Savona achieved a victory in the derby of Day 5 of the Euro Cup Group Stage over the reigning champion Vasas, winning the derby 16:13 and securing a place in the eighth finals.
Additionally, Barcelona, BVSC, Primorje, and Panioios also won their matches and secured their spots in the next round, with Barcelona securing 1st place in Group A. The Spaniards earned an away victory over Tourcoing.
The day was filled with thrilling matches and a few surprises, making it just as exciting as the previous four days.
Currently, seven teams are competing for the remaining three eight-final berths.
2024 Euro Cup Group Phase, Day 5
Group A
Tourcoing – Barcelona 9:13 (1:2, 4:3, 1:3, 3:5)
Tourcoing: Canonne 3, Furman 2, Lepoint 1, D.Zivkovic 1, Marzouki 1, Kujacic 1
Barcelona: Andrade 4, Goma 2, Daura 2, Valls 2, Veich 1, Ramon 1, Bertran 1.
Barcelona became the first team to qualify for the eighth-finals by defeating Tourcoing in the first match of the penultimate round.
Barcelona was in front for most of the first half. In the middle of the 2nd period, Charles Canonne converted a 6 on 5 to give the hosts the first and, as it turned out later, the only lead in the game (4:3). Barcelona responded with two goals. Canonne added another goal to level the score in the 16th minute. But, after the middle break, Barcelona, led by Victor Andrade, controlled everything in the pool and collected three points.
Solaris – Telimar 13:11 (1:3, 4:3, 4:2, 4:3)
Solaris: Pelicaric 4, A. Petkovic 3, D.Akrap 3, M.Sparada 1, Vrdoljak 1, Bulat 1.
Telimar Palermo: Giorgetti 4, Hooper 2, Occhione 2, Q.Woodhead 2, Lo Dico 1.
A week after defeating Tourcoing in France, Solaris caused another upset and kept its eighth-finals hopes alive. It beat Telimar in the rollercoaster match. The last round will be very interesting. Solaris will play against Barcelona at home. The Spaniards cemented the top spot, so they will play just for pride. Telimar and Tourcoing will meet in Palermo. It’s possible that three teams are tied in points after Day 6.
The first quarter belonged to Telimar, but Solaris opened the second period with three consecutive goals for 4:3. Telimar responded in the same manner and regained a 3-goal lead (6:4), but a new big turn was yet to come. Solaris scored five goals in a row in three and a half minutes and jumped to 9:6. Still, that wasn’t the end of the series of turns. Telimar took control and produced a 4:0 run for 10:9. But, Solaris regained a lead and entered the final minute with a 11:10 advantage. Hooper leveled at 11:11 at 00:53. Veteran Antonio Petkovic put the hosts in front – 12:11 with 26 seconds left on the clock. Telimar tried to level the score in a 7 on 6 attack, goalkeeper Jurisic helped his teammates in the hosts’ half of the field. But, the Italians missed. Solaris’ goalkeeper scored in the very last second. He fired the ball over the entire field into an unguarded net – 13:11.
Standings: 1. Barcelona 12, 2. Tourcoing 7, 3. Telimar 6, 4. Solaris 5.
Group B
Savona – Vasas 16:13 (4:5, 4:3, 4:3, 4:2)
Savona: Patchaliev 3, Figlioli 3, Vavic 3, Bruni 2, Rizzo 1, Urbinati 1, Campopiano 1, Guidi 1, Erdelyi 1.
Vasas: Randjelovic 3, Burian 3, S.rasovic 2, Dedovic 1, Selley-Rauscher 1, Lakatos 1, Batori 1, Bedo 1.
Vasas got off to a good start in Savona. However, it didn’t keep the same rhythm throughout the game. Vasas led 3:1 in the first period and 6:4 early in the second. Then, Savona scored three goals in three consecutive attacks and went ahead – 7:6. Still, Vasas caught up with the hosts before the middle break (8:8). Still, Savona dictated the pace in the third period and built a 2-goal lead (11:9 and 12:10). Early in the fourth period, Strahinja Rasovic leveled at 12:12 and vasas was back in the game. However, Savona answered with a 3:0 run. An excellent defense was the basis for the Italians’ good and fast attacks. Goalkeeper Gianmarco Nicosia posted some saves in crucial moments and significantly helped his teammates. In the 30th minute, the hosts earned a 15:12 advantage. Vasas still had a chance, but couldn’t equalize. Lakatos made it 13:15 with 33 seconds remaining, but Valerio Rizzo responded immediately. Vasas beat Savona only by a goal in Budapest – 18:17. So, if the teams are tied in the points at the end, Savona will be ahead of Vasas.
Vasas suffered two back-to-back losses in the group (it was defeated by Honved last week), but it still has realistic chances of qualifying for the next round. At the moment, Savona is at the top of the table with 12 points. Vasas has 10, and Honved 8, but Vasas shouldn’t have a demanding task in the last round because it will welcome the bottom-placed Apollon.
Apollon Smyrnis – Honved 10:11 (2:4, 2:3, 4:3, 2:1)
Apollon Smyrnis: Bogdanovic 4, Solanakis 3, Mokkas 1, Chondrokoukis 1, Goniotakis Korderas 1.
Honved: B.Ekler 3, Vadovics 2, Simon 2, S. Hessels 2, Fejos 1, Kiss 1.
Apollon had nothing to get in the match against Honved, but the Greeks didn’t want to disappoint their fans and offered a strong resistance to the Hungarians. The home team had a 2:1 advantage in the first quarter. Hoved replied with a 4:0 run for a solid 5:2 lead in the 9th minute. The visitors were constantly in front after that, but Apollon cut the deficit to one goal several times (4:5, 8:9, 9:10). The visitors entered the final minute leading 11:9. Apollon’s Nikola Bogdanovic netted an action goal with 57 seconds remaining, but Honved didn’t let the Greek team go further.
Standings: 1. Savona 12, 2. Vasas 10, 3. Honved 8, 4. Apollon 0
Group C
BVSC – Sabac 11:9 (4:3, 1:3, 3:1, 3:2)
BVSC: Csapo 3, M.Meszaros 3, tatrai 2, E.Csacsovszky 1, A. Csacsovszky 1, Gyarfas 1.
Sabac: Korac 3, Repanovic 1, Krug 1, Barac 1, Toholj 1, Macic 1, Stanic 1.
Sabac beat BVSC in Serbia, but the Hungarian team was a favorite in front of the home crowd. Still, Sabac played a very good match, and everything was open until the very end. BVSC took a one-goal lead five times in the first half, and Sabac leveled on each occasion. In the 15th minute, Korac gave Sabac a 6:5 lead. BVSC made a 3:0 series in the third period for 8:6. Two goals separated the rivals for the first time. In the middle of the fourth period, the hosts widened the gap to three (10:7). Still, Sabac didn’t surrender. The visitors came close (9:10) with 51 seconds left on the clock. BVSC didn’t score in its next possession and Sabac set 7 on 6 in its last attack. Goalkeeper Gavrilovic went in front the hosts’ goal. But, he committed a turnover foul. Three seconds before the end, Tatrai sent the ball into the empty net for the final score and booked BVSC’s ticket for the eight-finals.
Waspo 98 – Primorje 10:16 (2:3, 2:5, 4:6, 2:2)
Waspo 98 Hannover: Basic 4, Schipper 1, Takacs 1, Lozina 1, Gansen 1, Milradovic 1, Benic 1.
Primorje Rijeka: Te Riele 4, Brubnjak 3, Crippa 3, Tonicic 2, Cubranic 2, Da.Brguljan 1, Paparic 1.
Primorje defeated Waspo 98 for the second time this season, but it did it much easier than expected and much easier than in the game in Rijeka (13:9). The Croats opened the match with a 2:0 and never let Hannover equalize. In the 14th minute, Primorje streched the margin to four (6:2). The visitors opened the thrd period with three goals for a huge 11:4 advantage (19th minute). They even widened the gap to nine (14:5), but Hannover reduced the gap, which was a slim consolation.
Primorje will welcome BVSC in the last round in the battle for 1st place in the group. Sabac, which has three points fewer than Primorje, can’t catch up with the Rijeka-based side because Primorje has a better score in the head-to-head matches. Anyway, Primorje will have a mountain to climb to win the top spot, because it lost to BVSC by nine goals in Budapest (13:22).
Standings: 1. BVSC 12, 2. Primorje 9, 3. Sabac 6, 4. Waspo 98 3
Group D
Panionios – Primorac 8:5 (2:2, 3:1, 3:1, 0:1)
Panionios: Gounas 3, Kapetanikis 2, Kopeliadis 1, Gkiouvetsis 1, Moskov 1.
Primorac: Markovic 2, Gopcevic 1, Mrsic 1, Perov 1.
Primorac arrived in Athens with a wish to avenge a narrow 9:10 to Panionios in Kotor. However, Panionios dominated in the middle two quarters, playing excellently in defense, and secured a victory and the eight-final berth much before the end. The hosts took an opening 2:0 lead, but Primorac leveled the score at the finish of the first period. Panionios started in the second quarter like in the first – scoring two goals for 4:2. The teams exchanged the goals in the final 32 seconds of the first half (5:3). Panionios sealed the victory with three straight goals in the third quarter. Captain Gounas converted a penalty shot for 8:3 with 40 seconds left in the third period and the contest was over.
Ortigia – Trieste 11:14 (3:4, 3:4, 5:4, 0:2)
Ortigia: F. Cassia 3, Ferrero 3, Inaba 2, La Rosa 1, Cupido 1, Carnesecchi 1.
Trieste: Valentino 4, Dasic 4, Mezzarobba 2, Buljubasic 1, M.Vrlic 1, Razzi 1, Bini 1.
Trieste, which lost all chances to qualify for the eighth-finals before Day 5, surprisingly beat Ortigia in the Italian derby in Catania and made trouble for the Sicilians. The game against Primorac in Kotor in the last round will be a must-win match for the Sicilians. Moreover, they must earn a 5-goal win because Primorac defeated Ortigia 14:9 in Sicily. According to European Aquatics’ new rules, if the teams are tied in points and goal difference in the head-to-head matches, the criterion is the matches against the first-placed team. Ortigia beat Panionios at home, unlike Primorac.
Ortigia never had a lead in today’s match, but it chased Trieste in the first half. In the 14th minute, the visitors earned a 3-goal advantage for the first time (8:5). Inaba made it 6:8. Trieste responded with two early goals in the third quarter to earn a 4-goal lead for the first time (10:6). Ortigia managed to equalize at 11:11 just 19 seconds before the end of the third period. However, Dasic closed this quarter with a last-second goal. The visitors added two goals in the fourth quarter. Ortigia had no response.
Standings: 1. Panionios 11, 2. Primorac 9, 3. Ortigia 6, 4. Trieste 4.
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