Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-238×48Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-retina-104×96Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-238×48Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-238×48
  • News
  • CroMasters 2024
  • SHOP NOW
  • Livescore
    • Champions League
      • Champions League 2023/24
      • Women’s Champions League 2023/24
      • Champions League 2022/23
    • AUSTRIA 🇦🇹
      • Bundesliga Women
      • Bundesliga Men
      • Supercup
      • Cup
      • Regionalliga Ost
      • U-21 Women
      • U-19
      • U-17
      • U-15
      • U-13
      • U-12
      • U-11
    • SLOVENIA 🇸🇮
      • Slovenian championship 2022/23
      • Slovenian Cup 2022/23
    • Nordic League
      • Nordic league 2022/23
      • Nordic League 2021/22
      • Nordic Women’s League 2022
    • Alpe Waterpolo League
    • BWIPA
      • Next Generation 2023 – Men
      • Next Generation 2023 – Women
      • Barcelona Masters Cup
        • 30+ Women
        • 40+ Women
        • 30+ Men
        • 40+ Men
        • 50+ Men
      • HaBaWaBa Spain Plus
      • HaBaWaBa Easter U12
      • HaBaWaBa Easter U10
    • Tournaments
      • Herceg Novi Masters 2023 “30+”
      • Herceg Novi Masters 2023 “40+”
      • Budva Masters 2023
      • Duisburg 98 Cup 2023
      • Tintilinić 2023
      • Ruhr Games 2023
      • Sunčana Kapica 2023
      • Total Waterpolo Trophy U-15
      • Montenegro Cup 2022 (U16)
  • National
    • Hungarian League
    • French League
    • Spanish League
  • International
    • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Water Polo
    • World Championships
      • Fukuoka 2023
        • Fukuoka 2023 Men
        • Fukuoka 2023 Women
      • WC U20 Men 2023 – Romania
      • Budapest 2022 Men
      • Budapest 2022 Women
      • Gwangju 2019
      • Budapest 2017
    • European Championships
      • Split 2022 Men
      • Split 2022 Women
      • Budapest 2020
      • Barcelona 2018
    • Other
      • World Cup 2023
      • WL Belgrade 2019
      • World Cup – Berlin 2018
      • Junior WC Prague 2021
      • Junior EC Podgorica 2022
  • Total Player Award
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
✕

Rudić: Olympiacos had all the merits for this win, they deserved it!

June 8, 2019

It is time we stop looking at Pro Recco as the main title contender. For the second year in a row, Olympiacos showed more passion, more grit and an outstanding team performance. They will be defending their Champions League title against Ferencvaros.

The first semi-final couldn’t have been any more thrilling. Though Recco took the
lead but Olympiacos hit back with four straight action goals for a 1-4 lead and was 3-5 ahead after an action-packed first period. As the game went on, the two Croatian goalies got in the focus since Marko Bijac struggled to have a hand on the ball (Olympiacos netted 6 goals on their first six shots on target) while Josip Pavic (his predecessor in Croatia’s goal) could make a couple of great saves. This gave Olympiacos a 5-8 lead shortly before the big break but after the eighth goal, a controversial judgment of Niccolo Figari’s roughness caused a huge upset on the pool deck (he got a red card) though the five-minute interval cooled down the sides (temporarily).

Pro Recco seemed to come back more composed and they quickly equalized for 8-8, but before they could have capitalized on their momentum, Paulo Obradovic netted a brilliant backhander to give back the lead for the Greeks. Soon they jumped to 8-11 with two man-up goals and the red cards were back too as the tensions ran high again.

Luka Bukic pulled one back with a nice move in only 13 seconds in the fourth but Olympiacos managed to keep the ball for an unbelievably long, 2:47min, including four corners and a man-up at the end. They missed it and even though they killed much time, Recco found the right gears. Aleksandar Ivovic put away a man-up and 32 seconds later Matteo Aicardi managed to score a brilliant goal from the centre for 11-11, with 2:10 remaining.

Recco was back in the game, Bijac came up with a big save in the best moment, in a man-down, but Pavic denied Filipovic too. Olympiacos’s attack looked weak again when the prelims’ top scorer Konstantinos Genidounias let the ball fly from a seemingly hopeless situation but it got a slight deflection and found the back of the net with 38 seconds remaining. Ratko Rudic called for a time-out but the grand maestro had to see their last possession ending in a Greek steal, and the title-holders started wild celebrations while Recco, defeated after 15 straight wins, need to wait one more year (since 2015) to have another shot at the trophy.

“I don’t know what to say… We came here to defend our title and my players were fantastic, they fought in every moment with their heart. Sometimes I tried to push them even harder to overcome moments which were really tough to handle. In the end, we could beat once again the team what was the best in Europe in the last ten years. But Olympiacos is now is the best team in Europe as we are the title holders and we can prepare for another final.” – Theodoros Vlachos, Olympiacos head coach

“At the beginning, we received too many easy goals which put us in a difficult situation. We had to prepare ourselves to become more dangerous and in this phase, there were some moments when the emotions were taken over. But we still came back but at the end luck wasn’t on our side, the ball touched the defenders’ hand and flew to the goal instead of a block at 11-11 and the last possession for us. But Olympiacos had all the merits for this win, they deserved it, we have to congratulate them.” – Ratko Rudić, Pro Recco head coach

TW Press
TW Press

Related posts

Denes Varga Photo by Dj. Kostic/VK Novi Beograd

September 27, 2023

Ferencvaros and Jadran Split collect points after late comebacks


Read more

Nikola Jaksic scored six goals today Photo by Slobodan Sandić

September 26, 2023

Two thrillers open new Champions League season; title holder and runner-up with no mercy


Read more

Olympiacos' defense Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Total Waterpolo

September 25, 2023

Champions League begins: Big game of week takes place in Piraeus


Read more

Featured Projects

01 - 06 July, 2024 - Limited Availability

Book NowLearn More

SUPPORT US ON PATREON

If you share our passion for water polo worldwide, consider becoming a cherished contributor to our cause, with as little as 5$/month.

SUPPORT US

Learn More

Custom Team Gear

LEARN MORE

Shop Now

Looking for something?

✕
  • Italian League 2023 – Women
    September 28, 2023
  • Italian League 2023 – Men
    September 28, 2023
  • 0
    Favorites earn away victories in Hungary
    September 28, 2023
  • Home
  • Water Polo News
  • WearWaterpolo Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Project Superstar – TW Camp
  • BIWPA
  • Custom Team Equipment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2021 Total Waterpolo. All Rights Reserved.
Total Waterpolo Arena

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalized content. By clicking "Accept All Cookies" or continuing to browse this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT