Challenger Cup Women: Favourites closing in on Final Four after day two of qualifiers
Day 2 of Qualification Round II in the Challenger Cup Women was like the silence before the storm, with the favourites scoring big wins in all five matches played before they clash for the Final Four berth at the weekend.
2025/26 Challenger Cup Women
Qualification Round II
Friday 6 March
Group A
(Cottonera, Malta)
ZVK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 9-22 SSV Esslingen (GER)
Clube Fluvial Portuense (POR) 21-8 ZVK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Group B
(Izmir, Türkiye)
Nevsehir Belediye SK (TUR) 11-5 Sirens ASC (MLT)
VK Jadran Split (CRO) 20-8 Dalton Koleji SK (TUR)
Goztepe Sport Klub (TUR) 14-8 London Otter (GBR)
Group A
(Cottonera, Malta)
ZVK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 9-22 SSV Esslingen (GER)
Clube Fluvial Portuense (POR) 21-8 ZVK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Esslingen won their second match with ease against Crvena Zvezda. The Germans opened the match with three connecting action goals and the first period ended with them 3-7 up.
The Serbs, playing with a limited roster with eight field-players, couldn’t really stay in the game. Kleopatra Ntone Tsiaka and Jamie-Julique Haas led the Germans’ charge with six and five goals respectively – these two netted two more than their rivals in the entire match.
Zvezda’s pains didn’t end here as they had to come back for a second match in the afternoon and they lost it against Portuense with the same margin as in the morning encounter, by 13.
The first period was even worse for the Serbs as the Portuguese stormed to a 7-0 lead and led 14-4 at half-time. The second half was a bit more balanced, but Zvezda still lost their third match.
The picture will be clearer after Saturday when hosts San Giljan face Portuense, as this game shall be decisive in determining one of the two qualifying spots.
Group B
(Izmir, Türkiye)
Nevsehir Belediye SK (TUR) 11-5 Sirens ASC (MLT)
VK Jadran Split (CRO) 20-8 Dalton Koleji SK (TUR)
Goztepe Sport Klub (TUR) 14-8 London Otter (GBR)
The hunt for the two Final Four berths has been reduced to a three-horse race as the three winners now stand with six points, while the other three all have zero points so far.
And the gaps demonstrated how Friday’s winners are all on a different level as each handed heavy defeats to their respective rivals.
In the first match, Sirens could keep up with Nevsehir for two and a half periods, though the Maltese trailed 6-4, before three connecing goals from the Turks in the last two minutes put the match to bed before the last break.
Though Sirens pulled one back early in the fourth, they were unable to add any more in the last six minutes, while Milana Molnar netted her third and fourth to seal Nevsehir’s win.
Jadran Split didn’t need long to make sure they would land all three points against Koleji. The Croats rallied to a 7-0 lead in the opening eight minutes and never looked back – their top gun, Neli Jankovic stopped at six goals.
Hosts Goztepe set the tone late in the first period when they scored three in a row after 3-3 to lead 6-3 after eight minutes against London Otter.
The second period saw more battling and far less goals, the Londoners missed a penalty early on while veteran scoring machine Kubra Kus netted her third after four and a half minutes and Emma Wright converted another extra to give the Turks an 8-3 lead shortly before the middle break.
Goals ‘returned’ in the third, but the gap never dropped under four goals in this action packed period which saw seven goals. Then again, the fourth was more about defending and Goztepe’s cruised to a six-goal victory.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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