Conference Cup Men: Qualification Round II penalty drama in Montpellier and Naples
The opening day of the men’s Conference Cup Qualification Round II started and ended with a thrilling shootout. First, Endo Plus Service Honved edged past A-Polo Sport Management in Marseille, then later, BVK Crvena Zvezda needed penalties to finally end Sete Natation’s resistance in Naples. Elsewhere, there were comfortable wins for CN Posillipo against WPC Dinamo Tbilisi and De Akker Team versus Montpellier Water Polo.
A link to the full tables and fixtures can be found below, with 10 more teams joining the action on Friday.
Group C
Montpellier, France
Endo Plus Service Honved (HUN) 14-14 (6-5P) A-Polo Sport Management (GEO)
The action in Montpellier got off to a thrilling start with the clash between Endo Plus Service Honved and A-Polo Sport Management needing penalties to separate the two teams.
With Denes Varga in their line-up, the Georgians edged the early exchanges and opened up a four-goal lead twice in the second quarter (2-6 and 4-8) and were 5-8 ahead at half-time.
Sport Management managed to stay ahead throughout the third, but the Hungarians kept chipping away – mainly inspired by Montenegro’s Nikola Moskov, who ended the game with five goals – and the deficit was down to two (9-11) heading into the fourth.
It was Moskov who hit Honved’s 11th and 12th goals to level at 12-12 with 4:55 remaining, and despite Srdan Vuksanovic and Varga nudging Sport Management back in front, Rolf Bencz struck with 2:39 on the clock for 14-14.
Both sides had a six-on-five chance to nick the three points, but neither could take advantage, so the decision was left to a shootout.
Honved and Sport Management were perfect in the first five rounds, but Varga missed his second attempt in the sixth – Kristof Csoma deflected his shot high over the bar with his right arm – to hand the Hungarians the two points.
Group C
Montpellier, France
Montpellier Water Polo (FRA) 9-25 De Akker Team (ITA)
The hosts Montpellier Water Polo proved no match for De Akker Team, as they were blown away in the first quarter 0-8, and it got worse at the start of the second period as American Jackson Painter converted a penalty to extend the gap to nine.
Montpellier managed to put up some resistance in the second and third quarters, firing in four goals in each to make the scores 8-19 ahead of the fourth, but the Italians put their foot back on the gas in the closing stages, winning the last period 1-6 and capping off an emphatic victory.
Francesco Lucci, Niccolo Di Murro, Balazs Erdely and Eduardo Campopiano led the way for De Akker with four goals each, while Montpellier’s Iliya Mustur and Darko Stojanovic also struck four consolation strikes apiece.
Group D
Naples, Italy
CN Posillipo (ITA) 13-8 WPC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)
A powerful first-half performance was enough to seal the points for CN Posillipo against WPC Dinamo Tbilisi in the opening game in Naples.
After the Georgians struck in the first minute, the Italians took full control, hitting eight without reply to move 8-1 up by half-time.
Nikola Bucan finally ended Dinamo’s 16:48 scoring drought early in the third, but the Italians were cruising at this point and, despite losing the period 1-3, they remained in the driving seat at 9-5.
The gap was back at five when Posillipo’s Nicola Cuccovillo scored 26 seconds into the fourth, and although Dinamo fought back to within three (11-8) with 3:38 on the clock, they weren’t able to get any closer.
Group D
Naples, Italy
BVK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 10-10 (4-3P) Sete Natation (FRA)
The second game in Naples was a real end-to-end battle, which saw BVK Crvena Zvezda – who only arrived with 10 men – need a shootout victory to finally shake off a resilient Sete Natation.
It was the full-strength French who opened the scoring, but the Serbians were soon ahead through goals from Relja Dankovic and Veljko Krstic.
Sete refused to lie down and kept on pushing, levelling the score twice (at 2-2 and then 3-3 early in the second quarter), but they were unable to regain the lead.
Crvena Zvezda were 5-4 up at half-time and looked to be pulling away in the third at 8-4, but Sete hammered in four unanswered goals of their own to equalise with 3:24 remaining in the fourth and set up a dramatic finale.
Crvena Zvezda coach Aleksandar Filipovic immediately called a time-out to settle his players, and it worked as they earned a penalty that Aleksandar Radanovic scored, but Sete instantly replied through Petar Tomic’s action goal.
Luis Gomes Da Silva looked to have won it for the French when he slammed in a six-on-five goal with 27 seconds remaining, only for Marko Radovic to unleash a 6m screamer that flew under Zachary Joubert’s left arm to send the game to a shootout.
The penalties were just as dramatic as the game, with Crvena Zvezda’s first two shots saved to hand Sete the initiative, but they were unable to capitalise, as they fluffed three of their next four, while the Serbians fired in four in a row to take the points.
Watch all the Conference Cup action live on European Aquatics TV
For full Conference Cup Men results, stats and tables, click here.
Stay tuned to the European Aquatics Water Polo social media accounts for more news and live updates on Facebook and Instagram
The post Conference Cup Men: Qualification Round II penalty drama in Montpellier and Naples first appeared on European Aquatics®.