September 2024

Radnicki Kragujevac came back from five goals down against Mladost Zagreb on the last day in the Champions League Qualification Round to follow Jadran m:tel, CSM Oradea and Astralpool Sabadell to the Group Stage. At the end, all four teams managed to keep their unbeaten record, while a couple of members of the ‘Old Guard’ like Jug Dubrovnik, AN Brescia and Spandau 04 will be missing from the CL action for the first time after many years. Group A (Dubrovnik) Final rankings: 1. Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) 12, 2. Jug AO Dubrovnik (CRO) 9, 3. CN Barcelona (ESP) 6, 4. Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) 3, 5. VK Banja Luka (BIH) 0 Jadran secured its Group Stage berth with another fine performance against CN Barcelona. After a hard-fought first half, where the Montenegrins took an 8-6 lead, they staged a 5-1 rush in the third which closed down the contest as they were 13-7 up before the final quarter. At the end, they won 14-10 and booked their spot with a perfect record. Jug bid farewell with a 24-1 victory over Banja Luka – the host Croats will miss the Champions League Group Stage for the first time since 2003; now they can have a shot to retain their title in the Euro Cup (all sides missing the cut in this round will play in the second-tier competition). Group B (Kragujevac) Final rankings: 1. Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) 9, 2. BVSC-Zuglo (HUN) 6, 3. Mladost Zagreb (CRO) 3, 4. Vouliagmeni (GRE) 0 BVSC ticked the compulsory task, they knocked out Vouliagmeni with ease, 17-9. After having lost narrowly to Radnicki on Saturday and their chance to go through, the Greeks seemed to have little desire in the third match. At the same time, the Hungarians put themselves into a position to keep some hope to make the cut – all they needed was a single-goal win by Mladost over Radnicki in a low-scoring encounter. After three periods, it was Mladost all the way, the Croats led 1-5 at halftime and at 3-8 in the third with 4:25 on the clock they sat comfortably in the driving seat. Perhaps too comfortably – few would have thought that they would not score at all in the remaining 12 minutes. Still, they enjoyed a three-goal lead turning into the final quarter, though Radnicki’s freshly crowned Olympic champion players Nikola Jaksic and Strahinja Rasovic pulled two back shortly before the last break. A quick penalty goal gave more hope for the home side, then Mladost failed to put away an extra at 6-8 and Jaksic netted another one with 4:30 from time for 7-8. That would have sent BVSC through, but the Serbs had other ideas and netted two more from their following two possessions. Three action goals in 92 seconds did the damage – Mladost never recovered from the shock and ‘Comeback Kings’ Radnicki sailed away with a 9-8 triumph. Indeed, they pulled off another miraclous 4-0 fourth period run in 72 hours after they won their opener against BVSC in the same way, after being 6-9 down with eight minutes to go. Group C (Oradea) Final rankings: 1. CSM Oradea (ROU) 11, 2. Spandau 04 (GER) 9, 3. AN Brescia (ITA) 7, 4. PAOK Saloniki (GRE) 3, 5. ENKA Istanbul (TUR) 0 Though Brescia took a frightening start against Oradea as the Italians galopped to a 0-2 lead – they needed a three-goal win to go through –, the Romanians woke up in time to come back to 2-2 still in the opening period. Brescia had three man-ups at 2-3 to reset the two-goal gap but they couldn’t score and the hosts came back to even again. In the second half, Oradea went ahead and even though Brescia equalised from time to time, they couldn’t take back the lead. All the Romanians needed was a draw in regular time which they achieved, after 7-7 they could have lost the shootout but at the end they managed to bag two points, a save in the 8th round won them the match. Spandau beat Istanbul 15-11 earlier but they waited for Brescia’s 1-2 goal win in vain – their opening day loss to Oradea cost them the Champions League spot this season. Group D (Sabadell) Final rankings: 1. Astralpool Sabadell (ESP) 9, 2. VK Sabac (SRB) 6, 3. Ortigia 1928 (ITA) 3, 4. Pays d’Aix Natation (FRA) 0 Sabadell left no doubt that they were the best team in this group. They claimed commanding victories over their top two rivals – defeated Sabac by five goals and did a splendid job against Ortigia on the last day. Though world champion and Olympic medallist goalie Stefano Tempesti had still something to offer at the age of 45, the Italian legend couldn’t save the day for the Sicilian side. Sabadell’s sparking offense, again propelled by US master shooter Alex Bowen and Montenegrin leftie Kanstantin Averka who netted 9 goals combined, as the host side cruised to a 17-11 win. GROUP STAGE Group A: Novi Beograd (SRB), Hannover 1898 (GER), Steaua Bucuresti (ROU), CSM Oradea (ROU) Group B: FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN), VK Jadran Split (CRO), Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO), XX Group C: Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP), CN Marseille (FRA), Vasas-Plaket Budapest (HUN), Jadran m:tel (MNE) Group D: Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE), RN Savona (ITA), Primorac Kotor (MNE), Astralpool Sabadell (ESP)

With one round remaining, the race for the Group Stage spots are still on in all four groups in the Champions League Qualifying Round. Jadran m:tel, Radnicki, Oradea and Sabadell are in pole position to advance, still, three-way ties are still possible at any of the four venues so other teams could still dream on making the cut. Group A (Dubrovnik) Jadran m:tel made no mistake in the morning session – the Montenegrins bagged three points against Dinamo Bucharest with a commanding 15-8 victory and they are on their way to the Group Stage. Host Jug grabbed its last chance and beat CN Barcelona 14-9 – if the Spanish could upset Jadran on the last day, the Croats may go through in the frame of a three-way tie. Group B (Kragujevac) Both matches ended with the same score, 14-13. BVSC bounced back from its bitter opening day defeat against Radnicki and downed Mladost Zagreb. The turning point came in the third period when the Hungarians netted four connecting goals after falling behind for 8-10 and once they went 12-10, they could keep their advantage till the end. Zsombor Ekler led their charge as he netted 8 goals, offering another astonishing display of his shooting skills. Vouliagmeni jumped to a 1-4 lead early on but Radnicki responded with a 7-1 rush to lead 8-5 at halftime and added two more early in the third. At 10-5, the Serbs seemed to have it, but the Greeks had other ideas, staged a 0-4 surge to ‘re-open’ the game – Nikola Jaksic’s late goal gave some calm for the home side before the last quarter. There Radnicki quickly expanded the gap to three goals, still, with 1:32 on the clock, Vouliagmeni came back to 14-13 but was unable to force a shootout in the remaining time. Though this was the Serbs’ second win, they are not there yet – a two-goal win would send Mladost to the Group Stage and if the Croats win by one in a low-scoring game, that would favour BVSC – provided, the Hungarian could beat Vouliagmeni which is out of contest. Group C (Oradea) Spandau stunned Brescia in the morning round, a 0-3 run by the Germans in the second period was the key. Though the Italians, down by three early in the fourth, could climb back to 6-7, still, Spandau could respond in the crucial moments and this 9-7 win gave them some hope to return to the big stage. Since host Oradea snatched its third win, 11-8 against PAOK Saloniki, thanks to a 7-2 rumbling in the first half, the Romanians are well set to make the cut. However, they face Brescia on the last day and they would need at least a point to go through as a single goal loss would pave the way to Spandau to the Group Stage. Brescia needs a +3-goal victory to finish atop. Group D (Sabadell) Sabadell hammered Sabac 14-9 to set the stage for its return to the Group Stage. Fuelled by some rockets from their US Olympic bronze medallist shooter Alex Bowen, who hit five, the Spaniards hit four in a row in the third to make it 12-7 and never looked back. Keeping this gap till the end puts them to a comfortable position as even a two-goal loss to Ortigia on Sunday would still secure the first place for the home side. The Italians, who managed to take the upper hand against Pays d’Aix in the fourth period with a 4-0 run after 10-10 – they won 15-12 – need a three-goal gap against Sabadell to turn a potential three-way tie to their favour.

The second day of the Champions League Qualification Round didn’t lack stunning results. Jadran M:TEL Herceg Novi beat Jug in an epic battle in Dubrovnik to stage the first major upset and Oradea’s victory over Spandau can also be considered a surprise, just like Sabac’s downing of Ortigia. Sabadell, Brescia and Mladost kicked off their respecitve campaigns with huge wins. Group A (Dubrovnik) Up until 6-4 the game took the path according to Euro Cup winner Jug’s plans. What came next was a brilliant 0-4 rush from Jadran m:tel and the Croatians could never recover from that shock. The Montenegrins hit the first in the third for 6-9 and from there Jug couldn’t come closer than two goals in the remaining time. The team from Herceg Novi won 14-12 which put them in pole position to make the cut. The second encounter also produced a flood of goals, CN Barcelona and Dinamo Bucharest netted 8 goals apiece already in the first half, then Spaniards added five more in the third while the Romanians were left behind – at the end, Barcelona bettered fellow Spanish team Sabadell’s daily record in scoring (see Group D), as they claimed an 18-12 win. Group B (Kragujevac) Mladost hammered Vouliagmeni in the opening match which was no surprise in wake of the players’ moves in the summer – while many key men left the Greeks, the Croats brought several aces on board and the scoreboard mirrored that. Mladost stormed to a 6-2 lead by halftime and never looked back – the result, 11-6, is an excellent start for their campaign. Two reshaped sides clashed in the second encounter, and hosts Radnicki beat BVSC 10-9 in an absolute thriller. After the balanced first half, the Hungarians hit five goals in the third and led 6-9 before the last break. However, the Serbs staged a fantastic finish and with a couple of goals from their Olympic champ star players Nikola Jaksic and Dusko Pijetlovic, they gained all three points. Their defence killed three man-downs en route, and Pijetlovic hit the winner 5 seconds from time for 10-9. Group C (Oradea) Hosts Oradea won a tremendous battle against Spandau. The Germans led 3-4 after eight minutes, but the Romanian defence stepped up, their Serbian goalie Lazar Dobozanov came up big and limited the Germans to three goals, one per quarter, in the rest of the match. Oradea landed all three points with an 8-7 victory, a huge step for them. Brescia thrashed PAOK Saloniki in the other match, the Italians went 7-1 up in the first half leaving no question for the remaining two periods and cruised to a 15-4 victory. Group D (Sabadell) Hosts Sabadell, which had posted some big results last season in the Group Stage, including an away win against Novi Beograd, blew France’s Pays d’Aix away in an absolutely lopsided match. The Spanish stormed to a 10-0 lead and won 17-5 at the end. As a minor surprise, VK Sabac downed Ortigia with a commanding performance. The Serbs built a massive 8-4 lead in the second period and held on for 12-8 with eight minutes remaining. The Italians staged a great surge and by netting three goals early in the fourth, they forced a highly exciting endgame but two action goals from the Serbs in the most crucial moments prevented the Sicilians from a big comeback. Ortigia’s last goal came too late, with 0:07 on the clock and they had to settle for a narrow 14-13 loss. European Aquatics offer free live stream on its new streaming platform at www.euroaquatics.com For results, stats and more, visitwww.championsleague.europeanaquatics.org

European Aquatics is excited to announce that the 2024-25 European Aquatics Water Polo season is officially kicking off, and fans won’t miss a moment of the action! The Champions League Men Qualification Round will be streamed live and for free from September 12-15, 2024, on EuroAquaticsTV.com: Watch here. Don’t miss this thrilling start to the season! For live results and real-time updates, download the European Aquatics App here and stay connected throughout the tournament.

Champions League Qualification Round action kicked off in Group A and C; groups where five teams were drawn. As many expected, the favourites delivered, though Spandau had to dig deep to beat PAOK Saloniki. Elsewhere, Jug AO, Jadran M:TEL and Oradea all won lopsided matches. The Qualification Round started in Oradea where the host side hit 20 against Enka Istanbul. After a slow start, the Romanians geared up, added eight in eight minutes in the following period and won with ease. Also in Group C, Spandau 04 fended off PAOK Saloniki but it was an even match. The Germans jumped to a 2-0 lead but the Greeks responded with four connecting goals, though Spandau, a regular player in the Group Stage, were even by halftime. And after 7-7 they managed to stage a 3-0 run which proved to be decisive as Spandau landed a 12-10 victory. In Dubrovnik, Jug AO brought its A-game to the pool for the second period. In the first, the Euro Cup winners were level with Dinamo Bucharest, then, after 3-3, they came up with a 6-0 blast in the second leaving no way back for the other Romanian side. Jadran M:TEL thrashed Bosnia’s Banja Luka, the Montenegrins stopped at 35 goals, netted 10 action goals in a row in the first period to set the tone and never looked back. From Friday, all four groups will be in action. European Aquatics offer free live streams on its new streaming platform at www.EuroAquaticsTV.com For results, stats and more, visit www.championsleague.europeanaquatics.org

This weekend, only four of the 18 teams competing in the Champions League Qualification Round will advance, as intense battles unfold across four venues. Over the course of four action-packed days, only the highest-ranked teams will secure their spots in the prestigious Group Stage. Fans can catch the thrilling matches for free on EuroAquaticsTV.com. With 18 teams competing for just four places, the Champions League season promises fierce clashes over four days in Dubrovnik, Kragujevac, Oradea, and Sabadell. In two of the groups, there are teams that played in last season’s Group Stage, but only one from each group will return to the elite stage this year. In Group A, host team Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik is expected to dominate against Spain’s CN Barcelona and Montenegro’s Jadran m:tel, both strong competitors. Jadran m:tel, a Champions League participant last year, poses the biggest challenge to Jug, but with home advantage, Jug remains the favorite. However, with only one team advancing, there’s no room for error. In Group B, Vouliagmeni faces a daunting challenge. The Greek side, slightly weakened compared to their 2023 semi-finalist squad, travels to Kragujevac, where Serbian powerhouse Radnicki—bolstered by Serbia’s Olympic triumph—aims to secure a place in the top 16 once again. Radnicki’s squad includes local stars like the Jaksic brothers, Nikola and Petar, Radomir Drasovic, Strahinja Rasovic, and veteran center-forward Dusko Pijetlovic. But they cannot afford to underestimate 7-time champions HAVK Mladost Zagreb, who have reinforced their team with several national team members. Hungary’s BVSC-Zuglo also brings quality to the table, making Group B one to watch closely. Group C sees AN Brescia, a powerhouse in recent years, facing a slight decline. Despite featuring fewer national team players, they remain the favorites in Oradea, with their toughest competition likely coming from Spandau 04 Berlin, another regular participant in the Champions League. In Group D, Sabadell has strengthened its squad with several high-caliber foreign players, making them a serious contender for the Group Stage. However, they will need to overcome challenges from Italy’s Ortigia and Serbia’s VK Sabac to advance. Water polo fans will enjoy unparalleled access to the action from Thursday through Sunday, with matches streamed for free on the new platform, EuroAquaticsTV.com. Champions League Qualification Round For the detailed schedule, live scores, play-by-play coverage, and stats, visit www.championsleague.europeanaquatics.org.