Conference Cup Men: Last eight confirmed as Tenerife down De Zaan to make the cut

CN Tenerife Echeyde completed the quarter-final stage line-up of the men’s Conference Cup by edging past ZV De Zaan in Sunday’s opening game. The Spaniards will join GS Apollon Smyrnis, Panionios GSS, VK Mornar Split, Endo Plus Service Honved, De Akker Team, CN Posillipo and Solartradex CN Mataro in the draw for the next round, which will take place on Monday, 2nd March.

2025/26 Conference Cup Men
Qualification Round II, Day 7
Sunday 22 February

Group A
(Potsdam, Germany)

Panionios GSS (GRE) 13-15 GS Apollon Smyrnis (GRE)
OSC Potsdam (GER) 6-16 VK Partizan Belgrade (SRB)

Standings: 1. Apollon, 9pts 2. Panionios, 6pts 3. Partizan Belgrade, 3pts 4. Potsdam, 0pts

With the two qualification places settled on Saturday, all that was left to decide in Group A on Sunday was which of the two Greek clubs would finish top.

Panionios may have scored first, but they were made to chase the game from then on, as Apollon hit two in a row to edge 1-2 ahead midway through the opening quarter.

Panionios kept battling and equalised on three occasions before half-time (2-2, 3-3 and 6-6), but they could never find a way to retake the lead, and Nikolaos Gardikas’s strike late in the second period saw Apollon head into the long break 6-7 up.

A fiercely contested third was a real showcase, with both sides giving their all. Apollon’s Hannes Daube hit three to kick-off the quarter as his side opened up a three-goal advantage (7-10), yet Panionios fought back to 10-11 before Georgios Mitrakis struck with 0:10 on the clock to put Apollon 10-12 ahead at the last break.

When Emmanouil Solanakis fired in for 10-13 at the beginning of the fourth, the game was slipping away from Panionios and they weren’t able to really trouble their domestic rivals in the closing stages, despite the best efforts of Konstantinos Mourikis, who top scored with six goals and was unfortunate to end up on the losing side.

Later, hosts OSC Potsdam’s hopes of securing their first points of the weekend quickly faded as they were totally outclassed by VK Partizan Belgrade 6-16 (1-4, 3-5, 1-5, 1-2).

Group B
(Split, Croatia)

ZV De Zaan (NED) 12-15 CN Tenerife Echeyde (ESP)
VK Mornar Split (CRO) 17-9 CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU)

Standings: 1. Mornar Split, 8pts 2. Tenerife, 6pts 3. De Zaan, 4pts 4. Rapid Bucuresti 0pts

CN Tenerife Echeyde produced a decisive third-quarter display against ZV De Zaan to claim the last ticket to the quarter-finals on Sunday morning.

Javier Gorria was the standout performer for the Spaniards, finishing as top scorer with six goals, including three in the 1-4 penultimate period that proved to be the difference.

De Zaan made a bright start, building a two-goal advantage twice (2-0 and 3-1) inside the opening eight minutes, but Tenerife responded strongly and moved two clear themselves in the second quarter (5-7 and 6-8).

At half-time, the Spaniards held a slender 7-8 lead, then some excellent defensive work, combined with Gorria’s clinical finishing, allowed Tenerife to take control in the third, as they extended their advantage to 8-12 heading into the final quarter.

The Dutch side desperately searched for a way back and got within two twice (10-12 and 11-13), but they couldn’t get any closer, as Tenerife kept them at arm’s length to secure the three points and a place in the last eight.

Later, hosts VK Mornar Split moved back to the top of the group with a masterful 17-9 (5-1, 4-4, 2-2, 6-2) victory against bottom side CS Rapid Bucuresti.

A powerful 5-1 first quarter set the tone, and although the Romanians stepped up in the middle two periods (even fighting back to 5-4 in the second), they weren’t able to level and faded in the closing stages.

Group C
(Montpellier, France)

Endo Plus Service Honved (HUN) 15-10 De Akker Team (ITA)
Montpellier Water Polo (FRA) 16-21 VK Primorje Erste Bank (CRO)

Standings: 1. Honved, 11pts 2. De Akker, 8pts 3. A-Polo, 7pts 4. Primorje, 4pts. 5. Montpellier, 0pts

A commanding first-half performance from Endo Plus Service Honved proved enough to sink De Akker Team and secure top spot in the group.

After winning the opening two quarters 9-3 (5-2, 4-1), there was no way back for the Italians, who did raise their game in the later stages, winning the second half 6-7 (3-4, 3-3), but by then it was too late.

Honved’s Montenegro star Nikola Moskov continued his fine form in Montpellier by firing in four more goals to take his impressive weekend tally to 16.

In the later game, the hosts finished their disappointing campaign with a fourth successive defeat, although they can take some small positives from scoring 16 against VK Primorje Erste Bank.

Unfortunately for the French side, the Croats hit 21 and were in total command at half-time, leading 3-14 (1-6, 2-8), before easing up in the last two quarters, which Montpellier won 13-7 (6-3, 7-4) to make the scoreline appear more respectable.

Group D
(Naples, Italy)

WPC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) 14-16 Sete Natation (FRA)
CN Posillipo (ITA) 12-10 Solartradex CN Mataro (ESP)

Standings: 1. Posillipo, 12pts 2. Mataro, 9pts 3. Crvena Zvezda, 5pts 4. Sete Natation, 4pts. 5. Dinamo Tbilisi, 0pts

The big clash in this group on Sunday was the game between CN Posillipo and Solartradex CN Mataro to decide who would finish at the summit.

With first place on the line, the match began with great intensity and it was the Spaniards who seized control in the opening exchanges, establishing a 1-4 lead early in the second quarter.

By half-time, however, the Italians had turned the game around, hammering in four without reply to edge 5-4 ahead by the long break.

Marc Rodriguez equalised at the beginning of the third, but that was the last time the Spaniards were level, as Posillipo quickly regained the lead and never relinquished it.

After Pasquale Porzio put the Italians two clear (7-5) with 5:31 on the clock, Mataro managed to get within one on three more occasions (7-6, 8-7 and 9-8), the last of those coming at the start of the fourth.

Posillipo’s defence held firm, though, and after going three clear (12-9) with just 2:18 remaining, the points and first place were safe.

Earlier, Sete Natation’s late fightback against WPC Dinamo Tbilisi ensured they avoided the bottom spot in the group.

The French side were trailing by four at half-time (8-4), but cut the gap to one by the last break (12-11) and completed a remarkable turnaround by winning the fourth 2-5 to condemn the Georgians to a fourth defeat in a row.

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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

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