Challenger Cup Women: Portuense reach Final Four, while Esslingen, Goztepe are on their way
With just one round of games remaining, only one Final Four spot has been booked officially, by Portuense, though Esslingen and Goztepe are also on their way as only unlikely outcomes would prevent them from making the finals.
2025/26 Challenger Cup Women
Qualification Round II
Saturday 7 March
Group A
(Cottonera, Malta)
San Giljan ASC (MLT) 9-23 Clube Fluvial Portuense (POR)
Group B
(Izmir, Türkiye)
London Otter (GBR) 8-11 Sirens ASC (MLT)
Goztepe Sport Klub (TUR) 15-3 Dalton Koleji SK (TUR)
Nevsehir Belediye SK (TUR) 10-11 VK Jadran Split (CRO)
Dalton Koleji SK (TUR) 8-23 Sirens ASC (MLT)
Goztepe Sport Klub (TUR) 16-8 VK Jadran Split (CRO)
Nevsehir Belediye SK (TUR) 9-8 London Otter (GBR)
Group A
(Cottonera, Malta)
San Giljan ASC (MLT) 9-23 Clube Fluvial Portuense (POR)
Standings: 1. Esslingen (GER) 6pts (2 games), 2. Portuense 6pts, 3. San Giljan 3pts (2), 4. Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 0pts
Portuense secured their Final Four spot with a commanding performance against San Giljan. The Maltese hosts ran out of steam early in the second period when, after 5-7, the Portuguese staged a 0-4 rush and never looked back.
They added a 0-7 thrashing in the third, Beatriz Fernandes netted nine goals for Portuense and this 14-goal blast put them in a position where they cannot finish lower than second place.
San Giljan will meet Esslingen on the last day, but they only have a mathematical chance to beat the Germans and to force a three-way tie – but they would need an 11-goal win to get ahead of the Germans.
Group B
(Izmir, Türkiye)
London Otter (GBR) 8-11 Sirens ASC (MLT)
Goztepe Sport Klub (TUR) 15-3 Dalton Koleji SK (TUR)
Nevsehir Belediye SK (TUR) 10-11 VK Jadran Split (CRO)
Dalton Koleji SK (TUR) 8-23 Sirens ASC (MLT)
Goztepe Sport Klub (TUR) 16-8 VK Jadran Split (CRO)
Nevsehir Belediye SK (TUR) 9-8 London Otter (GBR)
Standings: 1. Goztepe 12pts, 2. Jadran 9pts, 3. Nevsehir 9pts, 4. Sirens 6pts, 5. London 0pts, 6. Dalton 0pts
Hosts Goztepe were the big winners on the penultimate day when two full rounds of games were played.
The Turks cashed six points, as first they blew away fellow Turkish side Dalton with a 11-0 blast in the first half. Then they claimed an eight-goal win over Jadran Split which put them in a really comfortable position to make the finals, as they may even afford to lose to fellow Turkish side Nevsehir on the last day.
In this key match, the Croats – a bit worn out after their morning fight against Nevsehir, details below – could stay in the game only for eight minutes.
Then Goztepe came up with a 5-0 blast in the second to decide the match by half-time. At the end, they won by eight goals and it would require a complete meltdown on the last day to let their F4 spot slip out of their hands.
Before this painful loss, Jadran managed to beat the other Turkish rival. It became a tight game by the end, though at the beginning the Croats stormed to a 0-4 lead and held on for a massive 2-7 advantage at half-time.
With three minutes remaining in the third, they were 4-10 up and despite conceding two goals before the last break, they seemed to be in control.
After Neli Jankovic netted her fifth for 7-11 with 6:44 to go, it was still Jadran’s game, but they started losing their composure, conceding two in 43 seconds, so it stood 9-11 with 5:40 remaining.
However, the Turks couldn’t add more in the following minutes, their next one came 56 seconds from time, but they couldn’t force a shootout.
Still, Jadran’s heavy defeat in the afternoon means that even a single goal win by Nevsehir over Goztepe would oust the Croats in the three-way tie.
Nevsehir almost blew that chance in the evening as they found it hard to down a stubborn and well-organised London Otter, but Milana Molnar’s five goals saved their day.
Among the three teams which stood with zero points after two days, Sirens managed to beat the other two lower ranked sides on Saturday.
A 4-0 rush against Otter early in the third was the defining phase in their first win, then they enjoyed an easy cruise against Dalton, netting 23 goals.
Mathematically, the Maltese may also go through in another option for a three-way tie but they would need to beat Jadran by 11 goals, while Goztepe should defeat Nevsehir – indeed, the first is not a realistic scenario.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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