BUDAPEST
GROUP B – Brescia (ITA) v Barceloneta (ESP) 6-8
Alessandro
Bovo, coach, Brescia:
“What
was the difference between today and yesterday? The answer is Barceloneta, a
team with great players, a great coach and great tactics. Their defence was
very good, we couldn’t make our shots in the man-ups, they were very well
organised in all parts. It wasn’t easy to play three matches in a row, but in
general I’m satisfied with our performance.”
Maro
Jokovic, player, Brescia:
“We
lost because of our man-ups. Dani Lopez didn’t even have to save a shot in
man-down in three periods and this tells the story. Barceloneta is a great
team, their defence are excellent, they have the will to help each other and
that made the difference.”
Jesus
Martin, coach, Barceloneta:
“All
credit goes to Dani Lopez, he was instrumental to our win. I’m really happy
with my team, they played well in defence and I think we did what we had to in
offence too. It’s not easy to beat Brescia so we had to come up with our best.
Three wins after a long break in the Champions League, we cannot wish for any
more.”
Dani
Lopez, goalie, Barceloneta:
“I’m
satisfied with the match and with all our results. Brescia is one of the favourites
for the title and today we did a great match and clinched three more points. I
think one of the keys of our win was our incredible defence in man-down. We
didn’t let Brescia make any counter-attack either. This bubble tournament is
tough with three matches in three days but we are in good physical shape so was
ready for the challenge. We are happy with everything so far.”
BUDAPEST
GROUP B – Hannover (GER) v Ferencvaros (HUN) 6-19
Karsten
Seehafer, coach, Hannover:
“Of
course, the lockdown since September did not help, ten weeks without any game,
not three in three days, for us that was impossible to prepare for. Still, even
in this shape we should have played better our man-ups as nothing was applied
what we practiced. Now most of our players will leave to start practicing with
their respective national teams for the Olympic Qualification Tournament and
they will only come back for a week before the next tournament, so we won’t
have too much time again…”
Julian
Real, player, Hannover:
“First
I want to say that here in Budapest the organisation was excellent, we felt
very secure in the bubble, away from the coronavirus. It is good that water
polo is back in Europe and we can play again. The games were terrible for us,
we didn’t do our best. I think we must have won yesterday, today was OK as we
played against one of the favourites. Still, I think we conceded too many goals
from Ferencvaros, scoring six or seven is fine but got way too many. We felt
tired because of the tough game against Jadran and we didn’t have enough time
to recover. Maybe three games in three days is a problem but if you think of
the Olympic qualification where you play seven games in seven days, you see you
have to be prepared.”
Zsolt Varga, coach, Ferencvaros:
“Even
though today’s match looked easy but I think I can be satisfied with our
defence, that was the key for our big win. The team started regaining its
composure in this tournament now we have time to start the real rebuilding
process. We needed these games in the Champions League to see what mistakes we
need to correct and what we need to focus on to reach the expected level.”
Vendel
Vigvari, player, Ferencvaros:
“These
were my first three Champions League matches and I immediately felt on my skin
that this another level. It was a long time ago that I played in international
matches (in age group) and it’s clear that there is a large room for
development for me. In Ferencvaros, every day is a challenge but I love
challenges, that’s why I chose this great team. Regarding this tournament, I
think we started to take the right path. We won those games which we were
supposed to, and we had some positives against Brescia too. I think we have
enough time to grow as a team in the coming months.”
BUDAPEST
GROUP B – Dinamo (GEO) v Jadran (MNE) 11-8
Zurab
Rurua, coach, Dinamo
“I am
very happy and very proud of my team, this a big win for Dinamo and for our
country. Today we won because the players kept everything we agreed before the
match, they were disciplined and played according to the tactics. This win
means a lot for us, we will come back to March as not the bottom ranked team in
this group.”
Andria
Bitadze, player, Dinamo:
“This
is our second year in Champions League so we are still a new team on this big
stage. Last year we managed only three points in ten matches when we beat
Marseille, this season our target is to improve and get more points and wins.
Because I think Dinamo has a good potential and can become one of the best
teams in the world. We just need time, good trainings, great workouts. This is
a happy day for Georgian water polo, for this young team as this victory is
very important for us. These are the first three points in this competition but
I’m sure not the last ones.”
Petar
Radanovic, coach, Jadran:
“It’s a
bit of inexperience, it’s a bit of tiredness as we had only 16 hours between
our two matches. In the life of such a young team there are ups and downs,
today we have mostly downs plus there were other things but I don’t want to
complain of the referees. I have to congratulate to Dinamo, they played very
well and deserved the win. We have to work a lot and I really believe that we
could improve for the next tournament in March.”
Marko
Petkovic, captain, Jadran:
“We can
be satisfied with our three points. If you offer that us in advance, we would
have signed off for it but now, at the end, I cannot be satisfied because even
if we got those points but we did not play as we should have. There are a lot
of things we have to do better and not commit the same mistakes in every game.
Now we have some time to rest and hope to be ready for the next tournament. I
should say, that these three days tournaments are not easy since you don’t have
time to prepare tactically for the second and third day. Anyway, it is the same
for all teams so it’s not an excuse.”
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