All matches of the Champions League Day 3 were very exciting, and almost each of the games was open until the very end.
The derby, Novi Beograd – Jug in Belgrade, ended in a 12:12 draw. Both teams had ups and downs. Novi Beograd had a 4-goal lead, but Jug produced a late comeback and could even win. Still, Nikola Jaksic scored an equalizer in the last minute.
Ferencvaros was two goals down in the match against Marseille in Budapest, but it scored three unanswered goals at the finish for a 9:8 win.
The other match played in Budapest this evening produced a surprising result. OSC and Spandau 04 shared the points – 9:9. The Berliners dictated the pace for most of the time, OSC secured a point with a last-gasp goal.
Brescia remains the only team with a perfect record in this group. The Italians beat Sabadell 7:4, but it wasn’t an easy win.
2022/23 Champions League, Day 3, Group B
Novi Beograd – Jug 12:12 (4:5, 3:1, 3:2, 2:4)
Novi Beograd: Silva, Martinovic, Mandic 1, Granados 2, Vucinic 1, Pijetlovic, Drasovic 3, Jaksic 3, Cetkovic, Vlachopoulos, Skoumpakis 1, V.Rasovic 1, Fililpovic. Head coach: Gocic.
Jug AO: Popadic, Burdjelez, Fatovic 2, Mozara, Jokovic 2, Vukojevic 1, Biljaka 2, Lazic 1, Krzic, Kakaris , Grgurevic 2, Zuvela 2, Jurisic . Head coach: Kobescak.
The hosts, who were without two important players – Strahinja Rasovic and Perkovic, dictated the pace in the opening minutes. Novi Beograd had a 2:0, 3:1 and 4:2 lead. Still, Jug turned around a two-goal deficit to a 5:4 lead with three consecutive goals in the last 02:14 minutes of the first quarter. Drasovic leveled at 5:5 early in the second period. Vukojevic gave Jug a new lead (6:5) in the 12th minute. But, after that, Novi Beograd started dominating. It scored five goals in a row. Immediately after Vukojevic’s goal, Granados responded. By the end of this period, he added another goal to give Novi Beograd a 7:6 lead.
The hosts went to 10:6 midway through the third period after goals from Nikola Jaksic and Viktor Rasovic. They had a 4-goal advantage, played better in all segments of the game and it they were on the right track. But, Jug was able to come back. Jug’s goalless phase lasted for more than 9 minutes. Franko Lazic ended that bad period in the 21st minute. Grgurevic made it 8:10 at the finish of the third period.
Skoumpakis gave Novi Beograd an 11:8 lead after less than 30 seconds of play in the fourth period, but that didn’t change the rhythm of the game. Jug continued controlling the match as it did at the finish of the previous quarter. The visitors scored three unanswered goals. A minute and 59 seconds before the end, Maro Jokovic equalized with an extra player. In the next attack, Novi Beograd lost the ball because of a wrong pass. At the other end of the field, Biljaka gave Jug a 12:11 lead. At 00:35, Jaksic handled excellently and scored a goal from a difficult position for 12:12.
Both sides had a chance to score a winner. Six seconds before the end, Maro Jokovic hit the crossbar from a 6 on 5. Novi Beograd organized a quick conter attack, but Popadic saved a shot from Vlachpoulos in the last second.
Both coaches commented that the encounter was a tough game from the beginning until the end, but they were in different moods.
Still, Novi Beograd was a favorite on the home field, and the hosts’ coach Zivko Gocic was disappointed. He congratulated Jug and added:
“In the middle of the third period, it seemed that we had control and that we would win, but than had a blackout. Jug produced a 6:2 series in the last quarter and a half. We had a lot of problems with concentration, especially in defense in crucial moments. We fought hard, but, at this moment, it’s impossible to explain what happened with our play and why we let ourselves such a big lack of concentration.
Vjekoslav Kobescak said:
“We didn’t enter the match well. Our defense was pretty soft in the beginning. During the game, we changed our defense a few times and adapted our zone to Novi Beograd’s attack. This is a very good result for us, and I believe that this point will be very valuable at the end of the Preliminary stage.”
Ferencvaros – Marseille 9:8 (1:2, 2:2,2:2, 4:2)
Ferencvaros: Vogel, E.Molnar, Pohl, Merkulov 2, Argyropoulos 2, Ubovic 1, Fekete, Vigvari 2, Vadovics, D.Varga 1, Jansik, Damonte 1, Szakonyi. Head coach: Zs.Varga.
Marseille: Lazovic, Cuckovic, Crousillat 1, Spaic 1, Prialinovic 3, Vernoux 1, Olivon, Bouet, Izdinsky 1, Bodegas, Vukicevic 1, De Nardi, Hovhannisyan. Head coach: Scepanovic.
The match started very badly for Ferencvacors. In the 2nd minute, Marseille’s goalkeeper Dejan Lazovic saved a penalty shot from Stylianos Argyropoulos. Lazovic was outstanding today. It was his 2nd of a total of 14 saves. In the next 90 seconds, Marseille scored two goals (Prlainovic and Spaic). Vigvari put Ferencvaros on the scoreboard in the 5th minute, but Marseille went to +3 early in the second period aafter Vernoux made it 4:1. Ferencvaros narrowed the gap with nice goals from Denes Varga and Nemanja Ubovic, and a goal separated the rivals at the middle break (3:4).
But, Marseille opened the third period in the same way as the second quarter– with two back-to-back goals. Crousillat scored for 5:3, and Prlainovic extended the margin to three in the 21st minute (6:3). The visitors’ defense, commanded by Lazovic, was excellent in this quarter. Ferencvaros scored the first goal in the third quarter in the 21st minute (Damonte). Argyropoulos closed the third period, by converting a man-up with 12 seconds to go (5:6).
Early in the fourth period, Prlainovic scored from a 6 on 5 for 7:6. Merkulov responded immediately in the same way. In the 27th minute, Ferencvaros had a nice chance to level from with an extra player, but Szilard Jansik had his shot blocked. Marseille started a counterattack, which was finished by Ante Vukicevic, who netted from a close-range shot for 8:6. It happened 05:21 minutes before the end. But, it was Marseille’s last goal in the game.
In the remaining time, the hosts scored three goals within two minutes.
Stylianos Argyropoulos (Freencvaros) Photo by Laszlo
Vigvari halved the deficit to 7:8. At 02:46, Ferencvaros forced a penalty exclusion in the dying seconds of the attack. This time, Daniil Merkulov took responsibility and sent the ball into the net from the 5m line to level at 8:8. Argyropoulos put Ferencvaros in front – 9:8 with 01:34 minutes left on the clock. Marseille had an opportunity to equalize. They earned a man-up with 17 seconds to go. But, after a wrong pass, Ferencvaros stole the ball and took all three points.
OSC – Spandau 9:9 (2:2, 2:4, 2:0, 3:3)
OSC Budapest: Levai, Angyal, Manhercz 1, Varnai, Salamon 2, Csacsovszky 1, Dala, Toth 2, Vin>Vigvari 3, Burian, Bundscug, Aranyi, Bisztranyi. Head coach: Dan.Varga.
Spandau 04: Baksa, Prioteasa, Cuk 1, Tkac , Bozic, Andruskiewicz, Marziali 2, Chiru, Kholod 5, Restovic, Shepelev 1, Verner. Head coach: Kechagias.
OSC and Spandau shared the points. The hosts were the favorites, but they could be more satisfied with this outcome because they trailed for most of the game and saved a point in the last minute.
Spandau 04, led by Russian Dmitri Kholod, took a one-goal lead four times in the first quarter and a half. Still, OSC leveled on each occasion until 4:4. At the finish of the first half, Spandau netted two consecutive goals (Kholod and Cuk) to earn a 6:4 advantage at the middle break.
OSC continued its chase in the second half, and leveled with two quick goals in the first two minutes of the third period – 6:6. In the next six minutes, both defenses did their jobs well. There were no more goals in the third quarter.
Spandau stopped OSC’s best scorer Krisztian Manhercz. In the 25th minute, he scored his only goal this evening and OSC earned a lead for the first and only time (7:6). Spandau responded with two goals (Marziali with a man-up and Kholod from a penalty) to regain a lead – 8:7 (28th minute). Immediately after Kholod’s goal, Vince Vigvari leveled at 8:8. But, shortly after, Kholod added his fifth goal, and Spandau was very close to a victory.
Ferenc Salamon saved a point for OSC by converting a man up with 29 seconds to go.
Brescia- Sabadell 7:4 (4:2, 1:1, 0:0, 2:1)
Brescia: Tesanovic, Dolce 1, C.Presciutti, Gianazza, Lazic, Vapenski, Renzuto, Kharkov 2, Alesiani 1, Luongo 1, Di Somma 2, Gitto, Baggi Necchi. Head coach: Bovo.
Sabadell: Bejar, Sanahuja 1, Gil, Teclas, Veich, Valera, Bertran 1, Cabanas 1, Averka, Banicevic, Bonet, Bustos 1, Teclas. Head coach: Colet.
Sabadell scored the first goal in the game, but Brescia earned a 2-goal lead (3:1) midway through the first quarter. From that point on, the hosts were constantly in front. But, nothing was decided before the final quarter. Just like in the match against Ferencvaros, played two weeks ago, an excellent defense, was a key for Brescia’s win.
Brescia maintained a 2-goal difference until the first break. But, Sabadell’s Bertan opened the second quarter with a power play goal to half the deficit. Brescia failed to convert a penalty shot in the next possession, and lost the ball in the attack several times, but Sabadell didn’t take advantage of the hosts’ mistakes. Moreover, Sabadell missed a chance to score from a penalty, like the rival. It happened in the 14th minute. The Spaniards paid for their mistakes. A minute after, Di Somma netted from a 6 on 5 to give Brescia a 5:3 lead.
After a goalless third quarter, Brescia finally secured the points in the last period of the game. In the 26th minute, Di Somma hit the back of the net from a penalty shot and three goals separated the rivals for the first time (6:3). Just fifteen seconds after, Sanahuja replied with a nice action goal from a distance. Still, the visitors didn’t go further. That was their last goal in the game. Brescia controlled the match. Dolce set the final score in the 29th minute.
1.Brescia 3 – 9
2. Novi Beograd 3 – 7
3. Ferencvaros 3 – 6
4. Jug 3 – 4
5. OSC Budapest 3 – 2
6. Spandau 3 – 2
7. Marseille 3 – 1
8. Sabadell 3 – 1
