Ferencvaros rushes through Belgrade, Marseille halted in Berlin

October 7, 2023

Dusan Mandic Photo: Slobodan Sandic

On the second day of the Champions League, most of the favorites in Groups C and D secured the victories.

However, the day also saw the first upset of the season. Spandau, considered an underdog, beat Marseille 13:10 in Berlin, despite having suffered a significant defeat against Barceloneta just ten days prior.

Barceloneta managed to narrowly edge out Vouligameni 12:11 in Athens. In a closely contested match between the namesakes, Jadran Split emerged victorious against Jadran Herceg Novi 11:10.

Ferencvaros dominated the game against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, winning 16:6.

2024 Champions League, Day 2

Group C

Crvena Zvezda – Ferencvaros 6:16 (3:3, 1:4, 1:6, 1:3)

Crvena Zvezda:Bursac 1, Subotic 1, Vasic 1, Gogov 1, Milojevic 1, M. Radovic 1.

Ferencvaros: Argyropoulos 4, Mandic 2, Molnar 2, Varga 2, Jansik 2, Di Somma 2, Pohl 1, Fekete 1

Crvena Zvezda kept up with the heavy favorite from Budapest for a quarter and a half. The hosts led 1:0 and 4:3. But, midway through the second period, they lost their rhythm, started making mistakes in their attacks, started losing the balls and gave Ferencvaros to score many goals from counter-attacks. After Crvena Zvezda’s second lead, Ferencvaros produced a 9:0 run and went to 12:3.

Basara (CZV) and Argyropoulos (FTC) Photo by Slobodan Sandic

The contest was over. Ferencvaros is certainly a significantly better team than Crvena Zvezda. However, the final score may not mirror a real difference in quality, but the visitors played disciplined both in defense and the attack and deserved a big win.

Jadran HN – Jadran S 10:11 (1:3, 4:2, 4:3, 1:3)

Jadran Herceg Novi: Kholod 3, L.Vukicevic 2, Vujovic 1, Da.Radovic 1, Va.Radovic 2, Sladovic 1.

Jadran Split: Kragic 3, Biljaka 2, Bukic 2, Vrlic 1, Fatovic 1, Duzevic 1, Cagalj 1.

In the first-ever LEN Champions League match held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jadran Split emerged victorious in front of a packed audience at the pool in Trebinje.

The Croatian team started strong. The first quarter belonged to the visitors, and Loren Fatovic scored a counter-attack in the 10th minute to take the lead 4:1.

Photo: Vuk Ilic

However, Jadran Herceg Novi rallied and leveled the score at 5:5, just before the middle break.

The second half saw both teams trade goals until the Montenegrin champion took the lead at 9:8. But Jadran Split responded with two early goals in the final quarter to take the lead once again at 10:9. The hosts equalized immediately after. But, Jadran Split held on to win the match 11:10, with Luka Bukic scoring the last goal in the 28th minute.

Standings: 1. Ferencvaros 6, 2. Jadran S 6, 3. Jadran HN 0, 4. Crvena Zvezda 0.

Group D

Vouliagmeni – Barceloneta 11:12 (5:3, 2:1, 2:4, 2:4)

Vouliagmeni: Ubovic 3, Papasifakis 2, Chalyvopoulos 2, Kalogeropoulos 2, Kapotis 1.

Barceloneta: Sanahuja 6, Tahull 2, De Toro 1, Famera 1, Biel 1, Paul 1.

The replay of the 2023 Champions League bronze match was another very exciting duel between the Spaniards and the Greeks, despite the fact that Barceloneta reinforced its squad during the transfer window while Vouliagmeni rejuvenated the team. Moreover, the Greeks were a better team for most of the match, but, primarily because of their four “black minutes” in the third quarter, they are still without the points this season.

Vouliagmeni earned a 3-goal advantage (6:3) early in the second quarter and maintained it by the middle break. Vouliagmeni didn’t keep the momentum. Barceloneta found its magic. The Spaniards produced a 4:0 run by the middle of the third period. In the 22nd minute, Tahull found the net from a difficult position and put the visitors ahead – 8:7. However, the Greeks bounced back. They entered the final quarter leading 9:8. Sanahuja, who was outstanding today, leveled at 9:9 from a penalty at the beginning of the fourth period. Ubovic gave Vouliagmeni a 10:9 lead, but Sanahuja replied with two goals for 10:11 with 02:24 minutes left on the clock. Immediately after, Ubovic made it 11:11.

Vouliagmeni deserved at least the point, but Barceloneta took all three. Paul set the final score – 12:11 with 46 seconds to go. Vouliagmeni earned a man-up in its last possession, but they lost the ball – Perrone stole it from a Greek player at 00:05 and Barceloneta pocketed three points.

Spandau – Marseille 13:10 (4:2, 3:0, 3:4, 3:4)

Spandau 04.Strelezkij 5, Tkac 2, Tomasovic 2, Stamm 2, Gbadamassi 1, Chiru 1.
Marseille: Crousillat 3, Prlainovic 2, Manhercz 2, Vukicevic 1, Velotto 1, Angyal 1,

After a convincing loss to Barceloneta in the first round, many believed Spandau would be an easy opponent for all the rivals in the group.

But, Spandau taught a lesson to Marseille in the first half of the duel in Berlin and knew to keep a significant advantage advantage.

Spandau’s 3:0 opening lead set the tone of the match. It’s interesting to mention that Spandau’s veteran Marko Stamm, who didn’t play in the Champions League last season, scored the third goal in the match (later, he added another one). Marseille cut the deficit to one in the 8th minute (2:3). But, Spandau responded strongly – by the middle of the second period, Spandau went to 7:2 and didn’t let Marseille come back into the game. In the fourth period, Marseille reduced the gap to two (10:12), but didn’t go further.

Standings: 1. BArceloneta 6, 2. Marseille 3, 3. Spandau 3, 4. Vouliagmeni 0.

For the full schedule, visit Total Waterpolo Arena’s page: The 2024 Champions League calendar and live scores

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