Vasas remains the only unbeaten team after the third round of the Euro Cup Group Phase.
The reigning champion earned a hard-fought victory over Apollon Smyrnis in Athens – 10:8 and kept a perfect record in Group B.
Besides Vasas, Ortigia, Sabac, and Telimar were undefeated until today. Ortigia suffered a surprising and pretty convincing loss to Primorac in Sicily – 9:14 (Group D). Sabac lost to Hannover in Germany by six goals – 6:12 (Group C). Tourcoing defeated Telimar 14:11 (Group A).
The most exciting duel of the day was an encounter between Panionios and Trieste in Athens. There were 32 goals in 32 minutes of play – 16:16. Panionios took two points after a penalty shootout (26:25).
Barcelona edged out Solaris 8:7. Two goals or more separated the rivals in other matches.
There will be a lot of excitement until the end of the group stage…
Euro Cup, Group Phase, Day 3
Group A
Barcelona – Solaris 8:7 (1:3, 3:2, 2:2, 2:0)
Barcelona: Valls 3, Prat 2, Linares 1, Ramon 1, Daura 1.
Solaris: Pelicaric 4, R.Akrap 2, Jakovcevic 1.
Tourcoing – Telimar 14:11 (3:1, 4:4, 4:2, 3:4)
Tourcoing: Canonne 4, Marzouki 3, Durik 2, D.Zivkovic 2, M.Brguljan 2, Kujacic 1.
Telimar Palermo: Occhione 7, Lo Dico 2, Vitale 1, Fabiano 1.
Barcelona came back from a three-goal deficit to defeat Solaris. The first quarter belonged to the Croats, who opened the second period with an action goal for 4:1. The Spaniards leveled with a 3:0 run in 03:06 minutes, but Solaris regained an advantage in the 16th minute. Early in the third period, the Spaniards gained a lead for the first time, scoring two quick goals (6:5). But, the Croats responded in the same way and were 7:6 up before the final eight minutes. Barcelona’s defense was perfect in the final quarter. Five minutes before the final buzzer Paul Daura converted a man-up for a new turn and, as it turned, the final score (8:7).
Tourcoing shocked Telimar with a 3:0 lead, which set the tone of the match. Telimar cut the deficit to one goal twice (2:3, 7:8). After the Italians’ seventh goal, the hosts scored four straight (Charles Canonne netted three of these four) and built a safe 12:7 advantage. In the middle of the fourth quarter, the hosts stretched the margin to six (14:8) and sealed the victory.
Standings: 1. Barcelona 6, 2. Tourcoing 6, 3. Telimar 6, 4. Solaris 0.
Group B
Apollon – Vasas 8:10 (2:4, 1:2, 2:4, 1:2)
Apollon Smyrnis: Shushiashvili 2, Gardikas 2, Bogdanovic 1, Mokkas 1, Diplaros 1, Goniotakis 1.
Vasas:Burian 5, Rasovic 2, Dedovic 1, Randjelovic 1, Batizi 1.
Savona – Honved 14:7 (4:3, 2:1, 4:1, 4:2)
Savona: Campopiano 4, Figlioli 3, Guidi 2, Rocchi 1, Patchaliev 1, Rizzo 1, Bragantini 1, Djurdjic 1.
Honved: Kevi 2, Zs. Ekler 1, Vadovics 1, Kiss 1, Simon 1, S.Hessels 1.
Vasas had to dig deep to beat Apollon, the winner of the 2023 LEN Challenger Cup. The opening minutes indicated that the match would be an easy cruise for Vasas. The Hungarians led 2:0 in the 4th minute. In the following eight minutes, they doubled their advantage (6:2). Still, Apollon didn’t surrender and caught up with the favorite. In the 24th minute, Bogdanovic leveled at 7:7 from a penalty shot. But, Vasas’ Batizi closed the third quarter with a power-play goal, so the visitors had a slim 8:7 advantage before the final quarter. Apollon equalized once more – 8:8 with 06:28 minutes left on the clock. However, the hosts couldn’t add one more goal in the remaining time, while Vasas scored two. In the 29th minute, Gergely Burian set the final score with his fifth goal.
One key to Savona’s win over Honved was that the Italians managed to stop the most dangerous attackers of the Budapest-based team – brothers Zsombor and Bendeguz Ekler. The game was an even contest until 4:4 (10th minute). After that, Savona kept Honved goalless for more than nine minutes while producing a 4:0 run for an 8:4 lead. That series was vital for Savona’s victory. By the end, the hosts increased the margin to seven.
Standings: 1.Vasas 9, 2. Savona 6, 3. Honved 3, 4. Apollon 0.
Group C
Waspo 98 Hannover – Sabac 12:6 (2:0, 4:0, 3:3, 3:3)
Waspo 98 Hannover: Basic 5, Lozina 3, Benic 3, Macan 1.
Sabac: Krug 2, Korac 2, Dragovic 1, Stanic 1.
BVSC – Primorje 22:13 (4:3, 6:4, 8:4, 4:2)
BVSC: Tatrai 5, M.Meszaros 5, Gyarfas 4, Csapo 3, E.Csacsovszky 1, Balogh 1, Kovacs 1, Gal 1, Bundschuh 1.
Primorje EB: N.Cubranic 3, Paparic 3, Da.Brguljan 2, Te Riele 2, Kadivec 1, Brubnjak 1, Crippa 1.
After two home wins, Sabac suffered a catastrophic defeat in Hannover. Sabac beat Primorje and BVSC in the first two rounds after big comebacks in both games. But, today, the Serbian team (playing without Ognjen Stojanovic) started very badly and needed a miracle to come back. Sabac’s attacks didn’t pose a significant danger to the Germans’ defense in the first half. The home side made the most of it and rushed to a 7:0 lead. Sabac scored its first goal only in the 18th minute. Hannover had an eight-goal lead late in the third quarter (9:1), but Sabac reduced the distance. Croatian players scored all 12 goals for Hannover. Andrija Basic led Hannover to the first win in the Euro Cup with five goals.
The duel between BVSC and Primorje in Budapest produced a “handball” result. BVSC was almost always in front, but Primorje was close to the hosts. In the 12th minute, the teams were tied at 6:6. The Hungarians built a 10:7 advantage by the middle break. Matyas Meszaros added another goal in the first possession in the second half and BVSC went to 11:7. From that point on, the distance was never smaller than three goals. The Budapest-based side entered the final quarter leading 18:11, and it was clear which team would win.
Standings: 1. Sabac 6, 2, BVSC 6, 3. Primorje 3, 4. Hannover 3.
Group D
Ortigia – Primorac 9:14 (2:2, 3:5, 2:2, 2:5)
Ortigia: Inaba 4, A.Condemi 2, Cassia 1, Di Luciano 1, Ferrero 1.
Primorac: Gopcevic 2, Mrsic 2, Perov 2, Vico 2, Dr.Brguljan 1, Markovic 1, Lambie 1, Vuckovic 1, P.Cetkovic 1, Dj. Stanojevic 1.
Panionios – Trieste 26:25 (6:5, 3:4, 3:2, 4:5, PSO 10:9)
Panionios: Gounas 7, Kopeliadis 5, Moskov 4 Ukropina 4, Gkiouvetsis 2, Kalaitzis 2, Bouzalas 1, Kapetanikis 1.
Trieste: Dasic 6, Mezzarobba 4, Razzi 4, Bini 3, Mladossich 3,Petronio 2, Buljubasic 2, Valentino 1
Ortigia was the big favorite in the game in Catania, even though it was without Luca Cupido, who plays for the USA at the Pan American Games at the moment. However, Primorac displayed an excellent performance and earned three points, which are compensation for a home loss to Panionios. Ortigia took a 1:0 lead, but shortly after, Primorac imposed its rhythm. Ortigia was coming back from time to time and leveled the score twice (2:2, 3:3). Deep into the second period, the Montenegrins earned a 3-goal advantage for the first time (6:3). The Sicilians managed to cut the deficit (7:8) late into the third quarter. Primorac’s 5:0 run followed that. Four minutes before the end, Nemanja Vico made it 13:7 and the contest was practically over.
Alexandros Gounas (Panionios) Photo by Slobodan Sandic
Panionios dictated the pace and controlled the result for most of the game in Athens, but Trieste chased the Greeks persistently. Already in the second quarter, Panionios had a 3-goal advantage for the first time (8:5), but the Italians equalized before the middle break (9:9). The Greeks rebuilt a 3-goal lead with a 3:0 run at the beginning of the second half (12:9). Still, Trieste was able to come back again and to level the score at 12:12 and 13:13 again. In the 29th minute, Mladossich scored an action goal, and the visitors earned their first lead in the match – 14:13. Moskov replied immediately. The finish offered new twists and thrills. Trieste led 15:14. Just 28 seconds before the end, Kopelaidis converted a man-up and put Panionios in front – 16:15. But, Andrea Razzi beat the buzzer and leveled in the very last second – 16:16. Panionios recorded a win after 11 rounds of shots. Razzi, who forced a match into a shootout, missed in the 11th round. At the other end of the pool, Panionios’ veteran Gounas hit the back of the net for the final score – 26:25.
Standings: 1. Primorac 6, 2. Ortigia 6, 3. Panionios 5, 4. Trieste 1.
The fourth round is scheduled for November 16.
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