February 2025

1. We have to travel back eight years in time to find a match where Olympiacos’ offence was left in the cold. In April 2017, they lost 4-6 to Szolnok at home (the Hungarians went on to win the title that season). Since then, there was one other match when the Greeks scored only six in Piraeus, but at least they beat Jug 6-5 in that group stage encounter. Now, big credit goes to Novi Beograd for switching off the powerful Greek scoring machine. Their plan was already visible in the first period, which saw no goals (this was the first 0-0 opener in four years in the Champions League) and the Serbs did a brilliant job in the following quarters too. Their young goalie Milan Glusac was tremendous, as he stopped the first 11 shots, and even though he went 4/9 in the remaining time, it was still good enough for an incredible 75% saving percentage – a game winning stat in modern water polo. In fact, the Greeks had 24 shots in total, and four players took 22 of those. They are the master shooters of Olympiacos, but this time they were far from their top form – at the same time, the Serbs did everything to let them not take clear shots. The numbers tell it all – Genidounias was 2/9, Fountoulis 1/4, Zalanki 1/5 and Papanastasiou 0/4 – 4 for 22 in total, no wonder Olympiacos could only score five goals in this match. 2. Injuries and illness took their toll on Jadran Split, as they could only field nine players and two goalies in Marseille. Until they had no fuel left in the tank, they managed to keep up with Marseille – however, they ran out of gas in the last 5:30 minutes. Two players fewer at this level is a crucial disadvantage and the Croats were unable to counterbalance that (add that they lost one player with three majors early in the third and a second one 2:30 minutes from time). The French pushed hard and at the end they could break their rivals with a 3-0 run to win the match despite being down 8-9 in the fourth. Marseille have always been formidable at home, while Jadran have struggled in the Quarter Final Stage. Last season they lost all six matches, now they’ve fallen in the first two rounds, so far standing 0-8 in the crucial phase where the Final Four spots are up for grabs. 3. Ferencvaros were really strong last season and managed to break Recco’s reign at the end – but at least their matches in the Quarter Final Stage were really exciting. They had five wins, with four of them by two goals and one by a single goal, so each clash – against Olympiacos, Barceloneta and Brescia – were nailbiters. This year they are yet to play a really close match. They had something similar in Split, when they had to fight back from four goals down, but at the end even that comeback looked easy – and it was a game where nothing was at stake. Now, in the Quarter Final Stage again, they met Barceloneta in the opening round in the battle of the unbeaten sides – and many envisioned a thriller, instead, Fradi blew the Spaniards away 18-10. On Day 2 earlier this week, they faced a tough visit to Savona – at least on paper. But it ended in another rout, 9-17. The title-holders have now blasted eight-goal wins against their two strongest rivals in the group – indeed, their management maybe should start checking the flight tickets to Malta. 4. Another note on Fradi’s great away win in Savona – again, the numbers, as some of the stats were simply incredible. Their shooting percentage in the first half was really out of this world. They took only 10 shots, but all were on target and nine of those ended up in the goal – which means they were shooting with 90% precision. The percentage ultimately dropped a little, but not that much. After making 10/9, they were 14/8 in the second half, so their total, 24/17 stood at 71%. Even if Savona are not the strongest team from Italy, producing that 71% in an away match in Italy is a true testament of FTC’s current level. This time their man-up was the lethal weapon as they converted 12 out of 16, another stat which is absolutely outstanding in modern water polo. And just to keep the usual count update: Fradi are now 33-0 so far this season, across all competitions. 5. As expected, Barceloneta bounced back from their humiliating defeat in Budapest on Day 1. The Spanish came up with a flawless performance against Oradea and managed to better the season record for the biggest winning margin. Till Wednesday, CNAB’s 20-8 demolition of Jadran Herceg Novi in the Group Stage was the biggest blast (topping the stats due to the number of goals they scored – as FTC also beat Radnicki 16-4), now this 17-4 blitz against the Romanians is the new record. It’s a bit ironic that while nine of the 11 field players managed to score, the two exceptions were Alberto Munarriz and Felipe Perrone. In the past, these two delivered the bulk of the goals for Barceloneta, but this time they had a modest performance; as for Munarriz, it was understandable as he returned after a very long injury, while Perrone had four steals to highlight his always valuable contribution. Day three of the Quarter Final Group Stage takes place on Tuesday/Wednesday 18th/19th March. You can watch all the Champions League Men action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.

The two favourites were ruthless as they left no chance for their respective Group B rivals on Day 2 of the men’s Champions League Quarter Final Stage. Both FTC and Barceloneta fired in 17 goals – Fradi powered past Savona in Italy, while Zodiac CNAB made no mistakes against CSM Oradea. FTC’s 71% shooting percentage away from home was more proof the title-holders are playing in their own league right now. Champions League MenQuarter Final StageGroup B – Day 2 ResultsWednesday 26th February 2025 Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 17-4 CSM Oradea (ROU)RN Savona (ITA) 9-17 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) Standings: 1. FTC 6pts, 2. Zodiac CNAB 3pts, 2. RN Savona 3pts, 4. CSM Oradea 0pts Ferencvaros didn’t hold anything back – in the first three minutes they netted two man-ups, then killed one and soon Krisztian Manhercz scored in another six on five to make it 0-3. It took almost six minutes for Savona to open their account, as Andrea Patchaliev sent the ball home from an extra. Still, Fradi’s response was clinical, a fourth man-up goal, by Miguel de Toro, followed by a great action goal from Manhercz. In a dominant 1-5 opening quarter – the title-holders made it perfectly clear what their intentions were. The hosts were sparked into action at the start of the second and hit two from back-to-back man-ups in 44 seconds. Fradi’s reply was just as swift – two six on five goals in 45 seconds to reset the four-goal cushion at 3-7. The last two minutes saw two goals apiece, with Stylianos Argyropoulos chipping in the last one three seconds from the buzzer for 5-9, so at half-time, four goals still separated the sides. After the turnaround, FTC’s were just as stunning, as Argyropoulos netted another extra, 20 seconds later Edoardo di Somma finished off a counter and 48 seconds into the third, the Hungarians were 5-11 up. Savona went on fighting and pulled two back quickly, however, FTC didn’t let them get any closer. Adam Nagy blasted one in from distance in a dying man-up and even though Patchaliev scored a nice one from action, Argyropoulos netted his fourth, again from man-up. This was Fradi’s 10th man-up goal from 11 opportunities – pure world class indeed. Their 12th didn’t go in though, 10 seconds before the last break, as Nicolo da Rold – who came in for national team goalie Gianmarco Nicosia – managed to stop Dusan Mandic’s shot, but Fradi still enjoyed a comfortable 8-13 lead. Da Rold came up with a couple more fine saves in the fourth, though Soma Vogel also did well as he denied Valerio Rizzo in a one-on-one. Since the clock was ticking down, Fradi didn’t push that hard, and they focused on defending, though di Somma hit another one from the perimeter 3:15 from time. The last minutes brought some more goals, including a sixth goal for Argyropoulos. Fradi, after hitting 18 against Barceloneta, now scored 17 in Italy in another powerful demonstration of their strength. They only had 24 attempts in total, which puts their shooting percentage 71% – and that’s what you call a class of their own. In Spain, Oradea managed to survive the first few waves against Barceloneta, though Bernat Sanahuja’s man-up goal still gave the hosts a 2-1 lead by the first break. Then a storm hit the Romanians in the second, as two fast goals in a span of 73 seconds, and a bit later a fine action goal from Roger Tahull gave the Spaniards a 5-1 advantage by half-time. Still, the bigger blows were yet to come in the third. Not in the first four minutes, though, as Petar Velkic managed to score two goals from the centre to bring Oradea unexpectedly closer at 5-3. Those strikes only fired up the hosts, as they responded with a sensational 6-0 rush – practically scoring from every possession they had before the final break. And they didn’t slow down in the fourth either, adding six more to claim a really easy win. Indeed, after 5-3, they staged a 12-1 rout. Watch all the Champions League Men action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.

VK Novi Beograd came up with some incredible defending in Piraeus to limit Olympiacos SFP to five goals, which was good enough to claim a crucial win in Group A on Day 2 of the Champions League Quarter Final Stage. Tuesday night’s other clash saw CN Marseille and VK Jadran Split contest a thrilling encounter where the French staged a 3-0 finish to beat the Croats, who were unable to score in the last 5:30 minutes. Champions League MenQuarter Final StageGroup A – Day 2 ResultsTuesday 25th February 2025 Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 5-8 VK Novi Beograd (SRB)CN Marseille (FRA) 11-9 VK Jadran Split (CRO) Standings: 1. NBG 6pts, 2. Marseille 3pts, 2. Olympiacos 3pts, 4. Jadran 0pts In Piraeus, the first eight minutes saw an outstanding defensive display from both sides. The moves and marking were so organised that not a clear shooting chance occurred in the first period, not even in the two six on fives Olympiacos earned – while NBG couldn’t even force a man-up. It was a counter attack, two minutes into the second period, that eventually broke the deadlock, as NBG’s Miroslav Perkovic put the ball away from close range, and three minutes later, Nikola Lukic’s brilliant lob doubled the Serbians’ lead. At the other end, the Greeks couldn’t find a hole in the wall, as NBG’s young goalie Milan Glusac delivered one save after the other. He impressively stopped 11 in a row before Ioannis Fountoulis finally found the back of the net with a pinpoint shot – but Olympiacos will be disappointed they needed almost 15 minutes to get on the board. The Serbs responded sharply to that goal, as soon they were 1-4 up midway through the third. Lukic converted an extra, then their Greek mastershooter Angelos Vlachopoulos buried a penalty. At last, Dimitrios Dimou then managed to score from a six on five, which was a huge relief for the hosts, as they had missed their previous five. NBG were still more composed, with Perkovic netting another from man-up after a time-out, while Olympiacos missed another one. It wasn’t their last act of the quarter, though, as Gergo Zalanki’s blast went in with 0:03 on the clock. It didn’t help turn the tide, though, as the Serbs forced a penalty early in the fourth to reset their three-goal lead, and when Vlachopoulos’ fine shot also ended up in the goal, he and team-mate Skoumpakis were the only Greeks in Piraeus who were celebrating. NBG led 3-7, then Konstantinos Genidounias managed to score from a six on five, but the Greeks were unable to keep any consistency in their offensive game. They quickly missed another extra, while Skoumpakis netted a great one from the centre for 4-8 with 2:32 on the clock, and at that point it was over. Genidounias pulled one back, but it was too little too late, and – in a fitting way to close the game – the Serbians denied their hosts in a six on four, which limited the Greeks to 3 from 12 on man-ups. Their fine defence deserved the three points they took away from Piraeus. It was a brilliant performance and result, which might help send them to the finals for the fifth time in a row. Over in France, Marseille started off strongly, as usual, as they rushed into a 2-0 lead, and they were 4-2 up early in the second when the first twist came – a 0-3 blitz by the Croats. Jadran scored two great action goals, and killed two man-downs in between, then survived three more exclusions in a span of 16 seconds, before Loren Fatovic netted a penalty for 4-5. Daniel Angyal halted Jadran’s run with a great goal from the centre, followed by Romain Marion-Vernoux’s action shot, which gave the lead back to the home side. However, it was a tie at half-time, at 6-6, as Duje Pejkovic sent the ball home from a man-up, 30 seconds from time. Marcus Berehulak’s goal from close range kicked off the third, then Andrija Prlainovic converted a penatly, forced in a six on five, for 7-7. Antonio Duzevic also hit one from extra, but Thomas Vernoux was on target in Marseille’s man-up as well, so it was all even at 8-8 with eight minutes remaining. Both teams missed a six on five, then Prlainovic fluffed a penalty, before Jerko Marinic Kragic hit one from the perimeter to edge Jadran back in front again – but it was for the last time. Next came two crackers, from action, first Prlainovic made up for his previous miss, then Vernoux fired one in as Marseille retook the lead at 10-9. The hosts managed to deny Jadran’s next man-up and that proved to be crucial, as Angyal put the ball away from the 2m line from Marseille’s extra, so it was 11-9, instead of 10-10. Marseille missed their next six on five, but it was kind of affordable, as the Croats were unable to add any more goals – indeed they remained scoreless in the last five-and-a-half minutes. Watch all the Champions League Men action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.

Champions League MenQuarter Final Stage ResultsGroup B, Round 1Wednesday, 5th February 2025 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) 18-10 Zodiac CNAB (ESP)CSM Oradea (ROU) 11-17 RN Savona (ITA) In Budapest, there were packed tribunes, an electric atmosphere and two unbeaten sides with superstars in both teams – this was Champions League water polo at its very best. The action in the pool blew up early in the opening period as Ferencvaros stormed into a 3-0 lead. While their offence did what they usually do, it was goalkeeper Soma Vogel who came up with a series of out-of-this-world saves, in man-downs and even in a one-on-one (he made seven blocks in the first eight minutes). At the other end, Stylianos Argyropoulos put in a rebound, then Gergo Fekete dunked a man-up and Marton Vamos blasted one from a counter. Barceloneta got on the scoreboard 40 seconds before the first break, as he managed to hit the back of the net from their fourth extra. A reply came immediately from the hosts, with Vamos faking five times before letting the ball go in the last second of their six on five to give the title-holders a 4-1 lead. Bernat Sanahuja pulled one back early in the second from a brilliant individual effort, but again, the reply came instantly, as Krisztian Manhercz buried a penalty. Though the Spanish missed another extra, Sanahuja’s pinpoint shot from the perimeter in action brought CNAB closer once more at 5-3. Still, Edoardo di Somma found himself alone after a loose ball was gained by his team-mates and reset the three-goal gap. Soon, it was four after a counter, with Vendel Vigvari finishing it off after fending off his brother, Vince’s marking. And Fradi started rolling, killing a man-down, then Argyropoulos made no mistake in their next extra for 8-3. To the frustration of the Spaniards, Fradi scored once more after Bustos fired in on a man-up, this time through Edoardo di Somma’s one-timer. Vince Vigvari then put away an extra, and Szilard Jansik copied that for 10-5 to complete an outstanding first half for the champions. Vogel added two massive stops in an early man-down after the restart, only to wave sorry when Vince Vigvari’s smart shot from 8m somehow sneaked in under his arm. It was still fine with his team-mates, though, as di Somma hammered one in from the perimeter, and Vogel made up for his previous mistake by making another catch in a man-down. Vendel Vigvari then blasted one in from a man-up, which sent Spanish goalkeeper Unai Aguirre to the bench. However, incoming sub Nic Porter couldn’t do much when di Somma powered through on a counter, then Toni Nemet also hit one from the centre. Before that, Gergely Burian could beat his fellow countryman, Vogel, at the other end, and later Sanahuja netted a six on four, but Fradi never stopped scoring – they simply tore CNAB’s defence apart. Few saw that coming – with eight minutes to go, the big match was already over at 16-8. Just to highlight the difference, Vogel made another incredible save in a man-down, then Dusan Mandic decided it was time to join the show – till then he had just done the field work – with his rocket from the wing illustrating why he was recently voted Europe’s – and the world’s – best player in 2024. When Vogel was also subbed, he came off with 13 saves for 59% – but unlike at the other end, Daniel Szakonyi also came up with a man-down save and then Vendel Vigvari took a 3-2 lead over sibling Vince in the family affair for 18-9. A late center-shot by Roger Tahull didn’t ruin the home fans’ celebrations, as they all gave Fradi a standing ovation across the last minute after what was a remarkable statement performance from the champions. ‘It was a very tough game, even though the result doesn’t show it,’ said FTC’s Vogel after the stunning victory. ‘We prepared for this game to be very close and hard, so I think we surprised ourselves, the supporters and even Barceloneta. ‘We started the game very, very well, as we planned, but we really showed in the first couple of minutes that this game is ours, that these three points are ours. ‘Barceloneta didn’t have a chance to win the game, or to even get close to us. I hope this fire, this energy we experienced tonight will remain with us for the rest of the season.’ Savona started as the favourites in Oradea, but they had to work hard to prove they were the better side. The Romanians jumped to a 2-0 lead early on, and Valerio Rizzo could break the Italians’ silence only 37 seconds before the first break. While they had to wait a while for their first goal, in the second quarter they really got going, as they hit seven in the following eight minutes. The turning point came after 4-4 when Davide Occhione and Luca Damonte hit two in 44 seconds and Savona managed to keep that two-goal gap till half-time when they led 6-8. Oradea fought hard and were keeping up deep into the third, however, after 8-9, the Italians broke them by scoring three in a row from back-to-back possessions. Daniil Merkulov, Damonte and Rizzo all hit action goals and Niccolo Rocchi added another 19 seconds from the final break for 8-13 which virtually ended the contest. Ivan Gusarov pulled two back quickly in the fourth, and hit a third after Rizzo’s converted penalty, but after that the hosts ran out of steam. After 11-14, Savona buried three extras to sail away with a fine and convincing victory. Watch all the Champions League Men action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.

VK Novi Beograd and Olympiacos SFP both kicked off their respective Quarter Final Stage campaigns with a win, though neither victory came with ease. Marseille impressed as they fought back to 13-13 from 12-8 down before NBG managed to secure all three valuable points. Jadran levelled the scores against Olympiacos in the third quarter after trailing 2-6, but it was the Greeks who were celebrating at the end after they responded with a decisive 0-4 barrage of their own. Champions League MenQuarter Final Stage ResultsGroup A, Round 1Tuesday, 4th February 2025 VK Novi Beograd (SRB) 15-14 CN Marseille (FRA)VK Jadran Split (CRO) 11-12 Olympiacos SFP (GRE) In Belgrade, Marseille stunned the hosts by storming into a 0-3 lead inside the first five minutes, but then the Serbian side woke up and started to gain some ground, scoring twice from man-ups to finish the opening quarter 2-3. The home captain Vasilije Martinovic converted a penalty three minutes into the second for 3-3, but NBG’s joy was short-lived as Marseille went ahead once more, as Andrija Prlainovic’s rocket hit the back of the net and Alexandre Bouet also sent the ball home from the perimeter. Duro Radovic’s fine action goal broke the hosts’ three-minute silence, but Bouet made it 4-6 from a six on five played with the utmost patience. Martinovic fired one in from a man-up and after a great block denied Marseille’s next extra, Angelos Vlachopoulos just beat the half-time buzzer on extra for 6-6. Just 19 seconds after the restart, Miroslav Perkovic’s great centre-shot gave Novi Beograd the lead for the first time. Prlainovic again bettered his fellow Serbs from Marseille’s next man-up, but Martinovic’s last-gasp wingshot saved NBG’s dying extra, and 53 seconds later Vlachopoulos’ pin-point perimeter shot expanded the gap to two at 9-7. Prlainovic then netted a penalty, but it was his Olympic champion buddy Milos Cuk’s turn for the home side as he netted back-to-back extras for 11-8. The French offence began to go in a downward spiral, as they missed two extras and Prlainovic made a rare penalty miss. When Perkovic kicked off the fourth with another centre-shot, NBG seemed to have it at 12-8. However, there was plenty more drama still to come in this match. Ugo Crousillat hit two within a minute, while Martinovic missed a penalty at the other end. Soon it was 12-11 as Alessandro Velotto converted a six on five with 4:46 on the clock. Vlachopoulos kept his calm and buried an extra, but Bouet did the same in the next possession and after some intense battling, Prlainovic had two shots in the same extra and only the first was saved. With 1:58 remaining, it was 13-13, but Cuk was on fire and 15 seconds later he gave the lead back to the Serbs. Bouet took the shot in Marseille’s next man-up, but it was well saved and turning into the final minute, NBG managed to earn a man-up and force a penalty. Vlachopoulos sent it home 23 seconds from time to decide the match. Though Thomas Vernoux, who only had missed shots until then, finally got one of his trademark rockets on target, but it arrived too late and NBG were able to keep the ball for the last 13 seconds. Olympiacos dominated most of their game, thanks to their strong start. After denying Jadran’s man-up, captain Konstantinos Genidounias opened the scoring from a counter and he also netted a six on five later, though the blocks denied the Greeks in two other extras. But since they shut out the hosts in the first eight minutes, this didn’t upset them too much. Alexandros Papanastasiou made it 0-3 right away in the second, before Jadran finally got on the scoreboard thanks to Marino Cagalj’s man-up goal. After an exchange of goals, Olympiacos added two in a span of 25 seconds. Gergo Zalanki’s blast stunned Marko Bijac in the Jadran goal, then Papanastasiou finished off another counter for 2-6, which prompted a time-out from the other bench. The breather and team talk helped, as a penalty and a late action goal from Cagalj halved the distance and they stood 4-6 at half-time. Jadran had the momentum and hammered in another quick double at the start of the third, again from action, which hauled the Croatians back level. However, Olympiacos reacted powerfully, as the Genidounias-Papanastasiou duo stepped up and reset their two-goal advantage from back-to-back possessions while their defence killed an extra. Soon Bijac, who barely touched the ball, managed to stop Genidounias’ penalty, but not even that pushed the Croats back on to the winning track. Dimitrios Nikolaidis scored from a rebound in a dying extra and after some fine defending in man-down, Papanastasiou’s action shot completed Olympiacos’ 0-4 run – which was the perfect response to Jadran’s own 4-0 rush. To offer some hope for the locals, Dusan Banicevic sent the ball home in a six on five with 0:01 on the clock for 7-10 before the final break. Antonio Duzevic was on target too in Jadran’s first man-up in the fourth, but this time the Greeks replied immediately, as Genidounias scored his 5th of the night, from extra for 8-11. Ivan Zovic brought Jadran closer from a counter with 5:04 remaining, and Bijac delivered a couple of saves, but their offence couldn’t reduce the deficit further. Instead, Ioannis Fountoulis buried a penalty for 9-12, with 2:44 to go. Zvonimir Butic pulled one back and soon the hosts had a man-up, but Emmanouil Zerdevas got his hand to Cagalj’s attempt, which was decisive as there was still 1:01 minutes left to play. The Greeks didn’t risk anything and even though Zvonimir Butic made it 11-12, Olympiacos didn’t give away the ball in the final 16 seconds. Watch all the Champions League Men action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.