Sabadell and Telimar Palermo will play in the LEN Euro Cup final.
Both teams were defeated in today’s return leg of the semifinals, but they advanced to the final.
The Catalan derby offered a lot of excitement. A month ago, Sabadell earned an away win over Barcelona (12:10). Today, Barcelona recorded a 9:8 victory in Sabadell, but it wasn’t enough for a ticket for the final.
Ortigia beat Telimar7:6 in the Sicilian derby. But, Ortigia needed a miracle to reach the final. Everything in this duel was decided after the first leg. Telimar won the first match with a technical score (10:0) because Ortigia wasn’t able to play due to a number of Covid cases.
Telimar will play in the Euro Cup final for the first time in the club’s history. The Palermo-based side debuted in LEN competitions this season. Sabadell has played in the LEN Euro Cup final once. It happened in 2012, but Savona was better than the Spaniards (aggregate score 20:17).
2021/22 LEN Euro Cup semifinals, 2nd leg
Sabadell – Barcelona 8:9 (2:1, 2:3, 0:2, 4:3) – first leg 12:10
Sabadell: Averka 3, Valera 2, Banicevic 2, Bertran 1.
Barcelona: Mallarach 2, Van den Burg 2, Valls 2, Garcia 1, Tahull 1, Ramon 1.
The first match of the Spanish rivals, played in Barcelona, was full of twists and turns. Today’s game was similar, but neither of the teams had a 3-goal lead. Sabadell started better. The hosts had a 2:0 and 3:1 advantage. After that, Barcelona produced a 5:1 series and jumped to a 6:4 lead before the final quarter.
Sabadell caught up with the rival by the middle of the fourth period (6:6). However, Barceloneta responded with two goals in a span of 60 seconds and re-earned a 2-goal lead – 8:6 with 03:20 minutes left on the clock.
Sabadell’s Valera took the match into his own hands. He scored two back-to-back goals for 8:8 (31st minute). Barcelona’s ace Mallarach scored a late goal for a consolation 9:8 victory.
Ortigia – Telimar 7:6 (2:2, 1:1, 2:2, 2:1) – first leg 0:10
Ortigia: Gallo 3, Cassia 1, Condemi 1, Klikovac 1, Ferrero 1.
Telimar: Turchini 1, Occhione 1, Vlahovic 1, Marziali 1, Irving 1, Basic 1.
The match in Syracuse was an even contest, but with no excitement. The lead was constantly changing the side, but neither of the teams had a 2-goal advantage. Ortigia didn’t endanger Telimar’s victory in an aggregate score.
Two minutes before the end, Telimar had a 6:5 advantage. Ortigia scored the last two goals in the game and finished the European season with a victory.
The finals will be played on March 5 and 26.
