Eight second-leg matches of the LEN Euro Cup eight-finals took place across Europe today, but only two of these games were particularly critical. The spotlight was on Kotor and Budapest.
In Kotor, Primorac hosted BVSC. The first match, in Budapest, ended in a draw (16:16). The second game was similar, but Primorac emerged as a winner – 17:16 and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Barcelona traveled to Budapest to compete against Vasas. The Spaniards held a slight advantage from the first leg (11:10). However, Vasas turned the tables with an impressive performance, winning the second leg 15:10, primarily due to a remarkable 5:0 start and continued its European campaign.
As for the remaining six duels, Pro Recco, Radnicki, Mladost, Brescia, Jadran, and Sabadell secured more or less convincing victories in their first legs. Today, they confirmed their places in the quarterfinals. There were several interesting matches, but none of the six mentioned teams wasn’t in danger. Only Brescia didn’t achieve two wins, as its game against Hannover in Italy ended with no winner (11:11).
2024/25 Euro Cup, Eight-finals, return matches
Vasas – Barcelona 15:10 (5:0, 4:4, 2:3, 4:3) – first match 10:11
Vasas:Dedovic 3, Djurdjic 3, Gabor 2, Lakatos 1, Randjelovic 1, Selley-Rauscher 1, Mijic 1.
Barcelona: Daura 6, Ramon 2, Te Riele 1, Van der Weijden 1.
Vasas quickly demonstrated that a one-goal advantage wouldn’t be enough for Barcelona to advance to the Top 8 round. The Hungarians opened the match with a 5:0 blast. The visitors scored two goals in the first minute of the second period. Vasas responded quickly and restored a five-goal margin(7:2). At halftime, it stood 9:4.
Vasas’ largest advantage was six goals – 10:4 in the 17th minute. Barcelona never significantly reduced the gap. The Spaniards trailed by four goals (6:10, 7:11, 8:11, 9:12, 10:14), but the hosts restored their initial 5-goal advantage. Two and a half minutes before the final buzzer, Gabor Lorinc scored from a 6 on 5 to set the final score and to seal Vasas’s ticket for the quarterfinals.
Primorac – BVSC 17:16 (4:3, 5:6, 7:3, 1:4) – first match 16:16
Primorac Kotor: Mrsic 5, Shushiashvili 4, Draskovic 2, Vuckovic 2, Brkic 1, Stanojevic 1, Janovic 1, Cetkovic 1.
BVSC: Tatrai 5, Meszaros 4, Csapo 2, Konarik 2, Szeghalmi 2, E.Csacsovszky 1.
The clash in Kotor was almost the same as the encounter between the same rivals in Budapest. Both teams struggled in defense. There were a lot of goals and exclusions (Primorac committed 21 personal fouls, and BVSC 17). BVSC scored only three action goals and Primorac 10 (including counterattacks). The game featured several twists and a decisive moment in the final minutes.
Primorac was the first team that earned a 2-goal lead (4:2). Midway through the second quarter, the visitors went to “+2” (7:5 and 8:6). Primorac, led by leftie Nika Shushiasshvili, who scored three goals in the last 02:39 minutes of the first half, equalized nine seconds before the middle break (9:9).
Marko Mrsic kicked off the third period with a goal from a counterattack– 10:9. In the 21st minute, Primorac stretched the margin to four. It was Mrsic again, who found the net – 14:10. BVSC replied with two goals, but Primorac regained a 4-goal advantage, scoring twice in the last 52 seconds of the quarter (16:12). Still, BVSC tightened its defense and was able to come back. A minute and a half before the final buzzer, Erik Csacsovkszky leveled at 16:16. In the next possession, Primorac forced a man-up. Balsa Vuckovic converted it to 17:16. The Montenegrins kept a minimal advantage in the remaining 67 seconds.
Jadran Herceg Novi – Sabac 5:4 (0:0, 2:2, 1:1, 2:1) – first match 13:8
Jadran HN: Kholod 2, V. Radovic 1, Vujovic 1, Lazic 1.
Sabac: Barac 2, Kovacevic 1, Repanovic 1.
Two games were played in the Bay of Kotor this evening. The second one, staged in the “Skver” pool in Herceg Novi, was completely different from the match played in Kotor. Jadran and Sabac fought a defensive battle. Both goalkeepers (Jadran’s Djurovic and Sabac’s Gavrilovic) were up to the task. After a goalless first quarter, Sabac’s Kovacevic broke the deadlock in the 10th minute. Jadran immediately equalized and, shortly after, went ahead (2:1). Sabac took a 3:2 lead late into the third quarter. Jadran responded with a 3:0 run. Sabac managed to half the distance.
Steaua – Mladost 11:13 (4:4, 4:4, 1:3, 2:2) – first match 11:18
Steaua:Georgescu 3, Iudean 3, Colodrovschi 2, Fenech 1, Fulea 1, Zivkovic 1.
Mladost: Kharkov 3, Lazic 3, Vrlic 2, Milos 2, Basic 1, Buljubasic 1, Bukic 1.
Steaua offered a good resistance to the Mladost, but it was never close to surprising the favorite and overcoming a 7-goal deficit from the first match. The rivals were tied at 8:8 at halftime. In the middle of the third period, Mladost scored two quick goals (10:8) and didn’t let Steaua equalize after that.
Radnicki – Jug 14:13 (3:2, 6:1, 2:7, 3:3) – first match 15:9
Radnicki: Jankovic 2, N.Jaksic 2, Vasic 2, P.Jaksic 2, Antic 1, Stanojevic 1, Dadvani 1, Pijetlovic 1, Drasovic 1, Murisic 1.
Jug: Pavlic 3, Zuvela 2, Cabanas 2, Susic 2, Burdjelez 1, Zvono 1, Jerkovic 1, Mozara 1.
Radnicki is a better team than the 2024 Euro Cup winner Jug, and the Kragujevac-based team proved it for the third time this season (after two convincing wins in Dubrovnik – in the Regional League and the Euro Cup). The hosts dictated the pace in the first half, and it seemed they would cruise to another big victory. They kept Jug far from its goal and quickly went to 3:0. Jug cut the deficit by the end of the first quarter. However, Radnicki opened the second period with four straight goals and jumped to 7:2. The outgoing champion broke that series with a power-play goal from Pavlic. But, Radnicki didn’t stop and was 9:3 up at halftime.
After the middle break, Radnicki, missing Strahinja Rasovic today, lost its rhythm, allowing Jug to make the most of it. The Croats came close to equalizing in the 15th minute – Pavlic scored for 9:10. Radnicki responded with a goal, but just nine seconds before the end of the third period, Jug’s Zuvela scored converted a man-up to narrow the gap again (10:11). In the final period, both teams traded goals. Radnicki managed to double its lead three times, but Jug kept narrowing the gap and shouldn’t feel disappointed with the final score.
Brescia – Waspo 98 Hannover 11:11 (3:3, 3:2, 4:3, 1:3) – first match 15:12
Brescia:Alesiani 3, Irving 3, Gianazza 2, Balzarini 1, Ferrero 1, Gitto 1.
Waspo Hannover:Schipper 3, Lozina 3, Strelezkij 2, Benic 2, Buha 1.
Brescia secured a desirable result, but it was a more challenging game for the Italians than expected.
The teams were locked in a tight contest throughout the first half. Moreover, Hannover went in front twice (2:1, 4:3). The Italian team, the big favorite in this match, earned a 3-goal lead for the first time in the 21st minute – Alesiani made it 9:6 in a man-up situation.
Hannover didn’t back down and continued chasing the home side. The Germans cut the deficit to one at the finish of the third quarter (8:9) and again early in the fourth period (9:10). Hrvoje Benic leveled from a 6 on 5 in the 29th minute. Balzarini gave Brescia a new lead, and Lozina made it 11:11. Both teams had chances to secure a win in the last minute and a half, but neither managed to score.
Dinamo Tbilisi – Pro Recco 5:17 (1:3, 0:5, 2:5, 2:4) – first match 5:17
Dinamo: Chikovani , Adeishvili 1, Tankosic 1.
Po Recco: Cannella 3, Younger 3, Iocchi Gratta 3, Condemi 3, Di Fulvio 2, Durik 1, Presciutti 1, Larsen 1.
Pro Recco copied the result of the first match. Everything was decided ten days ago in Sori. Still, Recco was merciless and played at full speed until the end – Nicholas Presciutti scored the last goal from a counterattack with 32 seconds left on the clock.
Sabadell – Ortigia 13:7 (3:1, 4:3, 3:2, 3:1) – first match 13:10
Sabadell: Barroso 2, Perez 2, Bustos 2, Bowen 1, Asensio 1, Schutze 1, Valera 1, Renzuto 1, Averka 1, Corres 1.
Ortigia: Campopiano 2, Cassia 2, La Rosa 1, Marangolo 1, Carnesecchi .
Sabadell left no chance to Ortigia. The Spaniards established a two-goal lead in the first quarter and maintained control throughout the match. Although the Sicilians managed to close the gap twice—trailing 2:3 and 3:4—the hosts successfully thwarted any comeback attempts. Sabadell extended their lead to four goals midway through the third quarter, at 9:5, and by the end of the game, they had widened the margin to six goals.
The draw for the quarterfinals will take place on Friday.
