There was a lot of excitement in the evening session of Day 2 of the LEN Euro Cup Round 1.
One goal decided a winner in four of 11 games played this evening. Honved beat Telimar in a thriller (12:11), Mediterrani narrowly defeated Apollon (10:9), Valis edged out Terrassa (11:10), while PAOK earned the first points with a 7:6 victory over Echeyde Tenerife.
Crvena Zvezda and Trieste played an interesting match in which Crvena Zvezda recorded an 11:8 win.
Six teams are still unbeaten: Montpellier, Solaris (both Group A). Ortigia (Group B), Strasbourg (Group C), BVSC, Crvena Zvezda (both Group D).
Strasburg is the only team that has recorded three wins so far. Still, considering that four teams from each group will go to Round 2, two wins will probably be enough for a ticket for the next round.
Day 2, evening session – Group A (Thessaloniki): Solaris – ZV De Zaan 9:5, Ludwigsburg – Montpellier 5:8, PAOK – Echeyde 7:6, Group B (Syracuse): Partizan – Ortigia 7:14, Pays d’Aix – Szolnok 7:11, Group C (Kranj): Terrassa – Valis 10:11, Triglav – Strasbourg 3:11, Telimar – Honved 11:12. Group D (Barcelona): Kosice – BVSC Zuglo 5:26,, Crvena Zvezda – Trieste 11:8, Apollon – Mediterrani 9:10.
The top four teams from each group will advance to Round 2.
2022/23 LEN Euro Cup, Round 1, Day 2, evening session
Group A (Thessaloniki), Round 2
Solaris – ZV De Zaan 9:5 (3:0, 2:2, 1:1, 3:2)
Solaris: KRekovic 3, Penava 3, D.Butic 2, Jakovcevic 1.
ZV De Zaan: Struijk 2, Rempt 1, Brantjes 1, Corver 1.
Ludwigsburg – Montpellier 5:8 (1:2, 2:3, 0:2, 2:1)
Ludwigsburg 08: Kutchashvili 1, Pavicic-Capucho 1, Andjelic 1, Prieto 1, Blazevic 1.
Montpellier WP: Mustur 3, Ivankovic 2, Piot 1, Kalinic 1, Spillaert 1.
PAOK – Echeyde 8:7 (1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 4:3)
PAOK: Koopman 3, Kalargyros 2, Kechalaris 1, Tsolakoudis 1, Charalampopoulos 1.
Echeyde: Espanol 2, Alegre 1, Diaz 1, Keuning 1, Mercado 1, Magrina 1.
Solaris was always ahead ZV De Zaan. The Croats earned a 3:0 lead early. The Dutch were coming back from time to time. They came close in the second period (2:3), but Solaris’ Penava closed the first half with two action goals for 5:2. Early in the fourth period, ZV De Zaan cut the deficit to one goal again (5:6), but Solaris produced a 3:0 run for a comfortable 9:5 win.
Montpellier avoided a thrilling finish in the match against Ludwigsburg thanks to a good finish of the first and a good beginning of the second half. Two minutes before the middle break, the French led 4:2.In the following ten minutes, they scored three and conceded only one goal, and earned a safe 7:3 lead.
After a disappointing 6:7 loss to ZV De Zaan, PAOK emerged as a winner in a thrilling duel with Spanish Echeyde Tenerife. The game was an even contest in the first three low-scoring quarters. PAOK, with great support from its fans, started excellently in the fourth period. In the 28th minute, the Greeks had an 8:5 advantage. Still, the Spaniards didn’t surrender. They reduced the gap to one goal (7:8) with 54 seconds left on the clock. However, PAOK managed to keep a minimal advantage and win three huge points.
1.Montpellier (FRA) 2 – 6
2.Solaris (CRO) 2 – 6
3. ZV De Zaan (NED) 2 – 3
4. PAOK (GRE) 2 – 3
5. Tenerife (ESP) 2 – 0
6. Ludwigsburg (GER) 2 – 0
Group B (Syracuse), Round 3
Partizan – Ortigia 7:14 (0:5, 2:4, 2:3, 3:2)
Partizan: Dimitrijevic 3, Smiljevic 2, Gladovic 1, Krstic 1.
Ortigia: Ferrero 4, Rossi 2, Napolitano 2, A.Condemi 1, Di Luciano 1, F.Condemi 1, Vidovic 1
Pays d’Aix – Szolnok 7:11 (0:3, 2:1, 2:4, 3:3)
Pays d’Aix: T.Beteille 2, Bakircilar 2, L.Beteille 1, Dino 1, Rocchietta 1.
Szolnok: D.Jansik 5, Szeghalmi 3, Pasztor 2, Ger.Kovacs 1.
Ydraikos bye
Ortigia convincingly beat Partizan. There were no goals in the first four minutes, but Ortigia’s goal machine started working in the 5th minute. Between the 5th and the 8th minute, the hosts scored five goals and went to 5:0. By the end of the first half, the Italians extended their lead to seven (8:1 and 9:2) and everything was practically decided.
Ortigia was the favorite. Still, the score of the first half doesn’t mirror the real difference in quality between the two teams. The schedule of the tournament affected the outcome of the game. The hosts opened the tournament yesterday with a 22:10 victory over Ydraikos, which is, according to the results, the weakest team in the group. Ortigia’s next game was against Partizan, which started today at 16:00. On the other side, the Serbs played three demanding matches within 24 hours. On Friday afternoon, they beat Pays d’Aix (the game began at 16:30). Today morning, Partizan water polo players defeated Szolnok after a big comeback (10:8) and they ran out of energy for the third big test in a short period.
The third and the fourth quarter were peaceful. Partizan did its best to avoid a bigger defeat and managed to keep a 7-goal distance. Two wins will be enough for both teams to qualify for Round 2.
Szolnok’s excellent start set the tone of the match. The Hungarians kept the French goalless in the first 12 minutes, while they netted four goals and earned a 4:0 lead. Aix halved the deficit at the finish of the first half. But, midway through the third period, Szolnok regained a 4-goal advantage (7:3), and from that point on, the difference was never smaller than three goals.
1.Ortigia (ITA) 2 – 6
2.Partizan (SRB)3 – 6
3.Szolnok (HUN) 2 – 3
4. Pays d’Aix (FRA) 3 – 3
5. Ydraikos (GRE) 2 – 0
Group C (Kranj), Round 3
Terrassa – Valis 10:11 (2:4, 1:2, 5:2, 2:3)
Terrassa: Delgado 4, Flores 3, Sanchez 1, Perez 1, De Lera 1.
Valis: Obradovic 3,Sofranac 3, Bursac 2, Radanovic 1, Baucalo 1, Kovacevic 1.
Triglav – Strasbourg 3:11 (0:3, 0:3, 2:1, 1:4)
AVK Triglav: Rajlic 1, Gostic 1, Paunovic 1.
Team Strasbourg: Bachelier 2, Vitrant 2, Misic 2, Mehdi 1, Popadic 1, Buha 1, Denux 1, Petkovic 1.
Telimar – Honved 11:12 (2:3, 5:2, 1:5, 3:2)
Telimar Palermo: Giorgetti 3, Vitale 2, Pericas 2, Irving 2, Hooper 1, Lo Cascio 1.
Honved: Kevi 3, Ekler 3, Nyiri 2, Hosnyanszky 2, Hessels 1, Ekler 1.
Valis learned from the mistakes it made in defense in a 16:24 defeat to Telimar in the 2nd round. The Serbs led 6:2 late into the second period. Sanchez converted a man-up in the 15th minute for 3:6, and that was the start of Terrassa’s comeback. The Spaniards caught up with the Serbs in the 24th minute when Flores converted a man-up for 8:8. The same player opened the fourth period with an action goal and Terrassa gained a 9:8 lead. Valis responded with two quick goals (Obradovic and Bursac) and went in front again (10:9). In the middle of the fourth quarter, Flores added his third goal and leveled at 10:10, but Obradovic replied immediately and gave Valis an 11:10 win. The Serbs managed to keep a slim advantage in a thrilling finish.
Strasbourg continued its winning streak. After beating Telimar and Honved in derby games, the French easily defeated the hos. After a 6:0 first half, the French slowed and saved energy for matches against Terrassa and Valis, which will be crucial in a battle for 1st place.
The day in Kranj was closed with an encounter between Telimar and Honved, which was a real rollercoaster. In the 10th minute, Honved led 4:2, but Telimar was 7:5 up at halftime. Then came a new turn. The third period belonged to Honved, which was two steps ahead of Telimar before the final eight minutes (10:8). Kevi Bendeguz stretched the margin to three in the first possession in the fourth (11:8), but the drama wasn’t over yet. Telimar’s Hooper found the net for 10:11 in the 28th minute. The Italians missed a few nice chances to level the score. They paid for that. Nyiri converted a man-up with 32 seconds to go. Vasas went to 12:10 and secured the victory. Telimar scored a consolation goal in the last attack.
1.Strasbourg (FRA) 3 – 9
2.Honved (HUN) 3 – 6
3. Valis (SRB) 3 – 6
4.Terrassa (ESP) 3 – 3
5. Telimar (ITA) 3 – 3
6. Triglav Kranj (SVN) 3 – 0
Group D (Barcelona), Round 2
SKP Kosice – BVSC Zuglo 5:26 (2:9, 0:4, 0:6, 3:7)
SKP Kosice: Muzhychuk 1, Hirjak 1, Afanasev 1, Dily 1, Juhasz 1.
BVSC Zuglo: Tatrai 5, Sziladi 5, M.Nagy 4, Gyardas 4, Csapo 2, Meszaros 2, Gal 2, Batizi 2
Crvena Zvezda – Trieste 11:8 (1:3, 5:2, 4:2, 1:1)
Crvena Zvezda:Subotic 4, Vukicevic 3, Tankosic 2, Basara 1, Seman 1.
Trieste: Petronio 4, Razzi 2, Buljubasic 1, M.Vrlic 1.
Apollon Smyrnis – Mediterrani 9:10 (3:3, 1:1, 2:4, 3:2)
Apollon Smyrnis: Alamanos 2, Goniotakis Korderas 2, Gardikas 2, Mokkas 1, Chondrookoukis 1, Solanakis 1.
Mediterrani: Linares 2, Prat 2, Perez 2, Torres 1, Roca 1, A.Garcia 1, Radic 1.
BVSC Zuglo opened the 2nd round with a convincing victory over SKP Kosice, as expected.
Crvena Zvezda defeated Trieste and kept a good chance of reaching 1st place in the group. The Serbs scored an opener already in the first minute (Subotic converted a penalty). The Italians earned a 3:1 lead before the end of the first period. Crvena Zvezda responded in the same manner – with three straight goals and went ahead – 4:3 (13th minute). Trieste leveled at 4:4 and again at 5:5. Still, Zvezda had a minimal advantage at halftime (6:5). The third quarter was crucial for the outcome. Crvena Zvezda water polo players built a 3-goal lead (8:5). However, they couldn’t keep the gained momentum. Trieste broke the Serbs’ series with two quick goals in the middle of the quarter (7:8). But, Zvezda regained a 3-goal lead before the final break (10:7) and didn’t let Trieste come back.
Host Mediterrani recorded the first win in the tournament, while Apollon is still pointless. Mediterrani played very well in the third and at the beginning of the fourth period. The Spaniards built a three-goal lead twice (8:5 and 9:6). Still, their win was in danger until the very end. A minute and a half, Apollon leveled at 9:9. Immediately after, Mediterrani’s Torres scored from a 6 on 5 and the hosts regained the lead (10:9) with 50 seconds remaining. Apollon couldn’t equalize once again.
1.BVSC (HUN) 2 – 6
2.Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 2 – 6
3.Trieste (ITA) 2 – 3
4. Mediterrani (ESP) 2 – 3
5. Apollon Smyrnis (GRE) 2 – 0
6. Kosice (SVK) 2 – 0
Day 3 (October 15)
Group A (Thessaloniki): Solaris – Montpellier (09:30), Echeyde – ZV De Zaan (10:45), PAOK – Ludwigsburg (12:00), Echeyde – Solaris (18:00) , ZV De Zaan – Ludwigsburg (19:15), PAOK – Montpellier (20:30)
Group B (Syracuse): Szolnok – Ortigia (15:00), Ydriakos – Partizan (16:30)
Group C (Kranj): Valis – Strasbourg (17:00), Triglav – Honved (18:40), Telimar – Terrassa (20:20)
Group D (Barcelona): Apollon – Trieste (09:30), BVSC Zuglo – Crvena Zvezda (11:10), Mediterrani – SKP Kosice (12:50), Apollon – Crvena Zvezda (17:30),Trieste – Kosice (19:10), Mediterrani – BVSC (20:50).
