Barceloneta managed to withstand the pressure in Savona and bagged all three points on Wednesday night, but the 10-14 victory in the Quarter Final Stage of the men’s Champions League didn’t come easily. A crucial penalty save by Aguirre at the end of the third was a big boost for the Spaniards, as was his stunning full-length of the pool goal six seconds before half-time. Elsewhere, title-holders Ferencvaros enjoyed an easy cruise against Oradea, netting 18 goals once more.
Champions League Men
Quarter Final Stage
Group B – Day 3 Results
Wednesday 19th March 2025
RN Savona (ITA) 10-14 Zodiac CNAB (ESP)
CSM Oradea (ROU) 7-18 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)
Standings:1. FTC 9pts, 2. Zodiac CNAB 6pts, 3. Savona 3pts, 4. Oradea 0pts
Savona took a flying start, as they stormed into a 2-0 lead while denying Barceloneta in back-to-back man-downs. After four minutes, the Spaniards could gain some ground and their two mastershooters Vince Vigvari and Alvaro Granados quickly brought them back to even. However, they went on wasting six on fives and Andrea Patchaliev’s man-up goal gave the Italians a 3-2 lead at the end of the first period.
The visitors calmed down a bit during the break and their Hungarian duo, Vigvari and Gergo Burian, hit three goals to send CNAB ahead at 4-5. Though Alessandro Gullotta equalised from another extra, the Spaniards managed to net two goals before the break – including a full length of the pool shot from goalkeeper Unai Aguirre – to make it 5-7 at half-time.
Savona’s Mario Guidi’s two fine shots from extras levelled the score in a span of 48 seconds early in the third. Two minutes of intensive battling followed, then Alejandro Bustos buried an extra, and Felipe Perrone delivered a trademark goal from a counter for 7-9.
Patchaliev’s third hit halved the distance and Savona earned a penalty in the very last second, though the ensuing debate on the pooldeck delayed its execution. And even though it was Pietro Figlioli – the hosts’ seasoned veteran – who swam up for the shot, nerves took over and Aguirre expertly stopped the ball.
When Barceloneta kicked off the fourth with a tremendous action goal from Bernat Sanahuja, that penalty stop looked even more crucial – as instead of 9-9, the scoreboard moved quickly to 8-10, which was absolutely crucial in the fourth period of such a high-stakes encounter.
Daniil Merkulov’s distant blast then hit the back of the net, but the Spanish set Bustos up once more in their next man-up and the centre didn’t miss from close for 9-11.
And soon it was virtually over – a counter, a penalty and Vigvari’s fourth goal of the night expanded the gap to three goals with five minutes remaining.
Then it was four, as Perrone added another nice one from action for 9-13, and these three goals from CNAB in 91 seconds put an end to the contest.
The last four minutes saw one goal apiece, but ultimately Barceloneta showed their class and took a huge step towards the Final Four.
In Romania, packed stands, including dozens of Fradi supporters awaited the teams, and the Hungarian side offered a lot to cheer for those who had made the three-hour drive from Budapest to Oradea.
After 1-1, the title-holders staged a 0-4 rush, which included three counter-attack goals. The hosts were playing under huge pressure, as any missed shot or loose ball triggered another deadly counter. And those kept coming in quick succession, while FTC goalkeeper Soma Vogel also offered something special.
Saving a penalty is like a walk in the park for the Hungarian star, and against the Romanians he set a new standard by saving two in three seconds.
After his first stop, another penalty was called as the rebound landed in the hand of the shooter, Filip Gardasevic, who was fouled again. Still, Vogel also caught Ivan Gusarov’s shot, which sent the fans wild.
Fradi didn’t slow down after the first break either, as Edoardo di Somma hit two from action in 31 seconds, Gergo Fekete converted a penalty for 1-8, then Levente Vancsik finally halted Fradi’s 0-7 run and scored after a drought of 12 minutes.
Still, 39 seconds were enough for the green army to add two more by half-time, as di Somma and Stylianos Argyropulos fired in to make it 2-10.
Oradea got some breathing space in the third, as Fradi’s grip was loosened a bit, at least at the back which resulted in a more balanced third period with four goals apiece.
But that was all as FTC tightened their defence back up in the fourth, limiting the Romanians to a single goal like in the first two periods and they stopped at 18 goals at the other end – after hitting 18 against Barceloneta and 17 versus Savona.
Indeed, Oradea had their Serbian goalie Lazar Dobozanov to thank as well, as he delivered 12 saves, and many of them were huge, which prevented Fradi from reaching the 20s.
After three comfortable wins, it seems no one can prevent the Magyars from qualifying for the Final Four as Group B winners.
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