Pro Recco and Brescia again in battle for trophy

May 6, 2023

Aleksandar Ivovic; photo by Total Waterpolo

The Italian water polo championship is reaching its climax, with favorites Pro Recco and Brescia set to face off in the final. Both teams won their semifinal series 2:0, with Brescia defeating Ortigia 8:11 in the second leg, while Pro Recco had an easy 5:11 victory over Telimar.

In other matches, Savona took a 1:0 lead in their series against Quinto, while Trieste won their series against Posillipo 2:0. The other series is all tied at 1:1, with the home teams returning victories in the second leg.

Playoff, semifinals 1-4 place

Ortigia – Brescia 8:11 (2:4, 4:1, 1:4, 1:2)

Ortigia: Napolitano 4, Luciano 1, Vidovic 1, Condemi 1, Ferrero 1.

Brescia: Di Somma 4, Dolce 3, Luongo 2, Renzuto Iodice 2.

In a thrilling match, Brescia emerged victorious with a score of 8:11 against Ortigia. The match started with both teams tied at 2:2 in the fourth minute. However, Brescia soon took the lead with a series of two goals, making it 2:4 by the end of the first quarter. Ortigia fought back in the second quarter, scoring four goals and allowing only one for Brescia, bringing the score to 6:5 in their favor. But Brescia wasn’t willing to let go just yet, and Renzuto Iodice scored a goal to tie the game at 6:6 in the 18th minute. Luciano then scored for Ortigia to regain their lead at 7:6. However, Brescia came back strong in the third period, scoring three goals in a row to take a commanding lead of 7:9. At the start of the last period, Brescia decided the winner with two more goals in a row, making it 8:11 and securing their spot in the final.

Telimar – Pro Recco 5:11 (1:4, 2:2, 1:2, 1:3)

Telimar: Del Basso 3, Irving 2.

Pro Recco: Zalanki 4, Presciutti 2, Younger 1, Fondelli 1, Echenique 1, Hallock 1, Iocchi Gratta 1.

In the semifinal, Pro Recco secured an easy victory over Telimar with a score of 5:11 and the final. The game started with Pro Recco taking the lead with three goals in the first quarter, with the score at 1:4. In the second period, both teams scored two goals each, bringing the score to 3:6 by halftime. Pro Recco continued their dominance in the third and fourth periods, increasing the goal difference to six, resulting in a final score of 5:11.

Playoff, semifinals 5-8 place

Savona – Quinto 15:9 (3:2, 3:3, 3:2, 6:2)

Savona: Durdic 3, Caldieri 3, Campopiano 3, Patchaliev 2, Lanzoni 1, Guidi 1, Rizzo 1, Panerai 1.

Quinto: Ravina 3, Villa 2, Figari 2, Molina Rios 1, Di Somma 1.

Savona secured a comfortable victory over Quinto with a final score of 15:9 in their first match of the series. Despite a shaky start, Savona managed to come back and take control of the game. Quinto took the lead with a score of 0:2 early on in the match. However, Savona responded with three consecutive goals to take the lead at the end of the first quarter with a score of 3:2. In the second period, both teams scored three goals each, bringing the halftime score to 6:5 in favor of Savona. Savona extended their lead in the third quarter, scoring three goals and holding Quinto on two, bringing the score to 9:7 by the end of the period. In the final period, Savona continued to dominate, scoring six goals while allowing only two from Quinto, ultimately securing a victory with a final score of 15:9.

Posillipo – Trieste 7:9 (2:2, 2:1, 1:2, 2:4)

Posillipo: Stevenson 3, Aiello 2, Matiello 1, Abramson 1.

Trieste: Inaba 2, Vrlic 2, Valentino 2, Podgornik 1, Mladossich 1, Petronio 1.

In a thrilling match between Trieste and Posillipo, Trieste emerged as the victor with a 7:9 scoreline. The match took place in Naples, with Trieste taking a win 2:0 in the series. Posillipo started the match strongly, taking a 2:0 lead in the first period. However, Trieste fought back and managed to level the scores at 2:2 by the end of the period. In the second period, the hosts scored two goals to take a 4:2 lead, but Vrlic scored a goal for Trieste to reduce the deficit to 4-3. The visitors came back strongly in the third period and managed to tie the game at 5:5. In the final period, Trieste took the lead at 7:5, but Posillipo responded with two quick goals to make it 7:8. However, Mladossich scored the winning goal for Trieste in the 31st minute, securing the victory for the visitors with final result 7:9.

Playout semifinals

Catania – Anzio 9:8 (3:5, 2:3, 3:0, 1:0)

Catania: La Rosa 3, Eskert 1, Toirrisi 1, Camilleri 1, Privitera 1, Russo 1, Catania 1.

Anzio: Goreta 3, Cuccovillo 2, Bajic 1, Susak 1, Pelicaric 1.

Catania secured a tie in the series with a thrilling victory against Anzio 9:8. The game started well for Anzio as they took an early lead of 3:5 at the end of the first period. They extended their lead to 5:8 in the second period, putting pressure on Catania. However, Catania mounted a stunning comeback in the second half, dominating the game and not allowing Anzio to score any goals. Catania scored four goals in the second half, taking the lead and securing the win with a final score of 9:8.

Salerno – De Akker 14:12 (2:2, 2:2, 2:4, 3:1, 5:3)

Salerno: Bertoli 2, Tomasic 2, Luongo 1, Sanges 1, Gallo 1, Barroso Macarro 1, Vassallo 1.

De Akker: Grossi 3, Milakovic 2, Boggiano 1, Alfonso 1, Deserti 1, Guerrato 1.

In an interesting match, Salerno was able to secure a 14:12 victory over De Akker after a tense penalty shootout. The match was tied at 9:9 at the end of the fourth period, with both teams scoring four goals each in the first and second periods and De Akker taking a two-goal lead in the third period. The visitors started the match strongly, taking a 0:2 lead, but Salerno fought back and managed to score two goals before the end of the first period. The second period was equally competitive, with both teams scoring two goals each, resulting in a 4:4 tie going into the third period. De Akker looked like they were going to secure the victory after taking a two-goal lead, but Salerno managed to score two goals in quick succession to tie the game at 8:8 in the 26th minute. However, De Akker responded immediately to retake the lead at 8:9 in the 27th minute. With the game on the line, Salerno scored a crucial goal in the final minutes of the match to force a penalty shootout. Salerno was able to hold their nerve in the shootout and secure the victory with a 14:12 scoreline.