Tomorrow evening, two trophies in the LEN clubs’ competitions will be awarded almost simultaneously.
The return matches of the finals of two LEN cups will be played on Saturday.
The 2nd leg of the LEN Euro Cup final, Vasas – Savona, will start in the famous “Komjadi” pool in Budapest tomorrow at 18:00 CET. At the same time, Terrassa will welcome Apollon Smyrnis in the return match of the final of the first-ever LEN Challenger Cup.
All four teams still have realistic chances to win the trophies. The first match, Savona – Vasas, ended in an 8:8 draw. Apollon earned an encouraging but a slim lead in the first game against Terrassa (12:11).
LEN Euro Cup, final, 2nd match
After a thrilling first match of the LEN Euro Cup final in Savona, the piece of information that two female supporters of Vasas were attacked by a group of youngsters in the stands caused a storm.
The Italian club, as promised, started working, with the police, to identify the culprits. The Vasas’ flag, which was stolen on that occasion, was found and the police brought it to the Hungarian Consulate in Milan, the Budapest-based club announced yesterday and underlined that the case had been handled at the highest level in Italy.
That news is a good overture for the return leg. The teams should go to a great sports fight without incidents and in the sports atmosphere in the stands. Everyone in the pool should feel safe.
At the finish of the first match in Savona, both teams had chances to secure a win. But, even if one of the teams had recorded a slim victory in Savona, nothing would have been decided.
The first duel showed that Vasas, which reached the LEN Euro Cup final for the first time, and Savona are teams of similar qualities. This season, Vasas has played much better at home than in the away games in the LEN Euro Cup, which is encouraging for the Hungarian team. However, Savona, the three-time winner of the LEN Euro Cup, has a lot of reasons to believe it can win a new trophy.
The conversion of the extra-man attacks was crucial in the first match.The second game will probably be very similar.
13 Thirteen of sixteen goals in the first LEN Euro Cup were scored with a man-up. All eight of Vasas’s goals were from a 6 on 5 (conversion 8/16), Savona scored five goals with an extra player (5/13)
LEN Euro Cup final, return match (Saturday, April 29 at 18:00 CET)
Vasas – Savona (first match 8:8)
LEN Challenger Cup, 2nd match
We start the preview of the 2nd leg of the LEN Challenger Cup with information about the fans. The stands of the pool in Athens were packed during the first game. The fans created a hot atmosphere, with a lot of cheering, and noise but with no incidents. As Apollon announced, the players of both teams applauded the fans after the end game.
As for the result, neither of the teams should be unsatisfied after the first leg. The hopes of both teams are still very alive. Apollon has a one-goal advantage, but Terrassa will have an extra player throughout the match, because the Spaniards expect that their fans will create a similar atmosphere as the Greeks did in Athens and prove a high level o the sports culture at the same time.
Bot clubs achieved good results in the domestic stage last weekend. Apollon surprised Vouliagmeni with an away win at the start of the playoffs in Greece. Terrasa mathematically secured 4th place in the regular season and qualified for the playoffs.
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Neither Terrassa nor Apollon Smyrnis has won a trophy in official international and national competitions.
Terrassa won one Catalonia Cup but hasn’t clinched a trophy in the Spanish League and Cup. It was defeated in the finals eight times (5 in the final of the Spanish Cup and 3 in the Spanish League).
The water polo sector in the Sports Association Apollon Smyrnis was founded in 2013. Apollon has played in the A1 Greek League since 2017, but hasn’t reached the final yet. The LEN Challenger Cup is Apollon’s first-ever final in any competition at the international and national level.
In the preview of the first match, we asked: “Who will make history?” Two answers are still very possible.
LEN Challenger Cup final, return match (Saturday, April 29 at 18:00 CET)
Terrassa – Apollon (first match 11:12)
More articles about the LEN Euro Cup
More articles about LEN Challenger Cup
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