Novi Beograd confirmed 1st place in Group A of the Champions League and will be in a higher pot of the draw for the quarterfinal groups. Brescia completed the list of the clubs in the Top 8 of the elite competition.
The Serbian champion beat Sabadell in Spain – 11:7 in the first match of today’s program in the Champions League. It took revenge for a defeat to Sabadell in Belgrade and, more importantly, kept the top position.
Brescia took advantage of the chance that was offered to it by Sabadell’s defeat. The Italians crushed Steaua (16:7) and climbed to second place in Group A, thus qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Sabadell dropped to 3rd place and will continue the season in the Euro Cup.
Pro Recco finished the first phase with a 6-0 record. The reigning champion beat Olympiacos in Piraeus in Group B thanks to a late comeback and a last-second goal from Francesco Di Fulvio – 11:10. Jug defeated Dinamo 19:13 in the same group. But, everything in this group was decided after Day 5.
2024 Champions League, Day 6
Group A
Sabadell – Novi Beograd 7:11 (2:3, 2:3, 1:3, 2:2)
Sabadell: Valera 2, Barroso 2, Mallarach 2, Averka 1.
Novi Beograd: Radulovic 3, Vlachopoulos 3, Filipovic 2, Granados 1, Drasovic 1, Lukic 1,
Dilemmas about the standings in Group A were solved in the early afternoon. The game in which Sabadell hosted Novi Beograd started at 12:30, which is usual for the Spanish clubs during the weekends but not on weekdays.
A point was enough for Novi Beograd to keep first place. Sabadell would have finished in 2nd place if it had won two points (a win after a penalty shootout). However, the visitors didn’t calculate and dictated the pace from the first quarter. The Serbian team allowed Sabadell to take the lead once. The Spaniards scored the first goal, but Novi Beograd responded with three for a 3:1 advantage. During the first half, Sabadell reduced the deficit to one goal several times (2:3, 3:4, 4:5), but as the match progressed, the defense of the Serbian champion worked better and better. At the finish of the first half, Marko Radulović scored from a distance – 6:4. By the middle of the third period, the Serbian team reached a four-goal advantage (8:4). Sabadell narrowed the distance close to 5:8, but Angelos Vlahopoulos restored a four-goal lead with a very nice action goal – 9:5. Sabadell didn’t endanger Novi Beograd’s advantage in the final period.
Sabadell’s hope of reaching the quarterfinal group lived live until the evening and the end of the match Brescia – Steaua. However, Steaua didn’t surprise the favorite and Sabadell went to the Euro Cup.
Brescia – Steaua 16:7 (4:0, 5:2, 3:1, 4:4)
Brescia: Del Basso 3, Dolce 2, F.Faraglia 2, Balzarini 2, Manzi 2, Guerrato 2, Irving 2, Alesiani 1.
Steaua: Georgescu 2, Fulea 2, Tepelus 1, Antipa 1, Oanta 1.
Novi Beograd opened the doors of the quarterfinal stage to Brescia by beating Sabadell. Brescia did its part of the job and convincingly defeated Steaua.The Italians were very concentrated on their task. The hosts played very disciplined in defense. The Romanians got on the scoreboard only in the 12th minute – Georgescu converted a penalty. Before that goal, Brescia earned a 5:0 lead. The hosts widened the difference to seven by the end of the first half (9:2). The hosts led 12:3 before the final period and entered the fourth eight minutes relaxed. Steaua opened the fourth quarter with three straight goals and reduced the gap to 6:12, but Brescia restored a 9-goal difference.
Standings: 1. Novi Beograd 15, 2. Brescia 11, 3. Sabadell 10, 4. Steaua 0.
The group winners (Novi Beograd, Pro Recco, Ferencvaros and Barceloneta) will be in the first batch of the draw, and the second-placed in the 2nd batch (Brescia, Olympiacos, Jadran Split and Marseille).
The teams that played in the same group in the first phase cannot be drawn into the same quarterfinal group. The draw will probably be conducted next week
Group B
Olympiacos – Pro Recco 10:11 (2:1, 3:2, 3:3, 2:5)
Olympiacos: Vamos 3, Fountoulis 3, Genidounias 2, Alafragkis 1, Papanastasiou 1.
Pro Recco: Zalanki 3, N.Presciutti 3 Di Fulvio 2, Echenique 2, Younger 1.
Both water polo giants entered the match with winning ambitions despite the fact that the duel in Pireaus decided nothing. Both coaches fielded their best players (only Recco’s captain, Aleksandar Ivovic, who has been injured for a while, was missing).
Olympiacos dictated the pace and led for almost the entire match. Already in the 11th minute, the Greeks earned a three-goal lead for the first time (4:1) and rebuilt that advantage in the third period (6:3, 7:4, 8:5). Early in the fourth period. The visitors cut the deficit to one (Zalanki 7:8). Fountoulis made it 9:7 in the next possession. But, Recco gained a momentum. The Italians scored three goals in 02:10 minutes. Nicholas Presciutti scored from a close-range shot to put Recco in front for the first time – 10:9 with two and a half minutes remaining on the clock.
Papanastasiou leveled at 10:10 with 34 seconds to go. Recco’s coach, Sandro Sukno, called a timeout. Just 16 seconds before the end , Recco got a man-up. The Italians waited until the very last second to shot. At 0:01, Francesco Di Fulvio hit the back of the net from 6 meters, and all three points went to Italy.
Jug – Dinamo 19:13 (5:5, 4:2, 6:2, 4:4)
Jug: Daube 7, Cabanas 4, Bjelopera 3, Buric 2, Jokovic 1, Vukojevic 1, Zuvela 1.
Dinamo Tbilisi: Pjesivac 4, Vapenski 3, Magrakvelidze 2, Jakhaia 1, Dzikhtisiarenka 1.
The match in Dubrovnik was similar to many others that Dinamo played in the Champions League this season. The Georgians started well, but it wasn’t enough. Dinamo managed to keep with the rival for almost two quarters, but the favorite secured a convincing win in the second half.
The teams didn’t care much about defense in the game that lacked tension and importance. Dinamo controlled the result and took the lead in the first quarter, but Jug didn’t let the visitors go too far. In the 9th minute, Dinamo went ahead for the last time – 6:5. The Dubrovnik-based side replied with a 3:0 run; from then on, it was always in front. The hosts secured a comfortable win in the third quarter.
Standings: 1. Pro Recco 18, 2. Olympiacos 11, 3. Jug 7, 4. Dinamo 0.
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