A big derby was a highlight of the second day of the French League. Marseille, the Champions League wildcard-holder, hosted Pays d’Aix. Marseille took the points with a narrow 11:10 win.
Strasbourg beat Reims 12:7, Noisy-le-Sec defeated Nice 14:8. Tourcoing demolished Bordeaux (20:6). Montpellier was better than Sete (9:6).
2020/21 French League, Day 2
Marseille – Pays d’Aix 11:10 (4:1, 2:2, 1:2, 4:5)
Marseille: Prlainovic 3, Kovacevic 3, Vukicevic 2, Crousillat 2, Cuckovic 1.
Pays d’Aix: Gagulic 3, Dino 3, Veron 1, Popadic 1, Bakircilar 1, Gluhaic 1.
Strasbourg – Reims 12:7 (4:1, 3:0, 3:3, 2:4)
Team Strasbourg: Misic 3, Markovic 3, Valentino 1, Babic 1, Missy 1, Culina 1, Buha 1.
Reims: Calic 3, Vix 1, De Bie 1, Kovacic 1, Krivokapic 1.
Noisy-le-Sec – Nice 14:8 (0:0, 4:1, 6:3, 4:4)
Noisy-le-Sec: Petkovic 4, Krapic 3, Marzouki 2, Rasovic 1, Peisson 1, Do Carmo 1, Bjorch 1, Caumette 1.
Nice:Gardikas 3, Butic 2, Bachelier 1, Canovas 1,Cakic 1.
Montpellier – Sete 9:6 (3:0, 3:2, 0:2, 3:2)
Montpellier: Delas 3, D. Zivkovic 3, Vilcot Lambert 1, Ivankovic 1, Kalinic 1.
Sete : Furman 2, Pozo 1, Mijuskovic 1, Porobic 1, Chandieu 1
Bordeaux – Tourcoing 6:20 (2:4, 1:3, 1:7, 2:6)
Douai bye
Marseille led throughout the derby match against Pays d’Aix, but the visitors didn’t give in and fought hard until the end. Marseille opened the game with a 3:0 lead. Aix interrupted Marseille’s series with an action goal for 1:3. But, by the first break, the hosts re-earned a 3-goal advantage (4:1).
Aix reduced the gap early in the second quarter (3:4). However, the hosts responded with two goals, and distance at halftime was three goals again (6:3). The third quarter was similar to the previous one. Aix opened this period with two goals and trailed 5:6 in the middle of the quarter, but Marseille water polo players didn’t let the visitors equalize. They entered the last period with a two-goal advantage (7:5). Andrija Prlainovic scored his 3rd goal in the match for 8:5 in Marseille’s first possession in the fourth quarter. That didn’t discourage the water polo players of Pays d’Aix, who fought bravely until the last buzzer, but Marseille kept all three points with a narrow win.
Marseille’s most significant addition this summer Andrija Prlainovic scored three goals for the winning team. His fellow countryman and Marseille’s captain Igor Kovacevic (who has dual Serbian-French citizenship and plays for France), also, found the net three times. Andro Gagulic and France’s Guillaume Dino scored three goals each for Pays d’Aix.
Team Strasbourg recorded a convincing win over Reims. The titleholder got off to a flying start. Strasbourg conceded just a single goal in the first half of the match and had a 7:1 lead at the middle break. The hosts added two goals in the first three minutes of the third quarter and went 9:1 up. There was no way back for Reims.
Noisy-le-Sec recorded a big win over Nice. Both defenses worked perfectly in the opening minutes. There were no goals until the 13th minute when Noisy’s Caumette broke the deadlock by converting a penalty shot to 1:0. From that point on, Noisy dominated. The Parisiens even had a 7-goal advantage(10:3). After the final buzzer, the margin was six (14:8).
Montpellier defeated the neighbors from Sete – 9:6. The first half (6:2) was crucial for the outcome. Tourcoing was merciless in the clash with Bordeaux, the newcomer to the Elite Division.
1.Marseille 2 – 6
2. Strasbourg 2 – 6
3. Noisy-le-Sec 2 – 6
4. Montpellier 2 – 6
5. Pays d’Aix 2 – 3
6.Tourcoing 2 – 3
7.Douai 1 – 0
8. Reims 1 – 0
9.Sete 2 – 0
10.Nice 2 – 0
11.Bordeaux 2 – 0
