Euro Cup Women: Polar Bears storm past Lille to secure their place in Monday’s quarter-final draw
Polar Bears completed the quarter-final line-up for the women’s Euro Cup with a dominant display against Lille UC on Saturday evening in Ede. The Dutch side’s victory confirms their place in Monday’s highly anticipated draw alongside Ethnikos OFPF, BVSC Manna ABC, ANC Glyfada iRepair, Zodiac CNAB, Antenore Plebiscito Padova, Pallanuoto Trieste and EPlus CN Catalunya. You can watch the draw for the next phase live on the link below, or via the European Aquatics YouTube channel, from 10:00am CET.
2025/26 Euro Cup Women
Group Stage, Day 6
Saturday 28 February
(Local times shown)
Group A
Polar Bears (NED) 17-4 Lille UC (FRA)
Standings: 1. Ethnikos, 12pts 2. Polar Bears, 6pts 3. Lille, 0pts
Group B
ANC Glyfada iRepair (GRE) 12-13 BVSC Manna ABC (HUN)
Standings: 1. BVSC, 12pts 2. Glyfada, 6pts 3. Hapoel, 0pts
Group C
Grand Nancy AC (FRA) 6-23 Antenore Plebiscito Padova (ITA)
Standings: 1. CNAB, 9pts 2. Padova, 9pts 3. Grand Nancy, 0pts
Group D
III. Keruleti TVE (HUN) 9-16 EPlus CN Catalunya (ESP)
Standings: 1. Catalunya, 9pts 2. Trieste, 9pts 3. Kerulet, 0pts
Group A
Polar Bears (NED) 17-4 Lille UC (FRA)
Standings: 1. Ethnikos, 12pts 2. Polar Bears, 6pts 3. Lille, 0pts
After narrowly missing out on the opportunity to secure qualification for the quarter-finals on Day 5, Polar Bears took their last chance in emphatic fashion by sweeping Lille UC aside, 17-4.
The hosts raced out of the blocks and, after 1-1, hammered in 10 goals without reply, leaving the French side chasing shadows for the majority of the game.
Lille’s Lana Di Fraja briefly disrupted Polar Bears’ surge with a shot from the right wing that flashed through Laura Steenbeek’s hands at the end of the third to make it 2-11, but that was just a mere consolation strike.
Kiara Heerink’s penalty just before the last break restored the home side’s 10-goal advantage, and the fourth quarter saw the Dutch side continue to dominate.
It was a fantastic all-round performance from Polar Bears, with 10 different players getting on the scoresheet as they confirmed their place in the last eight and condemned Lille to a fourth successive defeat.
Group B
ANC Glyfada iRepair (GRE) 12-13 BVSC Manna ABC (HUN)
Standings: 1. BVSC, 12pts 2. Glyfada, 6pts 3. Hapoel, 0pts
ANC Glyfada iRepair needed to better the 13-11 result BVSC Manna ABC achieved against them in the reverse fixture on Day 3 if they were to overtake their opponents at the top of the table.
The Greeks looked on course at half-time, as Zoi Tzortzakaki and Brooke Ochoa struck shortly before the turnaround to edge them back in front (7-6).
Ochoa added another early in the third to extend the hosts’ lead to two, but BVSC responded immediately. Panna Pocze scored three in a row to swing the momentum back in the Hungarians’ favour.
Eleni Grigoropoulou quickly restored parity, yet Glyfada were unable to reclaim the lead, and two late BVSC goals before the buzzer handed the visitors a 9-11 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Glyfada managed to draw level twice more (11-11 and 12-12) and, as they pushed for a late winner, BVSC goalkeeper Tunde Schmuck produced a series of fine saves to keep her side in front.
With 29 seconds remaining, Zoe Lendvey found space on the left wing and unleashed a fierce effort that Glyfada’s Vasiliki Tsiara appeared to have saved, but she couldn’t keep hold of the ball and it squirmed over the line to seal the points – and top spot – for the visitors.
The win also maintained BVSC’s perfect record in the Group Stage, with four wins from four games – a feat matched only by Ethnikos OFPF in Group A.
Group C
Grand Nancy AC (FRA) 6-23 Antenore Plebiscito Padova (ITA)
Standings: 1. CNAB, 9pts 2. Padova, 9pts 3. Grand Nancy, 0pts
Antenore Plebiscito Padova overpowered Grand Nancy for a second time this season in the Euro Cup. The Italians beat their French opponents at home by 13 on Day 3 (20-7) and they went four better in this return fixture, winning by 17 (6-23).
Padova – the 2024 winners of this competition – will definitely be one of the teams the other sides will want to avoid in Monday’s draw for the quarter-finals, as they again showed their explosive attacking strength.
With only nine players and having lost their previous 34 games in Europe, Grand Nancy were always going to struggle against their illustrious opponents, but they at least kept up with them in the opening eight minutes and only trailed by one at the first break (3-4).
A 0-7 surge in the second quarter ended the French side’s early resistance and put the Italians firmly in control, but they still faced an uphill task if they wanted to overtake Zodiac CNAB at the top of the table.
With the games between Padova and CNAB both finishing 13-11 to the home side, the results against Grand Nancy came into play.
The Spaniards smashed the French 29-6 and 27-4 (+46), so Padova needed to win by 34 goals to gain a better goal difference, but despite their superiority they weren’t able to get anywhere near those kind of numbers.
Padova coach Stefano Posterivo told their club website afterwards, “It’s a result we had to achieve, and we did. Now we await the draw and try to play the quarter-finals in the best possible way.”
Group D
III. Keruleti TVE (HUN) 9-16 EPlus CN Catalunya (ESP)
Standings: 1. Catalunya, 9pts 2. Trieste, 9pts 3. Kerulet, 0pts
Eplus CN Catalunya comfortably secured the result they needed in Budapest, defeating III. Keruleti TVE to leapfrog Pallanuoto Trieste and move to the top of Group D.
Emmerson Houghton led the charge with a stunning hat-trick, while Toula Falvey, Belen Vosseberg, Georgina Bellido, Ruth Arino, Lucia Gomez and Saya Sekine each added two goals in a clinical team performance.
Catalunya wasted no time stamping their authority on the game, racing into a 0-4 lead inside the opening five minutes.
Eniko Rajna responded late in the first quarter on extra to get the hosts off the mark, but Houghton’s 6m shot soon reset the visitors’ four-goal advantage (1-5).
Javi Belmonte’s side tightened their grip in the second period, again conceding just once while extending their lead to seven by half-time (2-9).
At the start of the third, Arino and Sekine struck back-to-back goals as Catalunya moved firmly out of sight.
Although Kerulet matched their opponents across the second half, sharing 14 goals (3-5, 4-2), the outcome was never in question.
The three points – and top spot in Group D – belonged to the Spaniards.
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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics
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