Seven teams have qualified for the eight-finals of the LEN Euro Cup after the second day of the qualifications.
Sabadell (Spain), Dynamo (Russia), OSC Budapest (Hungary), Vouliagmeni (Greece), Primorac (Montenegro), Sintez (Russia), and Novi Beograd (Serbia) took the tickets for the eight-finals.
Szolnok (Hungary) and Radnicki (Serbia) still haven’t mathematically secured the 1/8final berths, but they are very close to the next round. Mladost (Croatia) will probably advance to the last 16.
But, there are still a lot of open questions. The second day offered several thrilling matches.
2020/21 LEN Euro Cup, Qualifications, Day 2
Group A (Barcelona)
Barcelona – BVSC 10:10 (1:1, 4:4, 2:1, 3:5)
Barcelona: Delgado 3, Estrany 3, Goma 2, Flores 1, Durik 1.
BVSC: M. Nagy 3, Cs. Meszaros 2, Batizi 1, Gyarfas 1, P. Kovacs 1, Pasztor 1, M. Meszaros 1.
Tourcoing – Panionios 20:9 (5:2, 7:3, 3:3, 5:2)
Tourcoing: Kujacic 6, Randjic 4, Krizman 4, Canonne 3, Grgurevic 1, Rocchietta 1, Vincourt 1.
Panionios: Barakat 3, Dimou 2, Spooner 1, Kalaitzis 1, Alexiou 1, Kapetanakis 1.
A day before the end of the qualifications, three teams have chances to go through from Group A. Only Panionios is out of the race. BVSC and Tourcoing share first and second place. Barcelona, which still hasn’t achieved a win (but it also hasn’t suffered a loss), is currently third. BVSC and Tourcoing will play each other tomorrow, and Barcelona will face Panionios. Nobody still hasn’t secured a ticket for the eight-finals.
Barcelona managed to build a 3-goal lead in the 25th minute of the match against BVSC. It seemed that the hosts were close to a victory. But, the Hungarians equalized quickly at 8:8, and again at 9:9. Three minutes from the end, Adrian Delgado scored an action goal to give Barcelona a 10:9 lead. But, 55 seconds from the end, BVSC earned a penalty shot. Marton Nagy didn’t make a mistake, sent the ball into the net from the 5m line, and ended with no winner.
Tourcoing beat Panionios convincingly. This big win might be crucial at the end. Tourcoing has the best goal-difference at the moment. The French need just a point in tomorrow’s encounter between BVSC to keep the leading position.
Standings: 1. Tourcoing (FRA) 4 (+11), 2.BVSC (HUN) 4 (+9), 3. Barcelona (ESP) 2, 4. Panionios 0.
Day 1: BVSC – Panionios 18:9, Barcelona – Tourcoing 12:12
Day 3 (December 6): Tourcoing – BVSC, Barcelona – Panionios.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference,
Group B (Sabadell)
Jadran S – Dynamo M 11:12 (2:2, 4:7, 3:1, 2:2)
Jadran Split: R.Buric 5, Setka 2,Marinic Kragic 1, Butic1, Stojanac 1, Denic 1.
Dynamo Moscow:Jakhaia 2, Rustamov 2, Vasilev 2, Shein 2,Magomaev 2, Bugaychuk 1, Ekomazov 1.
Sabadell – Steaua 11:9 (3:3, 2:1, 3:1, 3:4)
Sabadell: S. Cabanas 4, Ubovic 3, Sanahuja 2, Fenoy 2.
Steaua:Negrean 2, Prioteasa 2, Antipa 2, Fulea 1, Dragomirescu 1, Oanta 1.
The matches in Sabadell were played in today’s morning/afternoon session, so Dynamo and Sabadell became the first two clubs that advanced to the semifinals.
The middle of the game proved crucial for the outcome of the match Dynamo – Jadran. In the 13th minute, Jadran led 6:5. In the following minutes, Dynamo scored four consecutive goals and had a 9:6 advantage at halftime. The Russians added a goal for 10:6 in the 7th minute of the third period. But, Jadran produced a 3:0 series in the last 85 seconds of this quarter and reduced the gap to one (9:10) before the final period. In the early stage of the fourth quarter, Dynamo scored two goals for 12:9. The Croats cut the deficit once more (11:12), but they didn’t equalize. After two narrow defeats, Jadran lost the chance to reach the eight-finals.
Midway through the second quarter of the second match of the day, Sabadell and Steaua were tied (4:4). After that, Sabadell kept Steaua goalless for 12 minutes and built a 7:4 advantage. From that point on, the distance between the teams was never smaller than two goals.
Standings: 1. Sabadell (ESP) 6 (+3), 2. Dynamo (RUS) 6 (+2), 3. Jadran (CRO) 0, 4. Steaua (ROM) 0.
Day 1: Sabadell – Jadran 9:8, Dynamo – Steaua 9:8.
Day 3 (December 6): Sabadell – Dynamo, Jadran – Steaua.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference,
Group C (Kranj)
Noisy-le-Sec – OSC Budapest 7:14 (1:4, 4:3, 2:3, 0:4)
Noisy-le-Sec: Marzouki 5, Petkovic 2.
OSC Budapest: Mahercz 2, Salamon 2, Csacovszky 2, M.Toth 2, Burian 2, Erdelyi 1, Bundschuh 1, Dala 1, Harai 1.
Crvena Zvezda – Triglav 19:7 (4:2, 6:2, 3:0, 6:3)
Crvena Zvezda: Radovic 6, Smiljevic 4, Basara 4, Vukicevic 3, Markovic 1, Tankosic 1.
Triglav: Popovic 2, Troppan 2, Gostic 1, Pusavec 1, Justin 1.
OSC Budapest cemented 1st place in the group after a 14:7 victory over Noisy. OSC built a solid 4:1 lead in the first period. Noisy started climbing back after the first break and cut the deficit to one (4:5). But, OSC earned a 4-goal advantage (9:5) early in the third period, and the French couldn’t come back again.
Crvena Zvezda started slowly but cruised to a win over Triglav. Tomorrow, the Serbs will battle with Noisy for second place in the group.
Standings: 1. OSC (HUN) 6, 2. Noisy-le-Sec (FRA) 3 (+4), 3. Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 3 (+2), 4. Triglav (SLO) 0.
Day 1: OSC – Crvena zvezda 15:5, Noisy-le-Sec – Triglav 20:9
Day 3 (December 6): Crvena Zvezda – Noisy-le-Sec, OSC – Triglav.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference.
Group D (Aix-en-Provence)
Pays d’Aix – Vouliagmeni 11:12 (3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 3:3)
Pays d’Aix: Monnetet 4, Dino 3, Popadic 1, Djerkovic 1, Gluhaic 1, Saux 1.
Vouliagmeni: Gkiouvetsis 6, Kalogeropoulos 2, Afroudakis 1, Mylonakis 1, Basic 1, Troulos 1.
Carouge – Ludwigsburg 6:17 (2:4, 1:6, 2:2, 1:5)
Carouge: Malaspinas 3, Fischer 1, Marechal 1, Blary 1.
Ludwigsburg: Martinic 6, Mijatovic 4, Blazevic 3, Vulovic 2, Karteszi 1, Ruggeri 1.
After a hard battle, Vouliagmeni defeated Pays d’Aix to secure 1st place in the group. Vouliagmeni led for most of the time. Early in the fourth period, Vouliagmeni had a 10:8 advantage. But, the French scored three unanswered goals. In the 30th minute, Pays d’Aix went in front (11:10) for the first time in the match. But, Gkiouvetsis equalized in the 31st minute, while Mylonakis scored for Vouliagmeni just four seconds before the final buzzer and the Greeks came out as the winners of this big thriller.
Pays d’Aix needs a point in the match with Ludwigsburg to keep 2nd place.
Standings: 1. Vouliagmeni (GRE) 6, 2. Pays d’Aix (FRA) 3, 3. Ludwigsburg (GER) 3, 4. Carouge (SUI) 0.
Day 1: Vouliagmeni – Ludwigsburg 21:6, Pays d’Aix – Carouge 16:4
Day 3 (December 6): Vouliagmeni – Carouge, Pays d’Aix – Ludwigsburg.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference.
Group E (Savona)
Radnicki – OSC Potsdam 15:7 (5:2, 3:2, 4:1, 3:2)
KVK Radnicki: Radulovic 4, S. Rasovic 3, Stanojevic 2, Brankovic 2, Toholj 1, Krug 1, Ukropina 1, Pljevancic 1.
OSC Potsdam: Huppe 4, Costa 1, Kueppers 1, Schulz 1.
Savona – Mediterrani 11:12 (2:3, 4:1, 3:4, 2:4)
Savona: Rizzo 3, Fondelli 4, Maricone 1, Bruni 1, Bragantini 1, Caldieri 1.
Mediterrani: Gorria 2, Frigola 2, Minguell 2, G. Garcia 2, Corres 1, Galeev 1, Roca 1, Vujovic 1.
Radnicki leads the race in Savona, but everything is still open in this group. However, Radnicki is very close to the eight-finals, because it has very good goal-difference. That might be crucial if the Serbs, Mediterrani, and Savona be equal in points at the end. Radnicki will be eliminated only if Savona beat the Serbs with a 12-goal difference.
Radnicki opened the match with a 3:0 lead. OSC Potsdam managed to score two quick goals for 2:3. But, the Serbian Cup winner replied with a new 3:0 series. Radnicki jumped to a 6:2 lead in the 10th minute and controlled everything until the end.
Savona, which plays with a decimated team at the tournament (because of injuries and corona positive players), had a 3-goal advantage in the third period of the game against Mediterrani (7:4, 8:5), and entered the last quarter with a 9:8 advantage. But, the hosts ran out of gas for the final eight minutes. In the middle of the fourth period, the score was 10:10. Then, the Spaniards earned a 12:10 advantage. Savona’s last goal came too late. Mediterrani is currently 2nd, and it will qualify for the next round if they beat OSC Potsdam and Savona doesn’t defeat Radnicki or the Serbs suffer a big loss.
Standings: 1. Radnicki (SRB) 6, 2. Mediterrani 3 (-5), 2. Savona (ITA) 3 (+3), 4. OSC Potsdam (GER) 0.
Day 1: Mediterrani – Radnicki 8:14, Savona – OSC Potsdam 12:8
Day 3 (December 6): Mediterrani – OSC Potsdam, Radnicki – Savona.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference.
Group F (Zagreb)
Eger – Primorac 9:15 (4:3, 1:5, 3:3, 1:4)
Eger:Baksa 5, Lorincz 2, Murisic 1, Torok 1.
Primorac: Gopcevic 6, Matkovic 3, Draskovic 2, Crepulja 1, Macic 1, Perkovic 1, Stanojevic 1.
Primorac convincingly defeated Eger and secured the eight-finals berth. Whatever happens at the match Mladost-Eger tomorrow, Primorac will advance to the next stage. Eger was a favorite today and led 4:3 before the second quarter. But, Primorac showed again that it was able to surprise favorites. They opened the second period with four goals for 7:4 and controlled the match in the remaining time.
Mladost and Eger will face off tomorrow. Eger has to beat Mladost by six or more goals to secure the eight finals. In any other case, Primorac and Mladost will go to the eight-finals.
Standings: 1. Mladost (CRO) 3 (1 match), 2. Primorac 3 (2), 3. Eger (HUN) 0 (1).
Day 1: Mladost – Primorac 13:8
Day 3 (December 6): Mladost – Eger.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference
Group G (Szolnok)
Apollon Smyrnis – Terrassa 14:13 (3:4, 6:5, 4:3, 1:1)
Apollon:Moskov 4, Gounas 3, Alamanos 2, Chatzikzriakakis 2, Solanakis 2, Mitrovic 1.
Terrassa: Barroso 4, Gutierrez 4, Carillo 2, Alarcon 1, De Lera 1, Rodriguez 1.
Szolnok – Strasbourg 15:5 (2:1, 3:1,5:2, 5:1)
Szolnok: Konarik 4, Filipovic 3, G.Kovacs 2, Jansik 2, Dory 1, Szeghalmi 1, Pijetlovic 1, Drasovic 1.
Strasbourg: Chion 1, Cesca 1, Buha 1, Misic 1, Valentino 1.
Szolnok convincingly beat Strasbourg, but the hosts still haven’t mathematically secured the eight-finals. But, Szolnok can start preparing for the next stage. They won’t advance to the quarterfinals if a miracle happens tomorrow – if Apollon beat Szolnok with a 20-goal difference and Strasbourg defeat Terrassa. None of the team hasn’t still qualified, and none has been eliminated. Even Terrassa, which has no points after two days, has a chance.
Apollon defeated Terrassa in a thrilling match, and the Greeks are keeping alive their hopes of reaching the eight-finals. Apollon and Terrassa were neck and neck throughout the match. Only once the difference was bigger than a goal (Terrassa led 6:4 in the second quarter). Before the final period, Apollon had a 13:12. After 25 goals in the first three quarters, the scorers got tired, and only two of them found the net in the last eight minutes. Five minutes before the end, Rodriguez equalized (13:13). That goal was followed by a lot of missed chances on both sides of the pool. Alexandros Gounas converted a man-up for 14:13 with 36 seconds to go. Terrassa earned an extra man in their last possession, but the Greeks managed to defend themselves and won three points.
Standings: 1. Szolnok (HUN) 6, 2. Strasbourg 3 (-9), 3. Apollon 3 (+1), 4. Terrassa 0.
Day 1: Strasbourg – Apollon 8:7, Szolnok – Terrassa 20:14
Day 3 (December 6): Terrassa – Strasbourg, Szolnok – Apollon.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference.
Group H (Belgrade)
Oradea – Sintez 7:13 (1:5, 2:4, 3:2, 1:2)
Oradea:V. Georgescu 3, Ilsie 2, Adachi 1, Kovats 1.
Sintez Kazan: Dereviankin 3, Latypov 2, Lisunov 2, Lazarev 2, Odintsov 1, Pronin 1, Bychkov 1, Zinnurov 1.
Sintez defeated Oradea, which means that the Russian club and Novi Beograd qualified for the next stage. The Russian and the Serbian club will meet tomorrow in the match for 1st place.
Standings: 1. Sintez (RUS) 3 (1), 2. Novi Beograd (SRB) 3 (1), 3. Oradea (ROM) 0(2).
Day 1: Novi Beograd – Oradea 12:9
Day 3 (December 6): Novi Beograd – Sintez.
*The teams with the same number of points are ranked according to the a) head to head points, b) head to head goal difference, c) goal difference.
