goals in a hard defensive battle in the third period. Early in the final quarter, Noisy built a 3-goal lead for the first time (8:5) and controlled the match.
1.Noisy-le-Sec (FRA) 3 – 9
2. Barcelona (ESP) 3 – 6
3. Jadran HN (MNE) 4 – 6
4. Oradea (ROM) 3 – 3
5. Vitoria (POR) 3 – 0
Group C (Kotor), Round 4
Primorac – Vouliagmeni 2:15 (2:6, 0:4, 0:4, 0:1)
Primorac: Stanojevic 2.
Vouliagmeni: Nikolaidis 3, Woodhead 2, Kapotsis 1, Kourovanis 1, Almyras 1, Kalogeropoulos 1, Papasifakis 1.
OSC Budapest – Tourcoing 7:10 (1:3, 3:2, 3:3, 0:2)
OSC Budapest:Angyal 3, Burian 2, Salamon 1, E.Csacsovszky 1.
Tourcoing: D.Zivkovic 3, Marzouki 3, Dasic 1, Durik 1, Lepoint 1.
Yesterday, Primorac had a 5-goal lead against one of the favorites – Tourcoing. But the match ended in a 10:10 draw, but it was an encouraging result for the home team, although it didn’t win. The Montenegrins showed a completely different face today. Vouliagmeni led 2:0, 4:1. In the 6th minute, Primorac scored its 2nd goal (2:4), but the hosts couldn’t find the net in the following three quarters. The game turned into a one-sided contest after the first break. Vouliagmeni ruled the field and easily built a 14:2 advantage. In the final eight minutes, the Greeks saved energy for an important match against Vouliagmeni.
Primorac showed its second face today, compared to yesterday. Tourcoing did the same. Unlike Primorac, the French progressed compared to Day 1 and played much better.
OSC was a favorite, but nobody expected the Hungarians to record an easy win. It happened something completely different. Tourcoing grabbed three points, primarily because of its great defense in the last 11 minutes.
Tourcoing opened the game better, and shut out OSC’s best scorer Krisztian Manhercz. The French team led 3:1, 4:2 and 5:4 in the first half.
OSC’s Arany and Tourcoing’s Dasic
OSC got off to a great start in the third quarter. The Hungarians scored three straight goals and earned a 7:5 lead in the 21st minute. However, Tourcoing’s defense was superb in the last 11 minutes and didn’t concede a single goal. By the end of the third quarter, Tourcoing regained a lead (8:7) and added two goals in the fourth period for a 10:7 victory.
Very exciting last day is in sight. Tomorrow, Tourcoing will face Vouliagmeni, and OSC will play against Primorac.
1.Tourcoing (FRA) 2 – 4
2. OSC Budapest (HUN) 2 – 3
3. Vouliagmeni (GRE) 2 – 3
4. Primorac (MNE) 2 – 1
Group D (Athens), Round 4
EVK Zaibas – Brescia 4:25 (1:7, 0:3, 0:8, 3:7)
EVK Zaibas: Ivanou 2, Voitenko 1, Vadvilavicius 1.
Brescia: Gianazza 5, Ch.Presciutti 4, Luongo 4, Vapenski 3, Di Somma 3, Kharkov 2, Lazic 1, Renzuto 1, Alesiani 1, Gitto 1.
Panionios – Mladost 7:6 (0:1, 4:3, 1:1, 2:1, 1:1)
Panionios: Gkiouvetsis 3, Kopelaidis 1, Bouzalas 1, Bitadze 1, Gounas 1.
HAVK Mladost: Rakovac 3, Jelaca 3.
ASC Duisburg bye
Brescia opened the third day in Athens with an easy win over EVK Zaibas. That was an overture for a clash between Panionios and Mladost.
The second place in the group and the ticket for Round 3 was a big stake in the second match of the day. Mladost dictated the pace for a quarter and a half and had a 3:1 lead in the 12th minute. But, Panionios, with an “extra player” in the stands (fans’ big support), started taking control. The Greeks leveled at 3:3. Jelaca gave Mladost a 4:3 lead, but a veteran Alexandros Gounas beat the buzzer and leveled at 4:4 with just four seconds left on the clock in the first half.
Gkiouvetsis, who was Panionios’s leader today, made it 5:4 in the 18th minute and Panionios went ahead for the first time. Shortly after, Bitadze doubled the home team’s lead (6:4). But, Dario Rakovac didn’t let Panionios celebrate too early. He scored for 5:6 in the 23rd minute and leveled at 6:6 in the middle of the fourth. A hard defensive battle continued until the very end. In the 31st minute, Gkiouvetsis added his third goal. Mladost couldn’t equalize in the remaining time and will play in the LEN Euro Cup.
1.Brescia (ITA) 3 -9
2.Panionios (GRE) 3 – 9
3. Mladost (CRO) 3 – 3
4. EVK Zaibas (LTU) 4 – 3
5. ASC Duisburg (GER) 3 – 0
Day 4 (October 16)
Group A (Split): Vasas – Savona (09:30), Jadran S – Sabac (11:00). Steaua bye.
Group B (Barcelona): Noisy-le-Sec – Vitoria (10:00), Barcelona – Oradea (11:45). Jadran HN bye.
Group C (Kotor): Tourcoing – Vouliagmeni (09:00), Primorac – OSC (11:00)
Group D (Athens): ASC Duisburg – Mladost (09:30), Panionios – Brescia (11:30). EVK Zaibas bye.
