Hungarian, Serbian, and French clubs were most successful in the LEN Euro Cup qualifications that were ended today. The three countries will have three clubs each in the eight-finals.
All three Serbian clubs (Radnicki, Crvena Zvezda, Novi Beograd) went through. Szolnok, OSC and BVSC will represent Hungary in the eight-finals. Tourcoing, Pays d’Aix and Strasbourg are the French teams that advanced to the next round. But, the number of French and Hungarian clubs still can be changed, and the list of the qualified clubs isn’t final. LEN Jury will discuss the final standings and today’s happenings in Group A. Serbia will have three clubs in the next round for sure.
The highlight of the day was a “crazy” outcome of Group A in Barcelona and the chaotic last round. One game was played two times. BVSC and Tourcoing faced each other two times within several hours. The first match was canceled, because of the officials’ mistake, and was replayed. BVSC earned the points in the first match (8:7). The second encounter ended with no winner, and both clubs advanced to the last 16. Barcelona is eliminated.
But, everything regarding this group is still open, and something might change. “Group A classification is pending a decision of Jury of Appeal”, LEN announced after a replayed match. Obviously, Barcelona complained.
Teams qualified for the eight-finals, according to the results – Group A: Tourcoing (France), BVSC (Hungary), Group B: Sabadell (Spain), Dynamo (Russia), Group C:OSC (Hungary), Crvena Zvezda (Serbia), Group D: Vouliagmeni (Greece), Pays d’Aix (France), Group E: Radnicki (Serbia), Mediterrani (Spain), Group F: Mladost (Croatia), Primorac (Montenegro), Group H: Szolnok (Hungary), Strasbourg (France), Group F: Sintez (Russia), Novi Beograd (Serbia).
There will be no Italian clubs in the eight-finals. The only representative of Italy in the LEN Euro Cup Savona, which was the host of a group, finished in 3rd place. Trieste withdrew a week before the competition.
2020/21 LEN Euro Cup, Qualifications, Day 3
Group A (Barcelona)
Barcelona – Panionios 15:5 (3:2, 6:1, 3:1, 3:1)
Barcelona: Flores 3, Esteller 3, Delgado 2, Estrany 2, Tahull 1, Lopez 1, Valls 1, Durik 1, Goma 1.
Panionios: Dimou 2, Barakat 1, Kapetanakis 1, Gavalas 1.
Tourcoing – BVSC 15:15 (4:4, 4:6, 3:3, 4:2)
Tourcoing:Canonne 4, Randjic 3, Rocchietta 2, Kujacic 2, Grgurevic 1, Vincourt 1, Avena 1.
BVSC: Gyarfas 6, Pasztor 5, Csapo 1, Irmes 1, Batizi 1, Agh 1.
BVSC edged out Tourcoing in the first match of the day (8:7), but that encounter was canceled. BVSC started the game with 12 field players and one goalkeeper, which isn’t allowed according to the rules implemented last year. Instead of goalkeeper Zsolt Gyorke, field player Adam Gyenis was on BVSC’s roster, with a cap number 13. But, the delegate and the referees allowed the match began. In the second quarter, the officials became aware that the violation of the water polo rules was made. Gyenis left BVSC’s bench and went on the stands. But, the match was continued. BVSC won 8:7 and qualified for the eight-finals. Still, after the game, the officials canceled the match and scheduled a new encounter, which started a half and an hour after the ending of the previous one.
Meanwhile, Barcelona beat Panionios.
The second game between Tourcoing and BVSC was also very exciting. BVSC entered the last quarter with a 2-goal lead (13:11), and has a 14:13 advantage four minutes before the end. But, Tourcoing took the lead (15:14) with 44 seconds remaining. Just a half minute before the final buzzer, BVSC’s Gyarfas scored from an extra to set the final score – 15:15, and both teams qualified for the quarterfinals.
Barcelona, BVSC, and Tourcoing are equaled in the points after the third round. All the encounters between these three teams were ended in a draw, so the number of scored goals in the head-to-head matches was crucial for the outcome. Tourcoing is the best by that criterion (27:27), BVSC second (25:25), and Barcelona third (22:22).
But, all clubs have to wait for the decision of the Jury of Appeal.
1 Tourcing (France) 5 (27:27 g.d. in the circle of the clubs with the same number of points)
2 BVSC (Hungary) 5 (25:25)
3 Barcelona (Spain) 5 (22:22)
4 Panionos (Greece) 0
Day 1: BVSC – Panionios 18:9, Barcelona – Tourcoing 12:12
Day 2: Barcelona – BVSC 10:10, Tourcoing – Panionios 20:9
Group B (Sabadell)
Sabadell – Dynamo 12:7 (3:2, 3:1, 2:3, 4:1)
Sabadell:Ubovic 3, Valera 3, Fenoy 2, Asensio 1, Sanahuja 1, Lopez 1.
Dynamo: Usov 2, Bugaychuk 1, Rustamov 1, Vasilev 1, Ekomazov 1, Jakhaia 1.
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Steaua – Jadran S 11:14 (1:3, 4:4, 3:3, 3:4)
Steaua: Antipa 3, Iudean 2, Negrean 2, Gheorghe 1, Fulea 1, Dragomirescu 1, Robu 1.
Jadran Split: Marinic Kragic 3, Milradovic 2, Stojanac 2, Setka 2, Duzevic 2, Butic 1, Pejkovic 1, Delic 1.
Sabadell beat Dynamo and finished the group stage in 1st place. Both clubs qualified for the eight-finals yesterday.
1Sabadell (Spain) 9
2 Dynamo (Russia) 6
3 Jadran (Croatia) 3
4 Steaua (Romania) 0
Day 1: Sabadell – Jadran 9:8, Dynamo – Steaua 9:8.
Day 2: Jadrran – Dynamo 11:12, Sabadell – Steaua 11:9
Group C (Kranj)
Crvena Zvezda – Noisy-le-Sec 13:12 (2:1, 4:3, 4:4, 3:4)
Crvena Zvezda: Tankosic 4, Subotic 2, Vukicevic 2, Markovic 1, Basara 1, Sulc 1, Smiljevic 1, Radovic 1.
Noisy-le-Sec: Krapic 3, Petkovic 3, Caumette 2, V. Rasovic 2, Do Carmo 1, Peisson 1
OSC – Triglav 21:5 (5:1, 4:2, 6:0, 6:2)
OSC Budapest: Varnai 4, Manhercz 3, Toth 3, Burian 3, Salamon 2, Csacsovszky 2, Erdelyi 2, Bundscuh 1, Almasi 1.
Triglav Kranj: Lah 2, Justin 2, Pusavec 1
Crvena Zvezda narrowly defeated Noisy-le-Sec in a tense match with a lot of exclusions and joined OSC Budapest, which secured 1st place yesterday.
The French needed a point to keep 2nd place in the group. The first two quarters were relatively balanced. The score was 4:4 in the 15th minute. Crvena Zvezda’s Tankosic scored two goals from penalty shots in the last 70 seconds of the second period for 6:4. The Serbs opened the third quarter with a goal, and the difference between the sides was three goals for the first time (7:4). Crvena Zvezda maintained the distance for a while, but Noisy reduced the gap late in this quarter (8:9). The “Red-Whites “managed kept the advantage. Two minutes before the end, Zvezda’s center-forward Vukicevic gave the Serbs a 13:11 from a penalty. Krapic responded with a goal for 12:13. The French had a chance to equalize with an extra player in the last minute of the game, but failed to score.
1 OSC Budapest (HUN) 9
2 Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 6
3 Noisy-le-Sec (FRA) 3
4 Triglav (SLO) 0
Day 1: OSC – Crvena zvezda 15:5, Noisy-le-Sec – Triglav 20:9.
Day 2: Noisy – OSC 7:14, Crvena Zvezda – Triglav 19:7
Group D (Aix-en-Provence)
Carouge – Vouliagmeni 5:21 (0:7, 1:3, 3:4, 1:7)
Carouge:Pontiekas 2, R. Blary 2, Karamustafa 1.
Vouliagmeni: Troulos 6, Kalogeropoulos 5, Alafragkis 3, Kourovanis 3, Lozina 3, Chalyvopoulos 1.
Pays d’Aix – Ludwigburg 14:5 (6:3, 2:0, 3:2, 3:0)
Pays d’Aix:Dino 3, Gluhaic 2, Popadic 2, Djerkovic 2, Gagulic 2, Monneret 1, Bakircilar 1, Saux 1.
Ludwigsburg: Van der Bosch 2, Martinic 2, Nachev 1.
Pays d’Aix didn’t let Ludwigsburg surprise them on Day 3. The French knocked down the Germans and secured the spot among the top 16 clubs.
Vouliagmeni ran over Carouge in the match that wasn’t important for the standings because the Greeks secured 1st place yesterday, while Carouge couldn’t move from the bottom of the table
1 Vouliagmeni (GRE) 9
2 Pays d’Aix (FRA) 6
3 Ludwigsburg (GER) 3
4 Carouge (SUI) 0
Day 1: Vouliagmeni – Ludwigsburg 21:6, Pays d’Aix – Carouge 16:4
Day 2: Pays d’Aix – Vouliagmeni 11:12, Carouge – Ludwigsburg 6:17
Group E (Savona)
OSC Potsdam – Mediterrani 7:14 (1:3, 1:3, 1:5, 4:3)
OSC Potsdam: Costa 2, Hueppe 1 Sifert 1 , Tadin 2, Kueppers 1.
Mediterrani: Perez 3, A. Garcia 2, Frigola 2, Minguell Alfarez 2, Corres 1, Gorria 1.
Savona – Radnicki 7:14 (3:3, 0:4, 4:2, 0:5)
Savona: FOndelli 4, Rizzo 2, Patchaliev 1.
Radnicki: Rasovic 6, Ukropina 3, Lukic 2, Radulovic 2, Toholj 1.
As expected, Mediterrani beat OSC Potsdam in the opening match of the day.
The second game Savona – Radnicki was decisive the ranking 1st – 3rd place. Radnicki didn’t have to win to keep 1st place in the group. The Serbs would remain atop in a case of a loss to Savona by less than three goals. But, Radnicki didn’t calculate and played as best as it could. The Serbs, led by Strahinja Rasovic, recorded a convincing win, and finished the tournament unbeaten, while Savona, one of the favorites, finished its European season. To remind, the Italians played without several key players (they are injured or positive for coronavirus)
1 Radnicki (SRB) 9
2 Mediterrani (ESP) 6
3 Savona (ITA) 3
4 OSC Potsdam (GER) 0
Day 1: Mediterrani – Radnicki 8:14, Savona – OSC Potsdam 12:8
Day 2: Radnicki – OSC Potsdam 15:7, Savona – Mediterrani 11:12
Group F (Zagreb)
Mladost – Eger 13:7 (4:0, 4:4, 2:0, 3:3)
HAVK Mladost: Milos 4, J. Vrlic 3, Radu 1, Bukic 1, Buslje 1, Viskovic 1, Bajic 1, Kharkov 1.
Eger: Lorincz 4, Baksa 2, Tymcyna 1.
Mladost took three points and advanced to the eight-finals from 1st place in the group. The Croats opened the encounter with a 5:0 blast, and Eger couldn’t recover from that shock. Mladost dominated and cruised to the win.
Eger finished in the last place. Primorac, the most pleasant surprise of the qualifications, secured its 1/8finals berth yesterday after it stunned Eger.
1 Mladost (CRO) 6
2 Primorac (MNE) 3
3 Eger (HUN) 0
Day 1: Mladost – Primorac 13:8
Day 2: Eger – Primorac 9:15
Group G (Szolnok)
Terrassa – Strasbourg 9:10 (2:2, 2:2, 2:2, 3:4)
Terrassa: Barroso 3, Gutierrez 2, Alegre 1, Sanchez 1, Alarcon 1, O. Carillo 1, Prieto 1.
Strasbourg: Markovic 3, Misic 2, Valentino 2, Babic 2, Denux 1.
Szolnok – Apollon 13:11 (3:2, 3:2, 4:4, 3:3)
Szolnok: Filipovic 4, Szeghalmi 2, A.Nagy 2, Drasovic 2, Dory 1, Pijetlovic 1, Kovacs 1.
Apollon Smyrnis: Gounas 4, Moskov 3, Papageorgiou 1, Dermitzakis 1, Mitrovic 1, Solanakis 1.
Strasbourg defeated Terrassa after a hard battle and qualified for the 1/8finals. This was a match for a lot of twists and turns. Early in the fourth quarter, Strasbourg had a 7:6 advantage, but the Spaniards scored two unanswered goals and went in front (8:7) in the middle of the period. Shortly after, Babic leveled the score. The same player converted a man-up in the 31st minute to set the final score. The French side won 8:7, and went through because Szolnok didn’t make a mistake in the last match of the tournament against Apollon.
1 Szolnok (HUN) 9
2 Strasbourg (FRA) 6
3 Apollon (GRE) 3
4 Terrassa (ESP) 0
Day 1: Strasbourg – Apollon 8:7, Szolnok – Terrassa 20:14
Day 2: Apollon Smyrnis – Terrassa 14:13, Szolnok – Strasbourg 15:5
Group H (Belgrade)
Novi Beograd – Sintez 10:11 (1:3, 1:2, 5:2, 3:4)
Novi Beograd 011: Avramovic 2, Shushiashvili 2, Nikolov 1, Bursac 1, Martinovic 1, Tomic 1, Asanovic 1, Gogov 1.
Sintez Kazan: Latypov 4, Lisunov 2, Bychkov 1, Zakirov 1, Dereviankin 1 Lazarev 1.
The qualifications were closed by a match between Sintez and Novi Beograd, which decided the group-winner. After a narrow win, the Russians finished in 1st place, ahead of the hosts.
Sintez dictated the pace in the first half of this interesting game. The Russians had a 3-goal advantage (4:1, 5:2, 6:3). Novi Beograd was coming back from time to time and finally equalized five seconds before the last break. The home team even took a lead twice in the final quarter(9:8, 10:9), but the Russians, with their excellent scorer Adel Latypov, were better in the finish of the game and deserved the win. A point was enough for Sintez to keep the top position, because of the better goal-difference than Novi Beograd.
1 Sintez (RUS) 6
2 Novi Beograd (SRB) 3
3 Oradea (ROM) 0
Day 1: Novi Beograd – Oradea 12:9
Day 2: Oradea – Sintez 7:13
