December 2025

1. It’s pure madness in Group D. At the end of the penultimate round, Barceloneta clinched the top spot – which wasn’t all that surprising, but the way they reached safe waters had been a far more extraordinary journey than anyone expected before the Group Stage. After Day 2, that outcome was no longer certain, as they went down against Marseille at home. They bounced back, though, while Marseille went in the opposite direction – after two big victories, they lost three games in a row. This week, Marseille blew a four-goal lead against Barceloneta. Even though they were still 11-8 up early in the fourth quarter, the Spaniards staged a magnificent 0-4 run to win the match with exactly the same score as in their Day 2 encounter with Marseille (11-12). Unai Aguirre’s penalty stop 15 seconds from time sealed CNAB’s regular-time victory, securing them the top spot – and pushing Marseille even deeper into the abyss. While the French head to the exit, a more stunning development sees Hannover set to advance to the next round. All the Germans need is a little help from Sabadell, whom they just beat, to prevent Marseille from gaining all three points. Then Waspo could lose in Barceloneta, which is something everyone expects. Few, however, had anticipated Hannover having nine points after three rounds. The three wins might be enough to go through if Sabadell, already out, finds some motivation to secure a positive result against Marseille on the final day. 2. Ever since FTC-Telekom became a powerhouse in August 2023, one thing seemed fixed – their only losses in each season came on Day 4, in an away match during the Quarter-final Stage. In 2024, they fell to Olympiacos, while last spring Barceloneta beat them. Before and after – only wins, everywhere. Up until last Tuesday that was, as Brescia shook their confidence with an eight-goal storm in the second period. Even though the title-holders managed to climb back and take the game to a shootout, the Italians prevailed, handing Fradi their first defeat of the season already in December. This was also a first for the greens in the Komjádi Pool since Barceloneta blew them away 17-7 in February 2022 – and the first home defeat since Sabadell beat them in May 2024, on Margaret Island. It’s worth noting that Fradi have yet to lose a match in regular time in official competitions since that Olympiacos loss in 2024. The other two defeats came in shootouts, in Barcelona and now in Budapest. This also marks a sharp change in trends linked to Soma Vogel’s magic. The goalkeeper had an outstanding run helping FTC and Hungary win shootouts. His instincts and saves earned titles for his teams (2019 and 2024: Champions League, 2020: Europeans, 2023: Worlds) and other crucial victories. However, in the last three high-pressure shootouts, he couldn’t make the decisive stops. Hungary lost the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics, and the last two Champions League shootouts also went to their rivals. It is a telling comparison: after posting a 12-3 win-loss ratio in shootouts between the 2017 European Super Cup final and the Olympic bronze medal match, he is now 0-3. 3. Brescia’s win in Budapest left Recco as the only unbeaten side in this year’s Champions League, and the Italian giants also clinched the top spot with a game to spare. They have won all five matches – and stand at a perfect 10-0 in their domestic league, though they suffered one loss to FTC in the Super Cup Final in Budapest in October. Recco are yet to face a truly tight match. Their closest contests were the two four-goal wins over Novi Beograd, home and away, while all other opponents simply couldn’t keep up. Their last match in Herceg Novi marked the first time in the Champions League that they conceded double digits; in the previous four encounters, they had limited every rival to nine goals or fewer. Indeed, in Montenegro this time, their grip softened in the fourth quarter. After keeping Jadran to seven goals for the first three periods and building an eight-goal lead, Recco allowed six in the final period. 4. There was an incredible similarity between the two big clashes of the Serbian and Croatian arch-rivals. Both in Belgrade and Kragujevac, the visiting Croatian sides – Jadran Split and Mladost Zagreb – built substantial leads in the first half, only for the Serbs to stage comebacks and dominate in the fourth period on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Jadran held a 4-7 advantage shortly before the middle break and kept it tied at 9-9 going into the final period. But NBG swept them aside with a 6-1 surge in the last quarter. Mladost had a superb start, 0-4 in eight minutes, and were still up by four early in the third period at 4-8. However, Radnicki tore them apart with a 6-0 run after 8-11 to finish on top. This defeat dropped Jadran out of the contest – they won’t make the Quarter Final Stage for the first time in two years. Meanwhile, Mladost not only needs to beat Vasas (which could be straightforward) but also keep an eye on Piraeus, as an away win for Radnicki against Olympiacos might eliminate them as well. A thrilling finish is very much on the horizon, with a three-way tie possible, where goal difference could prove crucial. Olympiacos are less likely to stumble in this race (see the final talking point below), but winning the group remains important. A first-place finish would mean facing only one of the other three group winners – Recco, CNAB, or probably FTC – in the next phase. The runners-up, however, would have to take on two of that trio in the quest for the Final Four – a much steeper mountain to climb. 5. So far, four of the eight spots in the Quarter Final Stage have been claimed. Recco and CNAB have secured their places as group winners,

Radnicki Kragujevac scored the last six goals of the match against Mladost as they came back from three goals down to stay in the hunt. Olympiacos thrashed Vasas and are on their way to the last eight, although the final round in this group promises to be thrilling. Hannover claimed another stunning win to oust Sabadell, and the Germans are now all set to advance. Recco had no mercy, handing Jadran a heavy defeat in Herceg Novi, pushing the Montenegrins into a do-or-die battle with Novi Beograd on the last day. 2025/26 Champions League MenGroup Stage, Day 5Wednesday 3 December Group A SPD Radnicki (SRB) 14-11 HAVK Mladost (CRO)Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 20-8 Vasas Plaket (HUN) Group B Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) 13-19 Pro Recco (ITA) Group D KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) 9-11 Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) Group A SPD Radnicki (SRB) 14-11 HAVK Mladost (CRO) Mladost staged a perfect opening period and silenced the crowd in Kragujevac as they stormed to a 0-4 lead. They netted three brilliant action goals, added one from a man-up and killed four man-downs – a real feat in the home of Serbia’s top team. Almost 10 minutes had gone when Strahinja Rasovic finally broke the hosts’ silence, yet the Croats managed the game well and always found a way to score and kept a four-goal gap until 3-7, with 2:13 to go in the first half. They even denied Radnicki in their next 6-on-5, but Andrija Prlainovic’s trademark perimeter shot brought the hosts a bit closer 19 seconds before the middle break. Ivan Nagaev sent the ball home one minute into the third for 4-8, then Angelos Vlahopoulos converted an extra for Radnicki. Just 43 seconds later, Dusko Pijetlovic further reduced the gap – the first time the Serbs scored consecutive goals. However, Matias Biljaka finished a nice action from a really sharp angle. Still, the home side seemed to have found the right rhythm – Vlahopoulos netted another one from distance, and with 3:42 on the clock, Prlainovic buried a penalty to cut the deficit to a single goal at 8-9. Just when Radnicki threatened to take control, Konstantin Kharkov came up with a great finish in Mladost’s man-up, and after some strong defending, Franko Lazic added another from action to make it 8-11. Boris Vapenski’s magical wrist provided the perfect solution for finishing Radnicki’s next 6-on-5, and within 27 seconds it was 10-11 as Mladost lost the ball quickly and Strahinja Rasovic converted the ensuing counter. The heat was on and the fans were loud as both sides missed a man-up in the remaining time, setting up a fascinating final quarter. A missed centre shot from Josip Vrlic opened the fourth, then the Serbs forced a penalty and Prlainovic delivered a clean shot to make it even for the first time since 0-0. A new game began, and the Serbs now held all the aces. The Croats were running out of steam; their offence fell apart as they were unable to create any significant scoring chances. Their shooting power diminished as the Serbian defence worked with ruthless perfection and its usual aggression. Mladost missed a crucial man-up at 11-11, and Prlainovic scored his fifth of the evening to put the Serbs ahead from another 6-on-5. Forty-four seconds later, Vlahopoulos doubled the lead, and the Croats’ next man-up ended without them taking a shot. There were still four minutes to play when Ivan Marcelic made a stop in a man-down to halt the Serbs’ rush – but his teammates were unable to lift their game up front. The ensuing minutes were full of fierce battling but no goals. At this point the teams were tied in head-to-head, as Mladost had won 17-15 on Day 2 and Radnicki now led 13-11. In the wake of that, it was somewhat surprising the Croats went for a 7-on-6 after a time-out with 56 seconds remaining. They will face Vasas at home on Day 6, while Radnicki visit Olympiacos in Piraeus, so Mladost would have been in a better position had the score stayed as it was. Instead, pure madness ruled the pool: the Croats missed two shots, but the Serbs also failed to score even though a field player was in Mladost’s goal. Still, a rushed third shot from 8m gave the hosts one more chance, and they took it as Vlahopoulos put away the counter with 0:02 on the clock. The win keeps the Serbs in the race, and they can force a three-way tie if they beat Olympiacos in Piraeus – but we will need to wait for that exciting last round in February. Group A Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 20-8 Vasas Plaket (HUN) Olympiacos didn’t hold anything back and stormed to a 6-0 lead. Ironically, half of their goals were scored by Hungarians, Daniel Angyal and Gergo Zalanki (the lefty hit two) – while a Greek, Angelos Foskolos, was the one to score Vasas’ only goal, six seconds before the first break. The Magyars, already out of the race, could barely show resistance – indeed, Olympiacos demonstrated their absolute superiority in the opening eight minutes, leaving no room for Vasas to force at least a somewhat exciting game. The Greeks led 10-3 and never thought of stopping as they went on a 6-1 run in the third, scoring all kinds of goals – counters, centre-shots, nicely played extras, perimeter shots… Vasas’ goalies didn’t get much help from their defenders, both Marton Mizsei and Joao Fernandes finished the match with three stops from 13 shots. Indeed, Olympiacos had 37 attempts, 26 on target – Vasas had 30 and 19, reflecting the difference between the sides in quality and depth. In the end, Olympiacos handed another heavy defeat to Vasas, after thrashing them 15-5 in Budapest, they crushed them 20-8 this time – to keep their three-point advantage. Still, they are yet to reach safe waters, as a three-way tie with Radnicki and Mladost is still possible. Group B Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE)

Barceloneta are the next team to advance to the Quarter Final stage of the men’s Champions League after coming back from three goals down in the fourth period against CN Marseille, with a penalty save by Unai Aguirre 15 seconds from time securing all three points for the Spaniards. Elsewhere, AN Brescia ended FTC’s unbeaten run in Budapest by beating the title-holders in a shootout. Novi Beograd’s 6-1 surge in the final quarter ousted Jadran Split and kept the Serbs on track for a qualifying spot. Champions League MenGroup Stage, Day FiveTuesday 2 December Group B VK Novi Beograd (SRB) 15-10 VK Jadran Split (CRO) Group C FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) 12-12 (1-4P) AN Brescia (ITA)VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE) 15-11 CSM Oradea (ROU) Group D CN Marseille (FRA) 11-12 Zodiac CNAB (ESP) Group B VK Novi Beograd (SRB) 15-10 VK Jadran Split (CRO) After three straight losses, Jadran Split downed Jadran Herceg Novi in the previous round, and the Croats carried that momentum to Belgrade, where they dominated the first half and still held on for 9-9 after three periods. However, they crashed in the fourth; the Serbs rallied to a big win at the end to keep their hopes of making the quarters alive. NBG took the lead twice in the first four minutes, but the Croats responded with three connecting goals, all from six-on-fives, to lead 2-4 after the first period. Marcus Berehulak added a fourth one 40 seconds into the second, and Loren Fatovic’s finish was precise too as Jadran led 3-6. Miroslav Perkovic pulled one back, but the Split side defended well, despite not having their legendary goalie Marko Bijac on board for this game. Thirty seconds from time, Zvonimir Butic buried a penalty, but the remaining time was enough for the Serbs to force a man-up, and Milos Cuk converted it with 0:04 on the clock; still, Jadran led 5-7 at half-time. Miroslav Perkovic halved the gap with a great centre shot, then NBG’s Luka Pljevancic was red-carded, and even though Jadran missed that man-up, they finished off the next one for 6-8. As usual in battles between these two powerhouses, the outcome depends on the man-up/man-down conversions, and this edition wasn’t much different. NBG converted their next two; in between, Jerko Marinic-Kragic also netted the Croats’ extra. However, at 8-9, Butic’s shot hit the post, and Milos Cuk scored on the ensuing counter for 9-9. Something broke here for the Croats, as they missed their next two before the break, which kind of put the writing on the wall for them. The Serbs came back strong early in the fourth, earned two man-ups in 80 seconds, and put away both, by Cuk and Trtovic, to take the lead for the first time since 2-1. In fact, they never gave it away again. They killed a fourth man-down in a row and, even though Berehulak managed to score a nice one from action to halt NBG’s run (they had a 4-0 rush), it was just temporary relief for the Croats. Perkovic converted NBG’s six-on-five for 12-10 – their fifth straight successful man-up play – and in just 49 seconds, Vasilje Martinovic’s fierce shot closed down the contest 1:52 from time. Jadran ran out of steam while the Serbs were flying high; they killed another man-down and then earned two more penalties inside the last 37 seconds. Martinovic and Nikola Lukic netted both to complete their huge 6-1 run in the fourth. They eliminated Jadran, and they will travel to Herceg Novi next February to play a knockout match – provided the Montenegrins fall short against Recco, the winner of that Day 6 encounter will advance. Group C FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) 12-12 (1-4P) AN Brescia (ITA) With some great goaltending and by riding the waves of an extraordinary shooting festival in the second period, Brescia managed to do what no team had achieved in the Komjadi Pool since February 2022: they beat Ferencvaros at home in Budapest. They were close to becoming the first team since April 2024 to down the title holders in regular time, but Fradi somehow climbed back to force a shootout; there, the Italians did a perfect job and took away two well-deserved points. It was an amazing match which started in a way that Ferencvaros had forced recently – brilliant defending with fewer risks in attack. While their first game in Brescia saw an action-packed first period where Fradi built a 2-5 lead (and the match produced 38 goals in total, 17-21), now the crowd saw only a single goal when Szilard Jansik finally broke the ice after almost six minutes. Tommaso Baggii Necchi came up with a series of saves for Brescia, seven in total, while Soma Vogel had four stops to shut out the Italians. Ante Viskovic put his side on the scoreboard from a man-up 38 seconds into the next quarter, then after Marton Vamos’ strike, Fradi converted three six-on-fives in a row, while the Italians could only reply from action, so it stood at 5-3 with 3:14 remaining, and no one really foresaw what was about to happen in that time. Tommaso Gianazza put away an extra with 2:32 on the clock – and then Brescia scored from their next four possessions as well. Miguel Del Toro put Fradi ahead 6-5, but then came three blasts in the last 78 seconds: Mario Del Basso, Vlado Popadic and, in the very last second, Jacopo Alesiani from an impossible angle all found the back of the net. The half-time score was 6-8 – so after being shut out in the first period, Brescia hit eight in the second, sending Fradi back to those weeks when the title holders were involved in 35-plus-goal matches. Still, back then their offence worked well – better than their defence – but that was not the case this time. After two minutes of battling, Del Basso hit another huge one from the perimeter and FTC were in real trouble at 6-9. Brescia

The penultimate round of the Group Stage in the men’s Champions League will offer a couple of thrilling contests where there is a lot at stake. Radnicki Kragujevac and CN Marseille, both with star-studded line-ups, are playing for survival, and their tasks are anything but easy as the Serbs clash with Mladost Zagreb while Marseille face off against Barceloneta. Champions League MenGroup Stage, Day 5Tuesday/Wednesday 2/3 December(Local times shown) Group A(Wednesday) 20:30: SPD Radnicki (SRB) v HAVK Mladost (CRO)21:30: Olympiacos SFP (GRE) v Vasas Plaket (HUN) Group B(Tuesday) 20:30: VK Novi Beograd (SRB) v VK Jadran Split (CRO) (Wednesday) Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v Pro Recco (ITA) Group C(Tuesday)20:30: FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) v AN Brescia (ITA)18:30: VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE) v CSM Oradea (ROU) Group D(Tuesday) 20:30: CN Marseille (FRA) v Zodiac CNAB (ESP) (Wednesday) 18:30: KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) v Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) Group A(Local times shown) Wed 20.30 SPD Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v HAVK Mladost Zagreb (CRO)Head-to-head: 2-1Day 2: 15-17.2024: 9-8 (QR). 2013: 12-6 (QR) This is one of the absolute highlights of the round. From Radnicki’s angle, it’s a do-or-die match, as anything but three points would practically drop them out of the race for the qualifying spots. They need to overcome some bitter disappointment, as Novi Beograd upset them in the semis of the Serbian Cup, while Mladost cruised to victory in Croatia during the cup weekend. The Serbs have never been short of scoring goals; however, their defence is still under construction, so the usual question is whether they can outscore their rivals. In the previous four rounds, they hit double digits each time, and that probably won’t change against Mladost either. Indeed, it may also matter whether they can beat Mladost by at least two, or even three, goals to have the edge in case the two sides finish level on points. Wed 21.30 Olympiacos Piraues (GRE) v Vasas-Plaket (HUN)Head-to-head: 1-0Day 2: 15-5 Goalie Emmanouil Zerdevas and the Olympiacos defence did a tremendous job in the second round when they limited Vasas to five goals. The Greeks are still cautious, though, and as captain Dinos Genidounias says, the Hungarians can be even more dangerous now, as they have already bowed out and may play with a nothing-to-lose approach. “The match against Vasas is crucial for us,” he said. “With a win, we’ll move one step closer to qualifying and securing the top spot in the group, which is our target. We have to forget the first game, because this one definitely won’t be the same. “Vasas is now out of the race, and for this reason, they will be even more dangerous. We must rely on our defence again and, with the support of our fans, take the three points we need.” “We want to win at home – and we have to,” Olympiacos coach Elvis Fatovic added. “We know a lot about Vasas and, realistically, we are the only team in the group that beat them comfortably. They certainly played very tough games against Radnicki and Mladost, so we need to be careful. “The most important thing will be our approach. I believe that if we enter the game with the right mentality, we are the better team and we will win.” Group B(Local times shown) Tue 20.30 VK Novi Beograd (SRB) v VK Jadran Split (CRO)Head-to-head: 7-0Day 2: 10-7. 2024-25: 15-7, 17-8 (QF Round). 2023-24: 15-10, 15-11. 2021-2022: 17-12, 14-7 The second Serbian v Croatian duel this week also has a lot at stake. While Recco are flying high in this group and have already secured their qualification, the path to the best eight is wide open for the other three teams heading into this round. It’s hard to see a Recco loss in the other game, which would mean that Herceg Novi will have six points on Wednesday evening – and the winner of this match, if decided in regular time, will also have six before the final round. That makes this match absolutely crucial, as only one can remain standing. The past favours NBG, as they have won all seven CL matches between the teams in recent years, and playing at home is also a big advantage. They are also fresh from lifting the Serbian Cup, where they upset Radnicki in the semis. As their goalie Milan Glusac described it, this was a big boost for the team. “We expect a really hard and tough game, but we believe in ourselves after we won the Serbian Cup on Saturday,” said Glusac. “I hope we’ll get three points in our home pool and can celebrate with our friends.” Of course, the Croats will also be there, and they showed their real strength against the other Jadran two weeks ago – and that was also a strong message to the Serbs, who are yet to win a match at home this season in the Group Stage. “We enter this match knowing it can still keep us in the race for the next phase of the Champions League, and we can approach it with only one objective – to win,” Jadran coach Jure Marelja said. “We are not at full strength and are still dealing with issues carried over from the Croatian Cup played on Saturday, but we will give everything we have to surprise Novi Beograd in their home pool and repay them for the defeat in Split.” Wed 18.30 Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v Pro Recco (ITA)Head-to-head: 0-5Day 2: 7-16. 2017-18: 5-10, 5-15. 2011-12: 8-10, 9-14 A miracle would definitely put Herceg Novi into a more-than-comfortable position; still, Recco are not famous for giving an inch to any rival, even in a match with little at stake for them. A reshaped team is always hungry for more success, and the Italians will definitely gun for their fifth straight win, even though they could lose the top spot only mathematically. Losing to Jadran by 10 goals and then suffering another loss in the last round in Split