Champions League WaterPolo, Main Round, Day 8, Group A – Brescia wins thriller in Split, Olympiacos and Barceloneta fall in Serbia

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Brescia broke four points clear after winning an epic 29-goal match in Split as Olympiacos’ unbeaten run ended in Kragujevac where Radnicki caused a huge upset by beating the Greeks. Fellow Serbian side Novi Beograd’s 5-0 opening against Barceloneta proved to be decisive despite the Spaniards’ surge in the second half. Since Ferencvaros bagged three more points against Dinamo, the Spaniards now trail by five in the race for the Final Eight.

Group A: Novi Beograd (SRB) v Zodiac Atletic Barceloneta (ESP) 11-9, Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 10-8, Jadran Split (CRO) v AN Brescia (ITA) 14-15, FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN) v Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) 16-10

Standings: 1. Brescia 20, 2. Olympiacos 16, 3. Ferencvaros 16, 5. Novi Beograd 14, 4. Barceloneta 11, 7. Radnicki 7, 6. Jadran 6, 8. Dinamo 0

Brescia came back from four goals down in Split to beat Jadran 15-14 in a fantastic game. While two weeks ago it was a defensive battle where despite its missing players the Italians beat the Croats 6-5, now it was an offensive feast. The hosts scored nine goals in 13 minutes – only to face a 0-6 run by Brescia in the following nine. Jadran went all-in in the fourth, but the Italians managed to keep a goal from their advantage.

And they could watch the games staged in Serbia with satisfaction as two big rivals fell over the next two hours. First gone Barceloneta in Belgrade where the hosts responded well to the sudden resignation of their head-coach Vlado Vujasinovic and proved that they are an elite team with a huge potential. They stormed to a 5-0 lead in ten minutes – though in the second half Barceloneta managed to come back to 6-5 but the home side had the answers again and earned a fine win at the end.

Then came the big upset – Radnicki, collecting only four points in the first seven rounds, stunned Olympiacos in a tough battle. Though the Greeks came back from 5-2 to 7-7 but couldn’t take over the lead, then the Serbs scored late in the third and early in the fourth and there was no way back for the 2018 champions. Once Radnicki went 10-8 up, they shut out their rivals in the last four minutes. Lazar Dobozanov had 13 saves, posted a 62% percentage (including stopping Filip Filipovic’s penalty in the fourth), playing a key role in halting Olympiacos’ unbeaten run.

Ferencvaros bagged three more points to have now at least as many wins as draws (four and four, still no losses) – this time the Hungarians had a slow start against Dinamo, but netting 7 in the second period put the game on the expected track.

 

RECAPS

Radnicki v Olympiacos 10-8

The Greeks had to overcome the problems caused by their travel delay – arrived a day later after a snowfall froze Athens – and they ‘arrived’ into the match also a bit later. This slow start pushed them  into a mission ‘almost impossible’as they fell behind quickly and trailed 4-1 and 5-2 in the first period while the Serbs played really well.

Radnicki earned a couple of great wins (two against fellow Serbian side Novi Beograd in the cup final and in the Adriatic League) and those victories did good to the team’s confidence. Though Konstantinos Mourikis pulled one back 6 seconds from time with his usual centre-goal and Ioannis Fountoulis further reduced the gap early in the second, but the hosts didn’t crack under the pressure. Milos Cuk netted an extra for 6-4, followed by Konstantinos Genidounias’ man-up goal – then the Greeks managed to kill three man-downs, still, Nikola Lukic’s fine action shot gave back the two-goal lead for Radnicki by halftime.

Sadly for the Serbs, their compatriot Filip Filipovic finally joined the party in the third and with a double in 38 seconds (from a penalty and a man-up) he put Olympiacos back on even at 7-7. Lukic missed the hosts’ next 6 on 5, then the Greeks earned one but they couldn’t take a shot. After they were also denied by goalie Lazar Dobozanov in their following possessions, Marko Radulovic’s 6m shot sent Radnicki ahead once more, 17 seconds before the last break.

Fountoulis hit the post from the Greeks’ first man-up in the fourth, and that was crucial since Josip Vrlic managed to score from the centre – so it was 9-7 and not 8-8. Dobozanov stopped Filipovic’s penalty in the next attack and the Greeks needed one more minute before they could score – after a killed man down, Fountoulis found the back of the net from action. Still, Radnicki held on as Aleksa Ukropina beat Marko Bijac in the following 6 on 5 – and the Greeks were unable to score more goals in the last four minutes. Indeed, they couldn’t take a shot in their last two man-ups, and this inevitably led to the end of their unbeaten run.

 

Novi Beograd v Barceloneta 11-9

Coaches hate to see their teams conceding goals from counters and the centre – in Belgrade a goal from a counter by Radomir Drasovic and one from the centre by Dusko Pijetlovic kicked off the match, the two arrived in 51 seconds to set the tone. Three minutes later Elvis Fatovic had to call a time-out after Drasko Gogov’s goal from a 6 on 5 counter gave a 4-0 lead to the hosts. It just helped to halt the Serbs’ run, but the Spaniards were still unable to score and when Gogov netted an extra early in the second, Barceloneta faced an enormous mountain to climb at 5-0.

Then Alvaro Granados broke the ice, after five missed 6 on 5s he finally put the Spaniards on the scoreboard. It took 10:49 minutes, but it still didn’t look that nice at halftime at 6-2, even though they managed to defend a bit better. A telling stat was at this stage that the number of total shots stood 16-9, on target went 13-4.

Then in the third two fast goals in 25 seconds fired up the visitors, 64 seconds later Felipe Perrone finished off a counter, so it was match-time again at 6-5. Dusan Mandic stepped up to send his team back to the battlefield, but Miguel de Toro also buried an extra from close. Strahinja Rasovic was on target twice, a penalty and a converted extra helped his team to keep the distance as between the two del Toro scored after a lucky rebound. Perrone was blocked in a man-up and that put the writing on the wall as Vasilje Martinovic’s fine bouncer hit the back of the net for 10-7.

The last period produced a tremendous battle, after three minutes Barceloneta scored first, de Toro netted a man-up again and 40 seconds later Alberto Munarriz buried a penalty – so it stood 10-9 with 4:24 to go. The Spaniards survived back-to-back man-downs, but de Toro’s centre-shot was denied by the post. The Spaniards had more chances to go even, Dani Lopez made a big save in a man-up with 1:15 to go but Pijetlovic also stopped de Toro’s ball. The Serbs earned a man-up 22 seconds before the final whistle, the Spaniards left them 3 on 2 but Angelos Vlachopoulos put an end to the contest with a pinpoint shot, one second from time. Though the change for the second half was mirrored by the same stats mentioned at halftime (total shots: 28-26, on target: 22-19 – 12-17 and 9-15 in the second half) but the first period’s blackout cost too much to the Spaniards.

 

Jadran v Brescia 14-15

Two weeks ago, Brescia played the match with literally seven field players, still managed to pull it off by a single goal. Now the Italian team was almost complete, but the Croats also wanted to grab their last chance to stay with the leaders and it ended in a magnificent match – perhaps only the goalies left the pool with bad memories.

Jadran stepped up in the opening period and managed to take a 4-2 lead. The second period began with a shooting parade, six goals arrived in a span of three minutes, only two possessions out of eight didn’t bring a hit at the end – though the gap didn’t change as both sides netted three. Then the Italians froze in front while the hosts carried on and Antonio Duzevic’s nice centre-goal gave them a 9-5 lead with 3:26 remaining till the middle break.

Brescia was in trouble, but the Italians didn’t lose their composure and soon hit the comeback trail. Edoardo di Somma – who was also the saviour of his team on Day 7 – netted a man-up then with some luck his ball slipped in seven seconds from time, so it looked better at halftime (9-7).

The Italian defence tightened, they were more aggressive while the Croats’ level in offence dropped significantly, they couldn’t find the tools to overplay the rival’s defence. Petar Tesanovic also improved a lot in Brescia’s goal, the Montenegrin was 3/12 in the first half while posted 4/5 alone in the third. While Jadran scored nine goals in 12:34 minutes, the hosts remained scoreless in the next 9 minutes and that had a devastating effect on the outcome. Brescia geared up and with four connecting action goals they took over the lead – it was a 0-6 run altogether –, before Duzevic put away an extra. Still, the Italians were on fire, added two more, one from a 6 on 5 and another from action, killed two man-downs to go 10-13 up before the last period.

Though the 1-6 hammering in the third might looked like bad but the Croats came back strong for the fourth. Mate Ancic delivered a couple of saves, Niksa Dobud netted a brilliant goal from the centre and when Marin Delic sent the ball home from a dying extra it became an open game again at 12-13 with 4:50 on the clock. Christian Presciutti’s action goal halted the home side’s run but only temporarily as Konstantin Kharkov’s outside blast halved the distance once again. The next two and a half minutes were thrilling, Jadran had possessions to equalise but the post saved Brescia before Vincenzo Renzuto converted a man-up with a huge shot for 13-15, and only 45 seconds were remaining. However, Kharkov needed only 11 seconds to score again and Jadran had four seconds to save the game to a draw, but Tesanovic could put his hand on Luka Bukic’s shot to secure three really important points for Brescia.

 

Ferencvaros v Dinamo 16-10

In Tbilisi, the Hungarians made sure right at the beginning that the Dinamo players should not smell blood at any stage of the game and with a 0-5 start they transformed the match to a calm encounter. Now, missing five members of their starting line-up due to positive tests, they were unable to copy their last performance, at least in the first half. What’s more, after Denes Varga opened the scoring, Dinamo managed to reply with two goals while Marton Vamos missed a penalty, so the visitors led 1-2 after the first period.

Vamos erased the bad memories with an action goal early in the second, followed by a man-up conversion by Szilard Jansik but the gap didn’t grow any bigger. What’s more, Dinamo always found the answers as Ferencvaros’ defence didn’t click at this phase of the game, their young players committed mistakes and the Georgians punished all – and held on for 5-5. Then came Denes Varga with a double, plus a fine goal from the centre by Gabor Lorinc, three goals from as many possessions in 70 seconds and that put the match on the expected track, even though Marko Jelaca pulled one back before the middle break.

The defences didn’t shine in the third either, but it was clear that the Magyars were in control (though Some Vogel had to face 23 shots, compared to the 17 two weeks ago) – still, all credits go to Dinamo as they managed to stay close even during this period and trailed by only three goals (13-10) before the last break. However, they ran out of gas for the fourth, couldn’t score any more while Luca Damonte showed his real class for the first time in the season – he stopped at 5, just like Varga, the Italian was 5/5, a brilliant feat in any match in this competition.

 

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Champions League Water Polo, Main Round, Day 8, Group A – Marseille survives early scare, OSC escapes in Berlin

 

Courtesy: LEN

While title-holder and group leader Recco cashed in three points without playing (due to Jug’s  Covid-problems), the other favourites had to work hard to claim their respective wins. Marseille played its first game since Christmas and they had to overcome a three-goal deficit in the second  half in Belgrade but a 0-7 run secured their seventh straight win. OSC was trailing during the  whole game in Berlin but staged a late surge and managed to hit the winner 7 seconds from time.  The other match in Germany was also decided by a single goal, Hannover edged out Steaua in a  match where the Romanians came back from four goals down but the hosts prevailed at the end.

Group B: Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) v Steaua Bucharest (ROU) 13-12, Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) v  OSC Budapest (HUN) 11-12, Crvena Zvezda (SRB) v CN Marseille (FRA) 8-11, Pro Recco (ITA) v  Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO) 10-0

Standings: 1. Recco 21, 2. Marseille 21, 3. Jug 15, 4. OSC 13, 5. Hannover 11, 6. Spandau 7, 7. Steaua  3, 8. Zvezda 3

Marseille fell three goals behind in Belgrade twice and was trailing 7-4 at halftime against bottom  ranked Crvena Zvezda, before the French found their rhythm and started playing at their usual level.  Without a match since Christmas, Marseille needed some time to reach ‘game-heat’ but once they had  it, they blew the Serbs away with a 0-7 run. The hosts could not penetrate the French defence at all,  scored a single goal in the second half, with 1:39 from time, so Marseille claimed its 7th straight win and  keep up with Recco on top.

OSC won a thriller in Berlin – the Magyars led only once in the match, 7 seconds before the end but that  late goal earned them a really precious win. At certain stages Spandau was in firm control, once they  went three goals up and they held a two-goal lead three times in the last period but was unable to score  in the last 4:35 minutes while OSC netted three in a row to have the last laugh. After losing the previous  match by default (due to Covid-problems), this win kept the Hungarians among the top four.

Hannover got entangled into an unexpectedly tough battle with Steaua despite all its key-players  returned to the team who had been missing in Bucharest. The Romanians managed to come back from  four goals down but ran out of gas in the fourth when the Germans rebuilt their three-goal lead. Two  late goals from the visitors could not prevent Hannover from bagging three more points.

Sadly, the big rematch between title-holder Recco and Jug was cancelled as the Croats – who had halted  the Italians unbeaten run two weeks ago – were hit by positive Covid-tests plus several players were  ordered to go to self-isolation, thus the team was unable to line up the minimum number of players for  this match. According to the regulations, the game was awarded to Recco with a 10-0 scoreline.

 

Recaps

C. Zvezda v Marseille 8-11

The opening period offered everything the given situation held for the teams. The Serbs got  some fresh blood under their new coach Mirko Vicevic while the French struggled a lot as they hadn’t  played a single game since December as all of their scheduled encounters were cancelled. Meeting with  a refreshed team in front of their noisy Serb fans while not being in play – it led to a stunning start as  Zvezda rushed a 3-0 lead while Marseille missed three extras in a row. Ante Vukicevic finally put them  on the scoreboard with 18 seconds remaining and soon in the second it seemed that the French machine  geared up as they quickly equalised for 3-3.

However, they couldn’t carry on their momentum while the hosts, playing without any pressure as their  chances to qualify were almost zero, regained their composure, scored two in a minute and added one  more to have another 3-0 run – Vuk Milojevic’s action goal came at the end of a brilliantly played  action. Vukicevic’s perfect blast halted Marseille’s ‘second” bad phase but Milos Vukicevic’s  magnificent backhander gave the home side a stunning 7-4 lead by halftime.

The French managed to regroup themselves in the middle break so the game started to offer a pattern  which mirrored the real quality difference between the teams. In 80 seconds, Marseille hit two as  Thomas Vernoux scored his usual one from the centre, then Michael Bodegas’ ball bounced in from the  goalie’s hand in a 6 on 4. The biggest change happened at the other end – Marseille’s defence was  tightened, the Serbs were unable to penetrate them, they missed their lonely man-up lately, that was  their only real scoring opportunity during these eight minutes. It was only a question of time when the  French took over the lead – Romain Vernoux’s 6m shot put them on level and Vukicevic’s penalty put  them ahead for the first time in the match, with 1:12 to go in the third.

The fourth started just like the third, Vernoux scored from the centre for 7-9 – and when Zvezda missed  its man-ups in the next two possessions, the fans could have a kind of a game-over feeling. It was  virtually over soon when Vukicevic hit his 5th goal from a man-up for 7-10. After Uros Cuckovic’s goal  from a counter, Milos Vukicevic could score again for the hosts to end the French’s 0-7 run. But it was  too few and too late, they had a drought lasting 16:50 minutes – or we may say, they ran out of miracles  for the second half.

 

Spandau v OSC 11-12

The Germans offered a great run at the beginning, scoring 5 out of 5 man-ups – a rare feat at any level.  OSC tried to keep up but thanks to the Germans’ effective offence they fell behind quickly, turning the  encounter in a chasing game where the favourite Magyars had to play under growing pressure.

When the visitors could finally kill a couple of man-downs, they had the chance to come back and they  just did that, Ferenc Salamon’s brilliant back-handed action goal brought them to even at 5-5. However,  they could not carry on their momentum, though they defended well but the German defence and the  hosts’ Hungarian goalie Laszlo Baksa was up to the task too.

And their efforts worked well at both ends of the pool in the third when they staged a 3-0 run. Their  veteran great Marko Stamm was instrumental in this rush, his old-school pushed shot from the water in  a counter was a sheer beauty and his finely tuned man-up shot put Spandau 8-5 up deep into this  quarter. Still, the Magyars weren’t done, they managed to score again after more than six minutes but  quickly added another one before the break so it stood 8-7 before the final period.

Nikola Dedovic’s brilliant shot from the distance doubled Spandau’s lead but despite another fine save  from Baksa, OSC could put away its next man-up. This pattern was repeated twice – the Germans  scored first, OSC could pull one back, but after 11-10 Spandau’s offence lost its rhythm and Salamon’s  magnificent 8m shot equalled the score at 11-11. What’s more, Baksa had to come up with a great stop  at a counter – however, the Hungarians managed to deny the hosts in a crucial man-up with 1:41 to go.  The post saved Spandau at OSC’s next possession, Marton Levai came up with a save 17 seconds from  time and the Magyars earned a man-up though Gergely Burian was swimming one on one towards the  goal anyway and he hit the winner just 7 seconds before the end. This was the first time OSC took the  lead in the game – but it earned them all three points.

 

Hannover v Steaua 13-12

The game began as it was more or less expected, the Germans jumped to a 3-0 lead. Steaua hit back  with a late double but Darko Brguljan also scored twice still in the first period to set the three-goal gap  back. Waspo was in control, in the second they expanded their lead to 7-3 and despite a fine action goal  from Dmitri Goanta with 0:11 on the clock, all looked well from the hosts’ perspective at halftime.

Things took a sharp turn in the third as the home players seemed to have laid back a bit early while the  Romanians managed to lead a series of counters and finished off three in a row, thus in a span of 62  seconds it was 7-7. Petar Muslim’s man-up goal eased Waspo’s miseries – it was their first after 7:17  minutes – but the reply came at the other end as Andrei Neamtu also sent the ball home from a 6 on 5.  Soon Hannover had some luck as the Romanians almost killed a man-down but a second attack saw  Ivan Nagaev scoring a crucial goal. Then Marius Tic saved a penalty, but again, after the corner  Aleksandar Radovic managed to find the back of the net from the distance for 10-8. The Romanians  could score a late one again, so the decision was left to the final period.

There Hannover opened the scoring, Steaua could hit back once more but in the crucial moments the  visitors looked no longer that fresh and fast as they had been in the third. They had a man-up to go even  once more at 11-10 but missed it and that cost them dearly as Ivan Nagaev netted one from the ensuing  counter. That was decisive as the Romanians couldn’t create clear scoring chances until the other leftie  Fynn Schutze did not score another fine action goal for 13-10. With 1:25 to go, the bill was settled, though Steaua managed to find two more in the last 43 seconds, but they no longer had the chance to  save a point at least.

 

Fixtures, Wednesday

Group A

19.00 FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN) v Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)

19.00 Jadran Split (CRO) v AN Brescia (ITA)

19.45 Novi Beograd (SRB) v Zodiac Atletic Barceloneta (ESP)

20.30 Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)

Standings: 1. Brescia 17, 2. Olympiacos 16, 3. Ferencvaros 13, 4. Barceloneta 11, 5. Novi Beograd 11,  6. Jadran 6, 7. Radnicki 4, 8. Dinamo 0

Champions League Water Polo, Main Round, Day 8 PRE-GAME QUOTES

 

Group A (Wednesday)

19.00 FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN) v Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)

Zsolt Varga, coach, Ferencvaros

“We are entering another busy period: our game against Tbilisi is sandwiched between two huge  domestic clashes against Szolnok and Honved this week. Nowadays not only injuries and illnesses but  Covid-related issues are common for everyone, so the main thing is to be able to adapt and turn the page  quickly. Last time around we had a pretty solid game in Georgia and if we do the same on Wednesday  the rankings will look encouraging.”

Daniil Merkulov, player, Ferencvaros

“I hope this game will be relatively easier because we are playing at home and will have big support  from our fans. There are a lot of good players on Dinamo Tbilisi’s roster, especially the foreigners who  help a lot. However, if we will be solid in defence and play tactically sound, we will finish with a  victory.”

Dejan Stanojevic, coach, Dinamo

“Building a team is a long, complicated and not an easy process. But we, as a team that is being built  and developed, cannot and must not hide behind the fact that we are playing against the best teams and  the best players and that we think we have time. No, we should be grateful to play against the best and  try to get closer to the best in the shortest possible time. We know our tasks, we have obligations and  responsibilities towards ourselves above all and we must show that with every training and every game  we progress and that we are both individually and as a team better than we were. That’s what I’m asking  of my players this time as well. My players need to show that they have progressed and that we can play  at a serious and high level. There is a difference in quality and that is true, but we have to show that we  have progressed in this kind of competition and quality that all the teams in our group have.”

 

19.00 Jadran Split (CRO) v AN Brescia (ITA)

Mile Smodlaka, coach, Jadran

“We are playing Brescia once again, after we lost them in a close game in Italy. We played the second  round tournament of the Regional League, had three matches and won against Sabac and Partizan, but  lost to Jug AO. But my players are getting in form after a lot of Covid-19 cases.”

Antonio Duzevic, player, Jadran

“Our first game against Brescia was strange because of COVID-19, a lot of players couldn’t play, some  just came back from it… But it was a close call, we were close, hope we can do it in Split this time.”

Alessandro Bovo, coach, Brescia

“It will be a tough match against a very competitive team. Of course, it will be a different game  compared to the one we played in Mompiano at the beginning of the month. It is always difficult to  prepare well because of pandemic situation and we still don’t know how many we will be in Split.  Nevertheless, we’ll give our best to win this really important game.”

 

19.45 Novi Beograd (SRB) v Zodiac Atletic Barceloneta (ESP)

Dani Lopez, goalie, Barceloneta

“It’s another great match against one of the best teams in Europe. Also, it’s a very complicated match,  we have had many positive cases on the team in the last two weeks. That makes us somewhat  unprepared because many of us are still recovering from the virus. But despite the circumstances, we are  forced to play the game. It is a pity that the rules of competition are unable to adapt to unique moments  we are living in. We will try to do our maximum although we are aware that we are not at our best.”

Alberto Munarriz, player, Barceloneta

“All remaining matches in this phase of Champions League is decisive to get to qualify for the Final 8.  We face one of the best teams that also plays at home. In the first round we played a great game where  victory slipped out of our hands in the last quarter. We are at a point of competition where we cannot let  any more point escape. We will give our best.”

 

20.30 Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)

Uros Stevanovic, coach, Radnicki

“Olympiacos is one of the main contenders for the title. We want to improve the impressions from the  first duel in Athens, where we were competitive until the last quarter. We saw that we could match  them. Above all, I hope that we will rest and refresh ourselves after the hard tournament of the Regional  League and thus be able to give our best against Olympiacos.”

Nikola Lukic, player, Radnicki

“We were not with the full squad in Athens, our goalkeeper Dobozanov was missing. In general, we did  not prepare much for that match, because the players had obligations with the national teams and we  have just gathered in Athens. We did not expect to match them so well. In some moments, we even  played great, and we saw that we could be competitive in their pool. In the Regional League  tournament, we played great and got into a good rhythm and I hope we will show that in this game.”

Theodoros Vlachos, coach, Olympiacos

“The game in Kragujevac against Radnicki is very important, especially for our team, in order to stay on  track for the Final Eight and high in the group standings. Our management of the game will play a  decisive role in its outcome. We want to play a very careful and determined game, always respecting the  dynamics of the opponent at home.”

Konstantinos Genidounias, player, Olympiacos

“It’s the first game of the second round that we have to win to stay in the hunt for the first place.  Radnicki seems to have risen lately and we are called to overcome this obstacle that will be even more  difficult away from home. We have not had time to do a lot of training together because of the national  teams, but I am sure that we will show our good face and we will fight for the victory.”

 

Group B (Tuesday)

18.00 Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) v Steaua Bucharest (ROU)

Karsten Seehafer, coach, Hannover

“The days after the game in Bucharest were dominated by Corona. Now all players are back, we can  start to work together and want to reach the next level on Tuesday against Steaua.”

Alexander Radovic, player, Hannover

“It will be even more difficult than in Bucharest but I believe in our team. We’re not fit yet but this is  perhaps the most important game at this stage of the season and we know what to do. I am personally  and the team are also very, very motivated and we can do it for sure! The F8 is our target!”

Petar Muslim, player, Hannover

“After two weeks we are finally back together after almost all players were Covid positive. We didn’t  have many training sessions together, but there is a good atmosphere in the team, so I’m expecting a  good game and a win.”

 

19.00 Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) v OSC Budapest (HUN)

Petar Kovacevic, coach, Spandau

“The game against OSC is a key match for my team. If we win, we can draw level with them in terms of  points. Then we would have a good platform to reach the Final 8 in Belgrade. In order to do that, we  have to play at hundred percent of our capacity. So far this year, we have not had to play any difficult  matches in the Bundesliga or in the Champions League. Thereforem we need to go into this game with  full concentration.”

Denis Strelezkij, player, Spandau

“We have trained hard this year and prepared well for the match against OSC Budapest. OSC has a  strong team with many internationally experienced players, which is clear if you look at the standings of  the Hungarian league. We are highly motivated to show a good game in our own pool and will not give  away any points easily to the Hungarians.”

Daniel Varga, coach, OSC

“Last game we didn’t have the chance to play against Spandau. This time I hope I will decide on our  line-up, not the virus. We need these 3 points to reach our goals in the group.”

Marton Toth, player, OSC

“It was a difficult time which we left behind us. Almost everybody was infected with covid virus and  that is the reason why we lost the previous game against Spandau without play. Since a couple of days, we have been working together again. Spandau is a really good team with experienced foreign players 

and a great coach, however, we are going to Berlin for the 3 points. It will be tough! I really hope we  will win the first battle before the match and no one produces a positive test…”

 

20.00 Crvena Zvezda (SRB) v CN Marseille (FRA)

Mirko Vicevic, coach, Zvezda

“I came to the club to help the players to get better results in the Champions League and in other  competitions in which we compete. Last week we played the Adriatic League and had three games, it  served us as a preparation for our match with Marseille. We also worked on new tactics, so we hope to  play a high-level match.”

Milos Scepanovic, coach, Marseille 

“By assessing this first phase of the competition, we can say that we are the favourites in this game. We  remain, however, calm and focused, we continue to work to perform well and we will not change this  mindset that we have had since the start of the season. The Belgrade team remains an experienced team  with good players and nothing will be taken for granted during this match.”

Mishka Izdinsky, player, Marseille

“We can’t wait to finally start this second part of the season since returning after the Christmas holidays  we have had 4 matches cancelled in a row. So we trained a lot and we accumulated a lot of motivation  while waiting for this recovery. We know that Tuesday’s game will be a good launchpad to continue to  win. It can also give us a good dynamic to move on to the Coupe de France and all the other challenges that follow.”

 

21.00 Pro Recco (ITA) v Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO)

Sandro Sukno, coach, Pro Recco

“We feel a bit better than in the game in Dubrovnik, the group is almost complete and this has allowed  us to train better these days. It will certainly be another Pro Recco, more ready to face a strong opponent  who has grown a lot and will certainly qualify for the finals in Belgrade; for our part, it will be  important to concede fewer easy goals, supported by a different physical condition. In Croatia, from the  middle of the match, we were unable to keep a high pace, a fundamental aspect if you want to bring  home the matches at the European stage. We will play in Milan, in a fantastic pool just opened which  will give us another reason to play a great match and win.”

Aleksandar Ivovic, player, Pro Recco

“We want to cancel the defeat remedied two weeks ago in Dubrovnik and we are waiting for the last  swabs as almost all the players have recovered. It will be a beautiful match, we will play in Milan in a  very modern and truly wonderful pool. It is a pity that due to the pandemic the fans will not be able to  go beyond the thirty-five percent of the seating capacity.”

Champions League Water Polo, Main Round, Day 8 – More excitements are in sight as rematches commence

 

As usual, the rematches of Day 7 take place in this round offering plenty more excitements across  Europe, and the uncertainty due to the pandemic might affect the matches once more, though  hopefully this time all eight will be staged. The race for the F8 is as fierce as ever in Group A with  three more extremely tight encounters in sight, while Group B title-holder Recco looks for a  revenge after its stunning loss to Jug two weeks ago.

While the new Omicron variant continues to keep especially team sport events under pressure, the  second half of the Champions League main round is to go ahead this week. Two weeks ago, six games  were contested and among them a couple of battles saw some heroic efforts from sides heavily hit by  Covid-19 so uncertainty cannot be ruled out this time either.

In Group A, more excitements are to come when the rematches of Day 7 take place on Wednesday (as  usual, in the second half there is a switch and Group A matches are due on the second playing day while  Group B opens the respective rounds). Just as last time, Ferencvaros is the team where three more  points are more or less ‘booked’ as last season’s runners-up face pointless Dinamo Tbilisi so the  unbeaten Hungarians shall stay close (if not get closer) to the leaders.

At the same time, top ranked Olympiacos and second placed Brescia are to pass tough tests. Though the  Greeks, the other unbeaten side in the field, claimed a fine win over Radnicki at home, in Kragujevac  the Serbs may go for an upset. The hosts earned more fine wins in the Adriatic League last week,  including another stunner against favourite Novi Beograd which shows they are really capable of bigger  things – while Olympiacos struck in Athens due to a snow storm at the airport so it’s yet to be seen if  they are able to travel to Belgrade on time.

Brescia came up with an a truly amazing performance against Jadran while most of its key players  watched the game from home – but that’s history and now they need to repeat the feat in Split. It’s not  going to be easy despite many returning aces to the Italians’ line-up since this is perhaps the very last  chance for the Croats to stay on course for the Final Eight.

An even bigger challenge awaits Barceloneta which dropped two more valuable points against Novi  Beograd two weeks ago. Just like against Ferencvaros, the Spaniards conceded a goal in the dying  seconds against the Serbs which tied the game so they now trail by two points in the ranks and if they  don’t win in Belgrade, they will see an even bigger gap to bridge in the remaining rounds (the Serbs  have a guaranteed spot in the F8 as hosts). At the same time, the host side is in a bit of turmoil now as  their head coach Vladimir Vujasinovic suddenly resigned on Monday citing poor results achieved so far  in this season – so on Wednesday an interim coach will take on his duty.

 

In Group B, things unexpectedly heated up as Recco lost its first game in the season in Dubrovnik (all  competitions considered) and now the title-holders are tied first with Marseille. The schedule offers a  quick revenge opportunity for the Italians at home – in Milano, more precisely, as it’s tour-time again – though this match is in limbo as a couple of Croatian players were tested positive in  Belgrade, at the Adriatic League tournament which endangers their trip to Italy.

Marseille got three points without play last time, now they have to travel to Belgrade which is always  tricky, though Crvena Zvezda sits in the last place of the group and does not seem to be a real threat on  the French’ winning run. However, the new coach Mirko Vicevic might stir up the Serbs while the  French is yet to play this year as they had only cancelled matches at home too.

The clash of Spandau and OSC has the most at stake perhaps in the entire round. Winning in Dubrovnik  put the Hungarians back on track but soaring Covid-infections derailed them again on Day 7. Losing  three points to Spandau without playing set up a huge battle in Berlin for Tuesday where the eventual  winner shall take the edge in the hunt for the top four positions.

The other German side Hannover survived the Bucharest test despite missing several of its key players  and that hard-fought win kept their hopes to go to Belgrade alive. Now three more points at home is  very much in sight and that would attach them to the top four – if things happen favourably in Berlin,  Hannover can even overtake OSC, though the road leading to the F8 is still very long.

 

Fixtures, Day 8

Group A (Wednesday)

19.00 FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN) v Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)

19.00 Jadran Split (CRO) v AN Brescia (ITA)

19.45 Novi Beograd (SRB) v Zodiac Atletic Barceloneta (ESP)

20.30 Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)

Standings: 1. Brescia 17, 2. Olympiacos 16, 3. Ferencvaros 13, 4. Barceloneta 11, 5. Novi Beograd 11,  6. Jadran 6, 7. Radnicki 4, 8. Dinamo 0

 

Group B (Tuesday)

18.00 Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) v Steaua Bucharest (ROU)

19.00 Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) v OSC Budapest (HUN)

20.00 Crvena Zvezda (SRB) v CN Marseille (FRA)

21.00 Pro Recco (ITA) v Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO)

Standings: 1. Recco 18, 2. Marseille 18, 3. Jug 15, 4. OSC 10, 5. Hannover 8, 6. Spandau 7, 7. Steaua  3, 8. Zvezda 3

World Triathlon signs a contract with ITA to manage its anti-doping activities

World Triathlon is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with the International Testing Agency (ITA) for the management and implementation of the World Triathlon Anti-Doping programme until December 2024.

The World Triathlon Executive Board approved the transfer of the anti-doping activities to ITA, an independent organization that will guarantee a much more independent management of its anti-doping programme and resources within the sport of triathlon and our organization.

“This agreement is a very important step forward to guarantee the full independence of our anti-doping programme, and I am absolutely convinced that this cooperation will bring great success to our organization, said World Triathlon President and IOC member, Marisol Casado.

From January 2022, ITA will be updating, monitoring and amending the Risk Assessment, and will be in charge of the development and implementation of the Test distribution plan. ITA will also establish and manage the Registered Testing Pool of World Triathlon, and its consequent management of the whereabouts submission process.

The ITA will be in charge of the organization and management of the Out-of-Competition tests, and the In-Competition testing activities at all World Triathlon events. The International Testing Agency will continue to be in charge of the administration of the Athlete Biological Passports.

The International Testing Agency will also support the delivery of the Education activities in compliance with the international standard of education. The agreement includes 60 hours of education-related work and support of different activities, in coordination with World Triathlon.

World Triathlon will have full access to the ITA’s Whistleblowing platform -Reveal- and the preliminary assessment of the information received via this platform. Both organizations will work on the development and implementation of a long-term storage and reanalysis policy and long-term storage of samples in the ITA’s centralised storage facility.

World Triathlon will retain responsibility over the management of its Therapeutic Use Exemption program and will also continue overseeing the Results Management process. World Triathlon and the ITA will pursue the discussions over 2022 to delegate these remaining areas of World Triathlon’s anti-doping programme.

 

ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON

World Triathlon is the international governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be extraordinary. 

www.triathlon.org

ESPANYA - Tornen els entrenaments al Club Neda el Món

 

Neda el Món, juntament amb el nostre entrenador i a la vegada el Director de Swim Emotions, Jonathan Gómez, torna a engegar els entrenaments en piscina per tots els nostres nedaddictes. Podeu escollir un dia a la setmana o dos, a Barcelona o a Tiana a l'hivern i a la piscina exterior de 50m del Masnou a l'estiu. Si esteu interessats només cal que ens envieu un email a info@nedaelmon.com i us enviarem informació més detallada.

Eric Vilaregut, tercer nedador top que s'apunta a Medes!

Tercer crack de les aigües obertes que s'apunta a la 13a Neda el Món Illes Medes per la Marató de TV3 by ZOGGS que organitzem el proper 8 de maig de 2022. L'Eric Vilaregut és un nedador internacional d’aigües obertes que ha participat a diversos esdeveniments com el Mundial Infantil d'aigües obertes d'Holanda (2a posició), l'Europeu Infantil a Itàlia (top 10), la Copa del Món d'Israel, els Circuits Internacionals de França, Itàlia i Portugal i l'Eurpoeu Junior a Malta.

És un honor per Neda el Món que l'Eric s'uneixi al Pol i el Guillem i pugui compartir braçades amb nosaltres. A part de participar en la nostra travessia, l'Eric serà un dels ponents del Clínic d’Aigües Obertes que organitzem el dissabte dia 7 a les 17h i, posteriorment a la travessia, entregarà les medalles als guanyadors de cada categoria i estarà disponible per fer-vos fotos amb ell durant el Meet & Greet a la mateixa platja de l’Estartit.

Gràcies Eric! T'esperem per nedar amb tu!

L'HOTEL PANORAMA, HOTEL OFICIAL A MEDESL'Hotel Panorama, hotel oficial a Medes

L'Hotel Panorama de l'Estartit ha entrat com a col·laborador de la 13a Neda el Món Illes Medes per la Marató de TV3 by ZOGGS i serà l'hotel oficial de l'esdeveniment. Si busqueu allotjament, podeu trobar habitacions dobles per només 90€ dient que sou participants de la prova de Neda el Món. Podeu fer la reserva al 972 751 092 o a info@hotelpanoramaestartit.com. Nosaltres també serem allà! Apa... salut, Medes i Marató de TV3!

Champions League Water Polo, Main Round, Day 7, Group B – Jug stuns Recco, Hannover wins big

 

Only two games were played in Group B but those two offered great excitements as Jug managed  to beat title-holder Recco while Hannover, despite missing six of its key players, bagged all three  points in Bucharest after scoring the winner 17 seconds from time. Positive tests prevented OSC  from fielding enough players at home against Spandau, while Crvena Zvezda could not make the  trip to Marseille. According to the regulations, Spandau and Marseille took these matches with  10-0.

Group B: Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO) v Pro Recco (ITA) 11-8, Steaua Bucharest (ROU)  v Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) 9-10, CN Marseille (FRA) v Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 10-0, OSC Budapest  (HUN) v Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) 0-10

Standings: 1. Recco 18, 2. Marseille 18, 3. Jug 15, 4. OSC 10, 5. Hannover 8, 6. Spandau 7, 7. Steaua  3, 8. Zvezda 3

Jug faced all kind of problems in December – but the Christmas break did good to the Croats while  Recco failed to bring its ‘A-game’ to the pool in Dubrovnik and lost its first match in the season. Jug  had a great run in the third period when they netted three connecting goals after 7-6 and the Italians  couldn’t recover from the four-goal deficit. Indeed, they could score only eight while they averaged  16.1 goals in the previous six rounds. This could partly be thanked to Jug goalie Toni Popadic who  delivered a series of outstanding saves in the third period and finished the match with 14 stops and a  63.6 saving percentage.

5 KRZIC Filip, Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Jug Adriatic Osiguranje – Pro Recco Jug Adriatic Osiguranje (white cap) vs Pro Recco(black caps) LEN Champions League Ostia 21/04/2021 Polo Natatorio Freccia Rossa Ostia, Italy ITA Photo © G.Scala/Deepbluemedia/Inside

Normally, Hannover would have been considered the favourite in Bucharest, but the Germans had to  leave six of their best players at home. However, their mix of juniors and the remaining veterans  managed to edge out Steaua. The Germans played quite efficiently and even though the Romanians  could level the score from time to time, even came back from 5-8 down, they could never take the lead.  They had a possession after 9-9 but couldn’t capitalise it and Jon Winkelhorst put away a 6 on 5 with  0:17 to go.

These three points might be crucial in the race for the Final 8 as OSC could not field the minimum  number of players in its home game against Spandau. The other German team also had problems,  arrived with nine players but nine positive tests prevented the Hungarians from showing up for the  match. Crvena Zvezda had Covid-related travel issues and at the end they were unable to make their trip  to Marseille. According to the regulations, those teams which were ready to play, receive three points  with a goal-difference of 10-0, which tightens up the ranks.

 

Recaps

Jug v Recco 11-8

Based on the previous six rounds, nothing forecasted what actually happened in Dubrovnik. Recco was  flying high, their closest games all saw six goals difference at least while Jug had ups and many downs, including home losses to Marseille and most recently to OSC. However, the Croats entered  the match with a different mindset while as the game progressed it became obvious that Recco wasn’t as  sharp as before. 

The first period promised the expected scenario, the Italians offered their usual powerful start, after 1-0  they scored two in 46 seconds with a killed man-down in between, two minutes later Aaron Younger  netted another man-up (Recco was 3/3 here) to take a 1-3 lead. Konstantinos Kakarakis pulled one back  from the next possession and Recco had its first missed man-up shortly before the break.

Stylianos Argyropoulos opened the second period with a fine action goal, Gergo Zalanki replied with  his trademark blast from the perimeter, but Loren Fatovic equalised again with a 6m shot. At this stage  the game was amazing, Giacomo Canella put Recco ahead once more from a counter but Jug hit back  with a double in 51 seconds to retake the lead at 6-5 while the goalies came up with some big saves in  the last couple of minutes at both ends.

Goals didn’t come in the first four minutes of the third either, Recco couldn’t force its will onto the  Croats who fought bravely and felt that the Italians were unable to hit their usual gear. When  Argyropoulos finished a counter for 7-5, the hosts knew that they might have their day. Zalanki blew up  another bomb soon, but Recco missed a man-up to go even while Alexandros Papanastasiou’s ball  somehow found its way under Marco del Lungo’s arm. Another crucial series of events commenced  when Toni Popadic stopped Benjamin Hallock’s centre-shot brilliantly while at other end Jug earned a  penalty and Fatovic buried it, so it stood 9-6 instead of 8-7. Popadic was one fire, two more fantastic  saves kept the three-goal gap and with 23 seconds before the last break it was expanded to four when  Hrvoje Benic sent the ball home from a 6 on 5.

Recco was in deep trouble but after a 5:02 minutes long silence Aleksandar Ivovic converted a man-up  and 1:27 later Hallock finally found the back of the net from action so the title-holders came close again  at 10-8. But their momentum didn’t last long – with some luck, Jug managed to make their 6 on 5,  Argyropoulos’ first shot was well saved but after the corner the Greek had a second try and this time he  made it. It was 11-8 with 4:45 to go and Recco were unable to cause any more trouble – indeed they  couldn’t score more and finished the game with 8 hits. This tells the story: in the previous six rounds  their scoring average was 16.1 goals per game and the least they netted was 13 – this evening their  shooting percentage dropped to 26.1%, though kudos for Toni Popadic who finished the match with 14  catches and a 63.6% saving percentage.

 

Steaua v Hannover 9-10

Aleksandar Radovic, Fynn Schutze, Ivan Nagaev, Ante Corusic, Petar Muslim, Marko Macan – add a  goalie and you get a line-up many teams would welcome at any time around Europe. Hannover arrived  at Bucharest without these six players as they were all tested positive – so for the Germans the trip was  rather a game of Survivor. At the same time, Steaua’s hunger just grew after the Romanians had  managed to catch Crvena Zvezda in the previous round – it seemed they had a great chance against  Waspo’s veteran-junior mix.

However, the Germans’ experienced players executed their game-plan perfectly. Solid defending, no  rush and wait for the chances – they just did everything they could in the given situation. As long as they had enough gas in the tank, their veterans did their utmost and built a 1-3 lead during  the first period, the Romanians could score only once and even then the ball barely crossed the virtual  goal-line. Hannover didn’t take risks so their offence slowed down a bit but the hosts couldn’t capitalise  on the 4:40 minute-long silence of the Germans, they could put away a 6 on 4 but Matija Brguljan  immediately reset the two-goal gap from a man-up. And towards the end of this period this was  repeated: the other Brguljan brother, Darko finished a counter to reply to Francesco Iudan’s extraman  goal for 3-5.

Hannover tried to conserve energy but this time the Romanians used a couple of opportunities to come  back to 5-5 in less than a minute. Still, Julian Real hit back again, from the centre and soon the Brguljan  Bros delivered two more while Steaua couldn’t find the right rhythm so it was 5-8. However, Hannover  lost Matija Brguljan later in the third via an exclusion-penalty combo, the hosts pulled one back while  the Germans were burning their last reserves.

It became visible in the fourth as the Romanians came back to even and there was still 5:29 on the  clock. An easy put-away helped the Germans, Jon Winkelhorst earned a man-up and could convert the  one-on-one from the centre for 8-9 but later they missed a crucial man-up and with 1:38 to go Vlad Gabriel Dragomirescu finally found the back of the net from the wing for 9-9. Winkelhorst had a shot  from the centre, it was caught by the goalie, but the Romanians couldn’t create real danger and Moritz  Schenkel made an easy save on their next shot. Hannover called for a time-out, then earned a man-up  and Winkelhorst’s strangely bouncing shot hit the back of the net with 17 seconds remaining. Steaua  had a last attempt but their final shot hit the crossbar and the Germans celebrated their win as if they had  qualified for the Final Eight.

Men’s Euro Cup Water Polo, Semi-finals, 1st leg – Spanish entertainment 1-7, followed by 4-0

 

Despite a 1-7 hammering in the third period, Sabadell couldn’t hold on to claim an already decisive win in Barcelona in the ‘Spanish’ semi-final and the hosts fought themselves back with a 4-0 run in the last period to keep some hope for the second leg.

The other match has been put on hold as the entire team of Ortigia was quarantined by the local authorities.

Semi-finals, first leg:

CN Barcelona (ESP) v Astralpool Sabadell (ESP) 10-12,

Telimar Palermo (ITA) v CC Ortigia (ITA) on hold.

Return leg: 9 February

The Catalonian neighbours produced a balanced first half in Barcelona where Sabadell jumped to a 1-3 lead in the first period, but the hosts climbed back in the second and with Roger Tahull’s man-up goal they levelled the score at 5-5, 37 seconds before the middle break.

Then it all went wild in the third. In 1:52 minutes, Sabadell netted three and though Barcelona pulled one back, the visitors enjoyed a fantastic ride, added four more in the remaining four minutes, all from action to finish an almost flawless quarter which they won 1-7.

It was a perfect storm – perhaps no one foresaw it was coming but definitely no one guessed what the fourth period beheld. The Sabadell players sat too comfortably in the driving seat enjoying a 6-12 lead – their concentration level dropped significantly and once their rivals started playing without any pressure, the visitors were unable to gear up again.

Barcelona scored twice in 57 seconds early on and that threw them a lifeline. Sabadell started missing their man-ups while the hosts gained back their composure and with 3:12 to go they trailed by two goals only, thanks to their 4-0 run. However, they were unable to add more – they earned a man-up in the last half minute, but the post denied them, what’s more, Sabadell had a 2 on 1 but missed that as well, just like all five extras in the fourth period so the second leg will offer more excitements.

LEN Officals will make a decision later on the Sicilian semi-final as due to the high number of positive cases, the entire team of Ortigia was ordered to be quarantined by the local authorities, thus not even their healthy players had the chance to go to Palermo.

FINA set to host international events at the Egyptian pyramids from 2023

 

FINA is pleased to announce an agreement with the Egyptian Swimming Federation that will see Egypt host a series of international aquatics events at the iconic ancient pyramids of Giza between 2023 and 2026.

Following the agreement, signed between FINA President Captain Husain Al-Musallam, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports Dr Ashraf Sobhy, and President of the Egyptian Swimming Federation, Yasser Idris, Egypt - home to the Pyramids of Giza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 - will welcome the world’s best high divers, divers and artistic swimmers for the following events:

FINA High Diving World Cup - 2023-2024

FINA Diving Grand Prix - 2023-2026

FINA Artistic Swimming World Series 2023

“Today is another incredibly exciting milestone for FINA. We are delighted to have signed this agreement that will see world-class athletes compete at the incredible site of the ancient Pyramids of Giza. This historic location will see breathtaking images and video footage shared on social media sites and beamed to TV screens around the world,” said FINA President Captain Husain Al-Musallam.

The FINA High Diving World Cup will see the world’s best high divers compete in two events on the programme; the men’s 27m competition and the women’s 20m competition. Meanwhile, the FINA Diving Grand Prix will see the world’s best divers compete in the 3m springboard and 10m platform, in both individual and synchronised events. Moreover, the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series will see artistic swimmers compete in solos, duets, mixed duets, teams, free combination and the highlight routine.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to share the best of Egypt’s heritage with world class aquatics athletes from 2023. We hope that Egypt’s wonders of the ancient world will inspire athletes to some of their greatest ever performances and encourage more young people to become the aquatics stars of their generation,” said President of the Egyptian Swimming Federation Yasser Idris.

Exact dates and further details will be announced soon.

FINA