Novi Beograd continued its winning streak in the Champions League. This evening, the Serbian champions faced their toughest challenge of the European season so far, but they overcame it with outstanding defense. Novi Beograd defeated Olympiacos in Piraeus 8:5.
In the other match of Quarterfinal Group A, Marseille secured a home victory against Jadran Split 11:9, thanks to a 3:0 series made within less than three minutes of the final quarter.
Champions League 2024/25, Quarterfinal Stage, Day 2, Group A
Olympiacos – Novi Beograd 5:8 (0:0, 1:2,2:3,2:3)
Olympiacos: Genidounias 2, Fountoulis 1, Dimou 1, Zalanki 1.
Novi Beograd: Perkovic 2, Vlachopulos 2, Lukic 2, Skoumpakis 1, Martinovic 1,
Both teams had strong defenses from the beginning, and there were no goals for a long time. Olympiacos created more scoring opportunities in the first two periods, but young Novi Beograd’s goalkeeper Milan Glusac was outstanding, making 11 saves in the first half (and he added five in the 3rd and 4th periods).
Olympiacos’ and Greece’s goalkeeper Emanuel Zerdevas was also up to the task, but he couldn’t save a close-range shot from the visitors’ center forward, Miroslav Perkovic, who broke the deadlock in the 10th minute, giving Novi Beograd a 1:0. Nikola Lukic then doubled the Serbs’ advantage with a well-placed lob. Olympiacos finally got on the scoreboard just 82 seconds before the halftime break, when Fountoulis scored from a distance.
Early in the third quarter, Novi Beograd built a 4:1 lead, the visitors had a 5:2 advantage, too. Still, Olympiacos trailed by two goals before the final quarter as Gergo Zalanki converted a man-up with three seconds left on the clock. It was his first goal after six unsuccessful attempts.
In the 26th minute, Novi Beograd was awarded a penalty shot, which Vasilije Martinovic converted, restoring a three-goal lead for the Serbs at 6:3. As tensions rose, Olympiacos players became increasingly nervous and began making more mistakes in their attack. Novi Beograd’s strong defense provided a solid foundation for the attack.
With five minutes remaining, Angelos Vlachopulos streched the margin to four goals, making it 7:3. Genidounias responded with a power-play goal, but Olympiacos couldn’t bridge the gap, despite having a great chance. In the 29th minute, Glusac made a crucial save against a shot from Papanastasiou in the center-forward position. A minute later, Dimitrios Skoumpakis made it 8:4, effectively sealing the game. A late goal from Genidounias could change nothing.
Marseille – Jadran Split 11:9 (3:2, 3:4, 2:2, 3:1)
Marseille: Angyal 2, Prlainovic 2, Vernoux 2,Bouet 1,Crousillat 1, Marion-Vernoux 1, Bodegas 1, Velotto 1..
Jadran Split: Berehulak 2, Duzevic 2, Fatovic 1, Marinic Kragic 1, Radan 1, Pejkovic 1, Cuzzi 1
The game in Marseille produced several twists and turns, but the hosts made the crucial turn, scoring the last three goals, thus securing their third consecutive win over Jadran (after two in the 2024 Champions League). In the last few days, the Croats have had many problems with injuries and illnesses. They had only 11 players on the roster in Marseille, but they fought hard until the end.
Marseille started excellently and took a 2:0 lead in the first three minutes. Between these two goals the hosts killed two Jadran’s two man-ups. The French maintained a 2-goal lead until 4:2. Then, the Croats netted two consecutive goals. Antonio Duzevic leveled from a counter-attack in the 12th minute. Marseille had a triple man-up opportunity in the next possession, but didn’t score. The hosts paid for it shortly after Loren Fatovic gave Jadran a 5:4 from a penalty shot. Marseille regained a slim advantage, but the visitors leveled in their last attack in the first half – 6:6.
Defenses dominated in the second half, but Jadran controlled the result until the middle of the final period. The Croats led 7:6 and 8:7 in the third period, but the hosts leveled the score on both occasions.
In the opening minutes of the final quarter, Marseille missed an opportunity to take the lead when Marko Bijac saved a penalty shot from Prlainovic. Shortly after, the hosts failed to capitalize on a man-up situation. Following this missed opportunity, Jerko Marinic Kragic stunned the hosts and their goalkeeper, Tesanovic, by scoring from the middle of the field. However, that turned out to be Jadran’s last goal of the match.
Andrija Prlainovic Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Total Waterpolo
With fantastic support from their fans, Marseille responded by scoring three unanswered goals in just 2 minutes and 46 seconds. Prlainovic equalized immediately from a distance, making up for the missed penalty. Shortly after, Thomas Vernoux put Marseille ahead at 10:9. Danial Angyal extended the lead to 11:9 with three and a half minutes remaining. Nothing was yet decided, but Marseille maintained its advantage until the final buzzer.
Vladan Spaic played for Marseille in the Champions League for the first time in nearly six months. The Montenegrin was suspended for ten matches after committing a brutal foul in the match against Jadran HN in the opening round of the Main Stage. He missed six matches during his suspension. Marseille filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS). Spaic is allowed to play until CAS makes the final decision.
Standings: 1. Novi Beograd 6, 2. Marseille 3, 3. Olympiacos 3, 4. Jadran Split 0.
Group B (Wednesday)
All matches start at 20.00 CET. Follow the live scores and the statistics on Total Waterpolo Arena
Standings: 1. Ferencvaros 3, 2. Savona 3, 3. Oradea 0, 4. Barceloneta 0.
