Epic Euro Cup semi-final clashes set to begin
By Andy Rollé
Four teams from four different nations will start battling for a coveted place in the men’s Euro Cup final this week, as the first-legs of the semi-finals take place on Thursday night. Italy’s Pro Recco host Spain’s KEIO CN Sabadell, while Serbia’s SPD Radnicki travel to Croatia’s HAVK Mladost.
Euro Cup Men
Semi-Finals First-Legs
Thursday, 3rd April 2025
(Local times shown)
19:30 HAVK Mladost (CRO) v SPD Radnicki (SRB)
21:00 Pro Recco (ITA) v KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP)
HAVK Mladost (CRO) v SPD Radnicki (SRB)
Croatia’s HAVK Mladost and Serbia’s SPD Radnicki both booked their place in the last four of the Euro Cup thanks to powerful home displays in the quarter-finals.
Radnicki – who lifted the Regional League trophy last weekend – drew 9-9 with Brescia in Italy, before winning the return leg 14-10, while Mladost won their opening clash with PVK Jadran M:Tel Herceg Novi 12-8, then just held on to their aggregate lead in the away fixture.
The Montenegrins triumphed on the night 9-6, but Mladost’s defence denied their opponents a 10th goal in the dying seconds, which would have forced a shootout.
Thursday’s encounter will be the fourth time Mladost have faced Radnicki this season, and the recent results make good reading for the Serbians, as they won all three of the previous meetings.
In the Champions League qualifiers last September, Radnicki beat them 9-8, despite trailing 1-5 at half-time, then in the Regional League in October, they triumphed 17-12 at home.
The pair’s last showdown was also in the Regional League at the end of January, and Radnicki triumphed 8-9 in a shootout after an epic 14-14 draw in Croatia.
‘Mladost are a team that, like us, have been searching for form throughout the season and their results have been much better in the second half,’ Radnicki head coach Uroš Stevanović told European Aquatics.
‘They are a great club – one of the most decorated in water polo, alongside Pro Recco and Partizan – and they know how to play the most important matches that bring trophies.
‘Their team is full of Croatian national players, who have left their mark on world water polo in recent years, and it will be very difficult to stop the likes of Josip Vrlić, Konstantin Kharkov, Luka Bukić and their captain Ante Vukičević.’
Mladost will be aiming for another impressive home performance in the Euro Cup this week, and Andrija Bašić has called upon his team’s supporters to help their push for a place in the final.
‘Our fans will be our wind at our backs, and we’ll give everything to make them proud,’ Bašić said. ‘Radnicki are a team that plays tough and smart, but we at Mladost have our own style and spirit that drives us.
‘This is a semi-final – there is no room for mistakes. We’re going in with full focus and energy. I believe in the team, I believe in our work, and I know we can achieve a big result.’
Pro Recco (ITA) v KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP)
Italian giants Pro Recco have swept all of their opponents aside in the Euro Cup knockout rounds so far, including Hungary’s Vasas Plaket 25-16 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
The 11-times Champions League winners are looking to add a first Euro Cup trophy to their glittering silverware collection and they’ll start as favourites this week against KEIO CN Sabadell.
Since getting past Vasas in the previous round, Pro Recco won both of their Italian A1 games – against Roma Visnova and Posillipo – to remain unbeaten in their domestic league and now sit three points clear of Brescia at the top.
Confidence might be high, but Pro Recco coach Sandro Sukno has warned his players there can be no room for complacency against their Spanish opponents.
‘Sabadell are a very well-organised team with lots of pace and two or three really skilled attackers, who are great shooters,’ Sukno told European Aquatics.
‘We’re preparing for this match like any other and I believe we’ll be ready. Our first game is at home, so it’ll be different from the challenge we faced against Vasas.’
‘We know they are a really strong, solid team, with a really good team defence, a really good goalkeeper and really good shooters,’ added Recco’s young USA star Jack Larsen.
‘We’ve just got to keep preparing day by day, keep getting ready and focus on ourselves, as that’s how we get things done.’
Sabadell have reached the last four of the Euro Cup for a second successive season and qualified for this year’s semi-finals thanks to a dominant 17-9 first-leg victory at home against VPK Primorac Kotor in the previous round.
The Spaniards may have suffered a 14-9 defeat in the second-leg in Montenegro, but their eight-goal aggregate lead was never in danger.
Sabadell also have recent fond memories of beating Italian opposition in the Euro Cup, as they triumphed against Telimar Palermo in 2022’s two-legged final.
After lifting the trophy, though, they faced the winners of that season’s Champions League – Pro Recco – in the Super Cup and were comprehensively beaten 16-8.
That defeat was also the last time these two sides met and one Sabadell star who’s fully aware of the challenges they’ll face this week is Vincenzo Renzuto, who used to play for the Italians.
‘We know we are set to face one of the best teams in the world, with the best players, but we know that we can compete against them,’ said Renzuto.
‘We’ve worked really hard to reach this stage and our goal is now to get to the final.’
The Euro Cup semi-final first-legs take place on Thursday 3rd April, and the second-legs are scheduled for Thursday 24th April. You can watch all the action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com, and stay up-to-date with all the results and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.
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