Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-238×48Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-52×48Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-238×48Total-waterpolo-blog-logo-238×48
  • News
  • SUKNO U15 CAMP – MALTA 2023
  • SHOP NOW
  • LIVESCORE
    • 2023 FINA Men’s Water Polo World Cup
    • LEN Champions League 2022/23
    • Budva Masters 2023
    • Sunčana Kapica
    • HaBaWaBa Spain Plus
    • Alpe Waterpolo League
    • Nordic League
      • Nordic league 2022/23
      • Nordic League 2021/22
      • Nordic Women’s League 2022
    • GERMANY
    • AUSTRIA 🇦🇹
      • Bundesliga Women
      • Bundesliga Men
      • Supercup
      • Cup
      • Regionalliga Ost
      • U-21 Women
      • U-19
      • U-17
      • U-15
      • U-13
      • U-12
      • U-11
    • SLOVENIA 🇸🇮
      • Slovenian championship 2022/23
      • Slovenian Cup 2022/23
    • FINLAND 🇫🇮
      • Championship
      • U-13
      • U-15
      • U-17
    • AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺
      • Sydney Super League 2.0 Men
      • Sydney Super League 2.0 Women
    • ROMANIA 🇷🇴
      • Superliga Națională – Romanian Water Polo League 2022/23
      • Superliga Națională
    • ICELAND 🇮🇸
      • Winter League Men 2021
      • Winter League Women 2021
    • LITHUANIA 🇱🇹
      • Championships
      • Nordic Junior CH U17
      • Nordic Junior CH U15
    • Total Waterpolo Trophy U-15
    • RWL
      • Premier League 21/22
      • A1 League 21/22
  • National
    • Spain
    • Hungary
    • Italy
    • France
    • Germany
    • Netherlands
  • International
    • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Water Polo
    • World Championships
      • Budapest 2022 Men
      • Budapest 2022 Women
      • FINA World Men’s Junior Championships Prague 2021
      • Gwangju 2019
      • Budapest 2017
    • European Championships
      • Split 2022 – M
      • Split 2022 – W
      • Budapest 2020
      • Barcelona 2018
    • Other
      • World League – Belgrade 2019
      • World Cup – Berlin 2018
      • Junior WC Prague 2021
      • Junior EC Podgorica 2022
      • Montenegro Cup 2022 (U16)
  • LEN Champions League
    • LEN Champions League 2022/23
    • LEN Champions League 2019/2020
    • LEN Champions League 2018/2019
  • Total Player Award
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
✕

Will the reigning European champions fall in Spain?

February 23, 2023

All eyes are on Mataro and Olympiacos. Photo: LEN.

Everything is still on the line heading into the second legs of the Champions League quarter-finals. 

Two of the eight quarter-finalists will already believe they can book their tickets for the final-four competition, but in the world’s best women’s club competition, nothing can be taken for granted. 

Five-time champion Sabadell and two-time runner-up Dunaujvaros have sizeable first-leg cushions to defend against SIS Roma and CE Mediterrani, respectively. They both look set to take the first two final-four berths, but who joins them though, if indeed they both progress, hangs delicately in the balance. 

The game of the day on ‘Super Saturday’ was definitely Mataro’s stunning away victory in Piraeus against Olympiacos. 

Dani Ballart’s team won by two goals on the night (9-11), handing Olympiacos their first defeat of the season in all competitions. The defeat not only ended Olympiacos’ unbeaten run, but it also was the first time the Spaniards had ever beaten Olympiacos, having lost the previous two meetings. 

Simone Van de Kraats celebrates. Photo: LEN.

“Our win in Piraeus is in the past” the Mataro coach told us. “Saturday’s game will be all about the mindset”.

“Tickets have been sold out since Tuesday. You never know what opportunities may arise from taking this second step”, he added.

The reigning champions face an uphill climb in the second leg, but the Red-Whites have progressed to the semifinals of the Champions League in six of the last seven tournaments, a formidable record that will not be easily broken. 

Mataro come into this game off the back of an agonising Copa de la Reina final defeat to Sabadell, but they will be all too aware that they have a golden opportunity to dethrone one of the most dominant teams in the last ten years. If the Marsesme start anything like we know they can, they could be well on their way to reaching the Champions League semi-finals for only the second time in their history. 

A team that is no stranger to progressing deep in the Champions League is Ekipe Orizzonte. The reigning Italian champions are the competition’s most successful club, having lifted the trophy eight times from their twenty final-four appearances. 

Martina Miceli, who won nine Euro League titles as a player with Ekipe, saw her team edge out Glyfada by a single score in the first leg (14-13). With the Italians’ form improving in the past few weeks, they will be the bookies’ favourites to progress to the semi-finals at Glyfada’s expense. 

Bronte Halligan. Photo: Ekipe Orizzonte.

For the Ekipe head coach, the home advantage is significant in defender their lead:

“We are excited to play back at our home. We know that the public can give us a big boost. We are ready to give our best: it will be a battle”

The Greeks, who have two Euro League titles to their name (2000 & 2003), have been in a bit of a slump recently, but know that the tie is not dead. Their success in this competition thus far is owed to a series of excellent defensive displays, and while that was not evident in the first leg, it will be crucial to restore their form without the ball if they are to turn the tide in the second leg. The deficit is only one goal, so even the smallest of victory’s could be valuable. 

Sabadell were simply too strong for SIS Roma at Can Llong in the first leg of their quarter final, and last weekend’s Copa de la Reina champions boast an insurmountable five goal lead from the first leg (15-10). 

In the first leg, Roma started too slowly, and appeared galvanised by the whole occasion. They have an opportunity at home though to show why they are currently top of the Italian A1. 

Nona Perez of Sabadell.

History is certainly not on the Italian’s side though, as Roma have never beaten Sabadell in their three previous meetings. They not only need to win, but they need to win big. Put simply, Marco Capanna’s team needs a miracle in Rome if they are to prevent their European adventure from coming to an abrupt end. 

Roma’s coach, Marco Capanna, remains optimistic:

“We have the pleasure, the honour, the stimulus and the right courage for this quarter-final. In the first game we conceded too much, but we have have a game plan. The girls should enjoy it”

And finally, despite a few concerning signs in the last few weeks in the Hungarian league, Dunaujvaros are strong favourites to finish off Mediterrani at Eva Fabo. 

If you had to pick at the start of the season which of the four Hungarian teams would reach this stage of the Champions League, Dunaujvaros might not have been the obvious choice. But now, they are primed to book a spot in the Champions League semi-final 

Photo: Sergi Crespi.

Attila Mihok’s side were more than deserving of their 13-9 first-leg win in Barcelona, but with dropped points in their last two domestic fixtures – which included a surprise defeat to Eger yesterday –  the form ahead this clash has been less than sparkling for the Orange and Blues.

Marian Diaz has to believe that her team can take full advantage of Ujvaros’ recent wobble, but it’s been a quarter of a century since Mediterrani made the final-four, something that doesn’t look like changing now.  

Should Ujvaros return to the final-four, it will return one of the women’s games great clubs back to where it belongs. At the turn of the millennium, Dunaujvaros made the Champions League semi-finals five times in a row. However, it took them fifteen years without an appearance before returning to the final-four again in 2021. 

 

Champions League Quarter-finals, 2nd legs

12:45 – CN Mataro (11) – (9) Olympiacos

17:00 – Ekipe Orizzonte (14)  – (13) ANO Glyfada

17:00 – Dunaujvaros (13) – (9) CE Mediterrani 

20:00 – SIS Roma (10) – (15) Astralpool Sabadell

Follow all the action from the Women’s Champions League

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

James Spencer-Boyce
James Spencer-Boyce

Related posts

Photo: Laszlo Balogh/ Total Waterpolo

March 28, 2023

Gocić suspends Dusan Mandic


Read more

Photo: Total Waterpolo

March 27, 2023

Great weekend for UZSC; two favorites fall in Utrecht


Read more

Photo: Waterpolo Australia.

March 27, 2023

Aussie Stingers announce World Cup squad


Read more

Featured Projects

Learn More

Learn More

Custom Team Gear

LEARN MORE

Shop Now

Looking for something?

✕
  • Gocić suspends Dusan Mandic
  • Great weekend for UZSC; two favorites fall in Utrecht
  • Aussie Stingers announce World Cup squad
  • Hannover upsets Spandau and retains German Cup
  • Jug returns to Regional League throne after new thriller in Belgrade
  • Home
  • Water Polo News
  • WearWaterpolo Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Project Superstar – TW Camp
  • BIWPA
  • Custom Team Equipment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2021 Total Waterpolo. All Rights Reserved.
Total Waterpolo Arena