The first round of the 104th Italian Championships saw favorites record big wins.
The top three teams in the previous season – Pro Recco, Brescia, and Savona- were too strong for their rivals, but they had different paths to victories.
Pro Recco demolished Catania (16:3). Brescia recorded a big away win over Posillipo (11:3), but it led only 2:0 at halftime. Savona trailed for most of the first half of the match against De Akker. Still, it dominated in the third and the fourth period (14:8). Trieste defeated Salerno 15:8, despite it didn’t start well.
2022/23 Italian League, Day 1
Pro Recco – Catania 16:3 (4:0, 5:1, 4:2, 3:0)
Pro Recco: Zalanki 3, Iocchi Gratta 3, Echenique 3, Di Fulvio 1, Younger 1, Fondelli 1, G. Rossi 1, Velotto 1, Aicardi 1, Loncar 1.
Catania: G. Torrisi 1, Guimaraes 1, Privitera 1.
Posillipo – Brescia 3:11 (0:1, 0:1, 2:5, 1:4)
Posillipo: Aiello 1, Milicic 1, Saccoia 1
Brescia: Dolce 3, C. Presciutti 2, Vapenski 2, Renzuto 2, Kharkov 1, Alesiani 1.
Savona – De Akker 14:8 (3:4, 3:1, 3:2, 5:1)
Savona: Panerai 3, Djurdjic 2, Campopiano 2, Rizzo 2, Bruni 2, Caldieri 1,Patchaliev 1, Lanzoni 1.
De Akker: K. Milakovic 2, Alfonso 2, Grossi 1, Spadafora 1, Manzi 1, Guerrato 1.
Anzio Waterpolis-Telimar 9:12 (0:4, 4:2, 3:3, 2:3)
Anzio Waterpolis: Cuccovillo 4, Susak 2, Barberini 1, Lapenna 1, Koprcina 1.
Telimar: Irving 4, Vitale 3, Giorgetti 3, Occhione 2.
Roma – Quinto 8:10 (2:1, 2:2, 1:4, 3:3)
DE Roma Nuoto: F.Faraglia 3, Viskovic 2, Mirarchi 1, Lucci 1, Spione 1.
Iren Quinto Genoa: Molina 3, Ravina 3, M. Gitto 2, Figari 1,A. Di Somma 1.
Salerno – Trieste 8:15 (5:3, 0:5, 1:5, 2:2)
Salerno: Barroso 3, Gallo 2, Tomasic 1, Siani 1, Esposito 1.
Trieste: Inaba 6, Mezzarobba 2, Bini 2, Buljubasic 1, Razzi 1, Mladossich 1, Podgornik 1, Petronio 1.
Played on Sunday
Ortigia – Bogliasco 19:5 (4:0, 2:2, 5:0, 8:3)
Ortigia: F.Condemi 4, A.Condemi 3, Rossi 3, Di Luciano 2, Velkic 2, Ferrero 2, Vidovic 2, Carnesecchi 1.
Bogliasco: Mudrazija 2, Radojevic 1, Puccio 1, Gavazzi 1.
Pro Recco opened the season with an easy win over Catania. The Italian and European champion stormed to a 6:0 lead before Catania scored its first goal, which happened in the 12th minute. After that, Recco produced a 4:0 rush to jump to a 10:1 lead. In the middle of the third period, the hosts reached a double-digit margin (12:2). All field players of Recco, except Pietro Figlioli, found the net today. Gergo Zalanki, Gonzalo Echenique, and Matteo Iocchi Gratta scored three goals each.
Brescia displayed an excellent defensive play, as well as Pro Recco did. But Brescia needed more time to secure a big lead against Posillipo in Naples. The hosts’ defense worked well in the first half. Brescia had a 2:0 lead at the middle break. In the first minute of the third quarter, Posillipo got on the scoreboard (Aiello scored for 1:2). Still, Brescia built a big lead quickly after that, scoring three goals and went to 5:1. After a solid first half, the Naples-based side couldn’t find solutions to stop Brescia’s attackers in the third and the fourth period. Therefore, the visitors earned an 11:3 victory. Brescia played without Edoardo Di Somma, who got ill.
Savona hosted a newcomer to Serie A1, De Akker. The home team started slowly. De Akker dictated the pace in the first quarter and continued in the same way in the second. Three minutes before the middle break, De Akker led 5:3. Savona scored three late goals in the second quarter and headed into the third period with a 6:5 lead. Djurdjic and Rizzo stretched the margin to three (8:5), but De Akker didn’t surrender. Savona broke the visitors’ resistance in the final period and recorded a comfortable 14:8 win.
Telimar Palermo earned an away victory over Anzio Waterpolis. A good start put the Sicilians on the right track. In the 9th minute, Telimar led 5:0. Anzio attempted to come back, but with no success. Early in the fourth period, Anzio cut the deficit to one goal (8:9).Telimar replied with two for an 11:8 advantage. Anzio came close again (9:11), but Telimar’s victory wasn’t in danger.
Iren Quinto bagged three points in the capital of Italy. The Genoa-based team defeated Roma 10:8. The hosts were the better rival in the first half (4:3), and opened the third period with a goal for 5:3. Iren struck back strongly – with five goals in a row and went to 8:5 (26th minute). Roma reduced the gap (7:8), but Iren netted two action goals in the 30th minute, within 40 seconds, and earned a safe 10:7 advantage.
The match Salerno – Trieste produced quite an exciting contest in the first quarter. Trieste had a 2:1 and 3:2 lead, but the hosts netted three straight goals to enter the second quarter with a 5:3 advantage. However, Trieste ruled the field in the middle two periods. The visitors, led by Japanese Yusuke Inaba (6 goals today), scored nine straight goals and jumped to a 12:5 lead (21st minute), and the contest was over.
UPDATE, October 23
The encounter between Ortigia and Bogliasco has been postponed to Sunday because Bogliasco couldn’t arrive in Sicily on Saturday due to a flight controllers’ strike.
Ortigia proved which team the favorite was, and cruised to a 19:5 victory.
