The first qualification round of the LEN Euro Cup began this evening in Sibenik and Utrecht.
Two very exciting games were played today. Telimar Palermo edged Sant Andreu in the first match in Group A in Sibenik (14:13). Home team UZSC and Sabac shared the points on Day 1 of Group C in Utrecht (8:8).
Tourcoing beat ASC Duisburg by two goals in Utrecht (13:11), but the game didn’t have a thrilling finish. Solaris ran over Carouge in the second game of the tournament in Sibenik.
Tournaments in Ortigia (Group B) and Novi Sad (Group D) will start tomorrow.
LEN Euro Cup, Qualification Round 1, Day 1
Group A (Sibenik)
Sant Andreu – Telimar 13:14 (3:5, 2:2, 4:4, 4:3)
Sant Andreu: Paul 4,Bustos 4, Bofill 2, Frigola 2, Tenorio 1.
Telimar Palermo: Marziali 4, Basic 4, Del Basso 2, Irving 2, Vlahovic 1, Occhione 1.
Solaris – Carouge 23:6 (4:0, 5:2, 6:1,8:3)
Solaris Sibenik: Pelicaric 7, Penava 5, Goreta 5, Koprcina 2, Krekovic 1, Kovalenko 1, Malenica 1, Strkalj 1.
Carouge Natation: Blary 4, Rota 1, Gazzini 1.
Shturm Ruza 2002 bye.
Italian Telimar started in Sibenik with a hard-fought win over Sant Andreu (Spain). The Italians earned a 2-goal advantage in the first quarter. They increased the margin to four during the third period (9:5, 10:6, 11:7). Still, Sant Andreu cut the deficit to one goal early in the fourth quarter (10:11). However, the Spaniards couldn’t equalize. Teliamr entered the final minute leading 14:12. Sant Andreu reduced the gap once more with 45 seconds to go (13:14). The Spaniards had the last possession in the match, but Telimar kept the win.
Host Solaris was too strong for Carouge. The Croats, led by Roko Pelicaric, demolished the Swiss club.
Group C (Utrecht)
UZSC – Sabac 8:8 (1:1, 2:2,2:2, 3:3)
UZSC Utrecht: Gielen 5, Wijnhoven 1, Brajkovic 1, De Haan 1.
Sabac: Sulc 4, Vogel 1, Repanovic 1, Koptsev 1, Cetkovic 1.
Tourcoing – ASC Duisburg 13:11 (2:2, 5:3, 4:3,2:3)
Tourcoing Lille: Gagulic 4, Krizman 3, Rocchietta 2, Kujacic 2, Vincourt 1, Randjic 1.
ASC Duisburg: Tanaskovic 3, Eidner 2, Bakulo 2, Rompf 1, Gansen 1, Dolff 1, Gergelyfi 1
Vasas bye
The tournament in Utrecht was opened by an encounter between home team UZSC and Sabac, which arrived in the Netherlands with only 11 players. Injuries and positive coronavirus tests decimated the Serbian team.
The teams were neck and neck throughout the game. Before the final quarter, the Dutch and the Serbs were tied at 5:5. In the first minute of the 4th period Lucas Gielen, who returned to UZSC from Spandau this summer, gave the hosts a 6:5 lead. However, Sabac responded with three goals and earned an 8:6 advantage with 02:54 minutes remaining on the clock. For the first time, the difference was two goals, but not for long. UZSC halved the deficit immediately after Sabac’s eighth goal. A minute and 46 seconds before the end, the hosts forced a penalty shot, which Gielen converted to 8:8 and the hosts saved the match in a tie.
Tourcoing defeated ASC Duisburg, although the Germans started excellently, and took an early 2:0 lead. But, the French answered with a 4:0 series and gained a 4:2 advantage. Midway through the third quarter, Tourcoing stretched the margin to four (10:6). Duisburg reduced the gap to two (8:10), Early in the fourth quarter, the French re-built a 4-goal lead (12:8) and controlled the match until the end.
Day 2
Group A (Sibenik): Carouge – Sant Andreu (10:00), Shturm – Telimar (11:45), Carouge – Shturm (18:00), Solaris – Sant Andreu (19:45)
Group B (Ortigia): Strasbourg – Ludwigsburg (15:30), Ortigia – Peristeri (17:00)
Group C (Utrecht): Utrecht – Vasas (19:00), ASC Duisburg – Sabac (20:30).
Group D (Novi Sad): Vojvodina – Sabadell (18:00), Vasas – AEK (20:00).
