The biggest surprise of the first half of the regular season in Germany was ASC Duisburg’s away victory over reigning champion Waspo 98 Hannover – 9:7.
In the 10th round of the championships, ASC proved that that victory hadn’t resulted from accidental circumstances. ASC beat Waspo 98 Hannover again, this time in Duisburg – 12:11. .
ASC’s newest success can’t be considered a surprise. The hosts weren’t the underdogs, and the visitors weren’t the favorites.
2022/23 German League, Day 10
ASC Duisburg – Waspo 98 Hannover 12:11 (2:4, 2:1, 5:3, 3:3)
ASC Duisburg:Seifert 4, Gergelyfi 4, Illinger 2, Eidner 1, Gusakov 1.
Waspo 98 Hannover: Benic 4, Radovic 2, Corusic 1, Lozina 1, Macan 1, Gansen 1, Basic 1.
Spandau 04 – Neukolln 27:8 (7:2, 9:1, 6:2, 5:3)
Spandau 04: Strelezkij 6, Prioteasa 3, Tkac 3, Bozic 3, Shepelev 3, Cuk 2, Marziali 2, Chiru 2, Restovic 2, Kholod 1.
Neukolln Berlin: Augusti 4, Kleine 1, Ostmann 1, Zech 1, Struz 1.
Esslingen – Ludwigsburg 9:13 (2:3, 3:3, 1:2, 3:5)
Esslingen: Thran 3, Barothy 1, Finkes 1, R.Rehm 1, Zemun 1, Fernandez 1, Ruggeri 1.
Ludwigsburg 08: Prieto 4, Blazevic 3, Mijatovic 2, Bauer 1, Pavicic 1, John 1, Skiljic 1.
OSC Potsdam – White Sharks 9:6 (1:0, 3:3, 1:1, 4:2)
OSC Potsdam: Dyck 3, Korbel 2, Huppe 1, Taubert 1, A. Hofmann 1, T.Hofmann 1.
White Sharks Hannover: Stankovic 4, J. Rotermund 1, F.Rotermund 1.
Waspo Hannover arrived in Duisburg with a big wish to take revenge for a 7:9 home defeat to ASC Duisburg. The visitors took a 2:0 lead and kept a 2-goal distance until 5:3. Duisburg’s Robert Gergelyfi closed the second quarter with an action goal for 4:5. Sascha Seifert found the net in the hosts’ first offensive action in the third period and ASC Duisburg leveled the score for the first time – 5:5. Immediately after, Mark Gansen gave Hannover a 6:5 lead.
Gergelyfi replied with two goals, ASC went ahead – 7:6. The teams changed the roles. Hannover became a side that started chasing the rival. Still, the visitors caught up with Duisburg just once – 7:7 (22nd minute). After that, ASC netted two quick goals for 9:7. Hannover’s captain Aleksandar Radovic halved the deficit shortly before the last break.
ASC Duisburg opened the fourth period with two goals. In the middle of the fourth period,the hosts went to 11:8. Hannover cut the deficit to 10:11. Seifert gave doubled Duisburg’s advantage to 12:10 with 46 seconds left on the clock. Just nine seconds after, Radovic made it 11:12. However, the visitors couldn’t go further. ASC Duisburg kept a slim lead .
“With this victory, we proved that we didn’t beat Hannover in the first half of the season by chance. Our goalkeeper Schenkel had a great day, as in the first duel with Hannover. I congratulate him. A difficult period is in front of us. Next week, we will play against Spandau in the German Cup. As for the league, we will try to keep 2nd place until the end of the regular season and advance directly to the semifinal of the playoffs”, Vuk Vuksanovic, ASC Duisburg head coach, told Total Waterpolo after the game.
The race for 2nd place is still open, but it’s almost certain that Spandau will finish atop the table. Spandau ran over Neukolln in the Berlin derby (27:8). Spandau will play three matches before the end of the regular season. It needs only one point to secure “the pole position” before the playoffs mathematically.
OSC Potsdam ended its winless run and won the first points in the season. It defeated White Sharks Hannover, thanks to an excellent finish. Four minutes before the end, the sides were tied at 6:6. Potsdam scored three unanswered goals in the remaining time and recorded a 9:6 win.
Esslingen remains the only team that hasn’t won a point yet. This weekend, it suffered a home loss to Ludwigsburg.
1.Spandau 04 11 games – 22 points
2. ASC Duisburg 11 – 17
3. Waspo 98 Hannover 10 – 14
4. White Sharks 10 – 11
5. Ludwigsburg 10 – 10
6. Neukolln 9 – 2
7. OSC Potsdam 9 – 2
8. Esslingen 8 – 0
