The big Italian derby was on the schedule in the 17th round of Serie A1.
Pro Recco and Brescia faced off in Recco. Brescia started very well. It had a 3-goal advantage early in the second quarter (5:2). But Recco managed to come back. The match ended with no winner – 6:6.
The encounter between the Champions League clubs wasn’t the only “European derby” in the 17th round. Savona and Trieste, the clubs that will meet in the LEN Euro Cup semifinals, played the match in Savona. The home team recorded a 13:11 win.
Ortigia and Quinto shared the points (7:7) in a thrilling match in Syracuse.
There was a lot of excitement in the match in Naples.
2022/23 Italian League, Day 17
Pro Recco – Brescia 6:6 (2:4, 2:1, 1:0, 1:1)
Pro Recco: Di Fulvio 1, Zalanki 1, Younger 1, Velotto 1, Aicardi 1, Hallock 1.
Brescia: E. Di Somma 2, Lazic 1, Vapenski 1, Kharkov 1, Alesiani 1.
Savona – Trieste 13:11 (3:4, 5:3, 3:2, 3:2)
Savona: Campopiano 3, Djurdjic 3, Patchaliev 2, Lanzoni 2, Rocchi 1, Giovanetti 1,Bruni 1
Trieste: Inaba 3, Bini 3, Mladossich 2, Petronio 2, Valentino 1.
Ortigia – Quinto 7:7 (1:1, 2:3, 2:2, 2:1)
Ortigia: Ferrero 3, Vidovic 2, Rossi 1, Di Luciano 1.
Iren Quinto Genoa: A.Di Somma 2, Fracas 1, Nora 1, Figari 1, Mijuskovic 1, Gambacciani 1.
Roma – Salerno 10:7 (2:3, 3:1, 2:2, 3:1)
Roma: Viskovic 3, F.Faraglia 2, Tartaro 2, Voncina 1, P.Faraglia 1, Mirarchi 1
Salerno: Bertoli 4, Siani 1, Gallo 1, Barroso 1.
Bogliasco – Telimar 5:15 (2:5,2:3, 1:3, 0:4)
Bogliasco: Blanchard 1, Guidaldi 1, Brambiilla Di Civesio 1, Boero 1, Puccio 1.
Telimar: Irving 4, Hooper 3, Pericas 3, Del Basso 2, Lo Cascio 2, Occhione 1.
Posillipo – De Akker 8:8 (2:0, 2:2, 3:4, 1:2)
Posillipo: Stevenson 2, Abramson 2, Briganti 2, Saccoia 2.
De Akker Bologna: Milakovic 2, Kadar 1, Guerrato 1, Manzi 1, Cocchi 1, Deserti 1.
Anzio – Catania 12:11 (5:3, 2:4, 3:1, 2:3)
Anzio Waterpolis: Bajic 3, Cuccovillo 2, Lapenna 2, Koprcina 2Pelicaric 1, Goreta 1, Barberini 1,
Catania: La rosa 3, Torrisi 2, Camilleri 2, Torrisi 1, Privitera 1, Gullotta 1,
The big derby was played in front of the packed stands of the outdoor pool in Recco.
Pro Recco was never in front. Brescia led until the middle of the fourth quarter, but it couldn’t keep an advantage and didn’t take revenge for a 4:7 loss to Recco in the first half of the season.
Both teams played a strong pressing in defense from the first whistle. Brescia got along better with that tactics in the first quarter. Lefties Kharkov and Vapenski gave the visitors a 2:0 lead. Recco halved the deficit twice (1:2, 2:3). Still, Brescia entered the second quarter with a two-goal advantage (4:2). In the 11th minute, Brescia’s center-forward Lazic stretched the margin to three after a good assist by Christian Presciutti – 5:2. That was Brescia’s last goal in the first half. Pro Recco netted two before the middle break. Zalanki made it 3:5. Matteo Aicardi closed the first half, scoring from a counterattack for 4:5.
Each defense was up to the task in the third quarter and didn’t let the opponent create many good opportunities to score. Francesco Di Fulvio was the only one who found the net in this period. Just 28 seconds before the end of the quarter. He leveled at 5:5, scoring from a distance.
Francesco Di Fulvio (Pro Recco) Photo:LEN-F8 Belgrade.rs
But, the sides were tied for a short time. Edoardo Di Somma sent a projectile in the net in Brescia’s first possession in the final period and the visitors took a 6:5 advantage. In the 28th minute, Aaron Younger equalized from a penalty shot (6:6). In the remaining time, nobody found the net, and goalkeepers Marco Del Lungo (Recco) and Petar Tesanovic (Brescia) posted a few nice saves. There were no goals in the last four minutes, but the tension was getting higher as the match was approaching the end. Fifty seconds before the final buzzer, referees whistled a double exclusion – Gonzalo Echenique (Pro Recco) and Niccolo Gitto (Brescia) were red-carded.
Recco had the last possession in the match and a chance to win. Francesco Di Fulvio’s shot in the dying seconds went wide and the big rivals shared the points. In the end, Pro Recco is happier with the draw since it kept 1st place.
The duel between the LEN Euro Cup semifinalists, Savona and Trieste, was an even contest from the beginning. Trieste took an opening 1:0 lead. After that , a long exchange of goals started. Savona chased the visitors. In the middle of the second quarter, the home team went ahead for the first time after Rocchi converted a man-up for 7:6. Savona kept a minimal lead until the middle break. Bogdan Djurdjic opened the second half with a goal from a penalty shot to give Savona a 9:7 lead. Two goals separated the rivals for the first time. Trieste managed to equalize – 9:9. But, at the finish of the quarter, Savona regained a 2-goal advantage (11:9). In the fourth quarter, Trieste halved the deficit twice (10:11 and 11:12), but it couldn’t equalize. Campopiano set the final score in the 28th minute – 13:11.
The encounter between Ortigia and Iren Genova Quinto was similar to the derby in Recco. It was a hard defensive battle that ended with no winner. Quinto led most of the time. Midway through the second period, Quinto built a 2-goal lead (4:2) and had a great chance to widen the gap, but Mijuskovic failed to score from a penalty. Ortigia’s Rossi scored for 3:4 at the finish of the first half.
After a balanced third period, Ortigia was a better rival in the final quarter. Two minutes before the end, the hosts took the lead for the first time. Ferrero scored from a 6 on 5 to give Ortigia a 7:6 lead. But, In its last possession, Quinto forced a man-up, which Nora converted to the final score (7:7) with 13 seconds left on the clock.
Telimar dictated the pace from the beginning of the game against Bogliasco and recorded a big 15:5 victory.
One of the matches that ended in a tie was an encounter between Posillipo and De Akker. Posillipo built a 2:0 lead in the first quarter and kept the advantage for a long. De Akker leveled in the middle of the third quarter (5:5). The Naples-based side regained a 2-goal advantage in the 26th minute after Abramson scored from a 6 on 5 for 8:6. In the next attack, De Akker forced a penalty shot. Kristijan Milakovic sent the ball into the net (7:8). A minute and a half before the end, De Akker was awarded a new penalty. Milakovic took responsibility again and made no mistake. He found the net and set the final score – 8:8.
Anzio narrowly defeated Catania (12:11). Anzio led 12:8 early in the fourth period. Catania started coming back, and scored three last goals in the match, but didn’t equalize.
1.Pro Recco 17 – 49
2. Brescia 17 – 46
3. Ortigia 17 – 38
4. Telimar 17 – 37
5 Savona 17 – 35
6. Trieste 17 – 31
7. Iren Quinto 17 – 25
8. Anzio 17 – 17
9. De Akker 17 -14
10. Roma 16 – 14
11. Salerno 17 – 13
12.Posillipo 17 – 12
13. Catania 16 – 8
14. Bogliasco 17 – 4
