Croatia’s Jug Dubrovnik and Italy’s AN Brescia secured their respective spots in the Champions League – both teams have been regular Final Eight participants, so their qualification is no surprise and indeed they were dominant in all their matches in the weekend.
Crvena Zvezda (SRB), AN Brescia (ITA), Vouliagmeni NC (GRE) and Jug Adriatic Osiguranje (CRO) are the four qualifiers for the Champions League this season. Serbia’s Zvezda will join Group B to stage a series of Balkan classics against the two famous Jadrans, Split of Croatia and Herceg Novi of Montenegro – add Hungarian champion FTC-Telekom and everyone can expect a series of thrilling matches.
Brescia will clash with the runner-up of the last two editions Novi Beograd and may have a fine chance to make the cut as Sabadell and Steaua are the other two rivals in this group.
Last season’s sensation Vouliagmeni will face a tremendous challenge to reach the quarter-final stage as Barceloneta – which beat the Greeks for the bronze medal in Belgrade – and Marseille will send a reinforced line-up to the pool.
Last but not least, Jug will play in the ‘group of death’ as Group B will see three champions from recent years gunning for the two qualifying berths. Victor in the last three seasons, Pro Recco, 2018 champion Olympiacos and four-time winner Jug will surely produce a series of thrillers.
(See the final composition of the Champions League Group Stage below.)
Group A (Hannover)
CN Barcelona (ESP) v Apollon Smyrnis (GRE) 12-11, Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) v EPS Honved (HUN) 13-12
Final rankings: 1. Crvena Zvezda 12 points, 2. Barcelona 9, 4. Hannover 6, 4. Apollon 3, 5. Honved 0
With Crvena Zvezda having stolen the show with four brilliant wins, the last day was about prestige and pride for the other four participants. Both encounters produced fine battles where a single goal decided the outcome. Barcelona built a three-goal lead a couple of times during the game, but the Greeks always came back, however, in the fourth they could score their last goal 21 seconds from time, so they had no chance to equalise. Host Hannover finally could clinch a win in a match of twists and turns. The fourth period was really dramatic, Waspo went 10-8 up, Honved equalised, then the Germans took the lead once more, but the Hungarians replied with a double, however, the last twist came in the last minute as the home side managed to hit two actions goals, the winner by Niclas Schipper came with three seconds from time.
Group B (Kragujevac)
Primorac Kotor (MNE) v ASD Duisburg (GER) 16-10, Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v AN Brescia (ITA) 8-15
Final rankings: 1. Brescia 12, 2. Radnicki 8, 3. Noisy Le Sec 6, 4. Primorac 4, 5. Duisburg 0
A kind of final was played between Radnicki and Brescia – but it was never an equal match. The Italians quickly built a 1-4 lead and rolled on in the second period to go 3-8 up by halftime, they could even afford missing a penalty. The Serbs tried desperately but Brescia was simply too good – Radnicki came back to 5-9 only to concede four more goals in three minutes late in the third for 5-13, so the excitements were gone before the last period.
Group C (Oradea)
CC Ortigia (ITA) v Primorje Erste Bank Rijeka (CRO) 16-14, CSM Oradea (ROU) v Vouliagmeni NC (GRE) 5-14
Final rankings: 1. Vouliagmeni 9, 2. Ortigia 6, 3. Primorje 3, 4. Oradea 0
Vouliagmeni already secured the first place after two days, but they added a third win against host Oradea on the last day. The two middle periods were the key when the Greeks shut out the Romanians for 14 minutes and staged a 7-1 run. The other match produced a 30-goal epic, Ortigia outlasted Primorje at the end. Francesco Cassia was on fire, he ended the game with 7 goals, netted the last four for his team after 12-12.
Group D (Dubrovnik)
Dinamo Bucharest (ROU) v EN Tourcoing (FRA) 8-14, Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO) v Genesys-OSC Budapest (HUN) 14-10
Standings: 1. Jug 9, 2. Tourcoing 6, 3. OSC 3, 4. Dinamo 0
When Tourcoing beat Dinamo as expected in the first game, Jug players could already feel themselves on safe waters as it was hard to see OSC beating them by six or seven goals – that would have been the only way the Croats bowing out. It never happened, OSC could go ahead twice in the first period, then Jug staged another perfect storm in the second period, like on Saturday against Tourcoing. They had a 4-0 run in the second, all in all they shut OSC out for 10:28 minutes as they rallied to a 9-3 lead and never looked back.
Champions League – Group Stage
Group A
VK Novi Beograd (SRB), Astralpool Sabadell (ESP), CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU), AN Brescia (ITA)
Group B
Pro Recco (ITA), Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE), WPC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO), Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO)
Group C
FTC-Telekom (HUN), VK Jadran Split (CRO), PVK Jadran Herceg Novi (MNE), Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Group D
Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP), CN Marseille (FRA), Spandau 04 (GER), Vouliagmeni NC (GRE)
Croatia’s Jug Dubrovnik and Italy’s AN Brescia secured their respective spots in the Champions League – both teams have been regular Final Eight participants, so their qualification is no surprise and indeed they were dominant in all their matches in the weekend.
Crvena Zvezda (SRB), AN Brescia (ITA), Vouliagmeni NC (GRE) and Jug Adriatic Osiguranje (CRO) are the four qualifiers for the Champions League this season. Serbia’s Zvezda will join Group B to stage a series of Balkan classics against the two famous Jadrans, Split of Croatia and Herceg Novi of Montenegro – add Hungarian champion FTC-Telekom and everyone can expect a series of thrilling matches.
Brescia will clash with the runner-up of the last two editions Novi Beograd and may have a fine chance to make the cut as Sabadell and Steaua are the other two rivals in this group.
Last season’s sensation Vouliagmeni will face a tremendous challenge to reach the quarter-final stage as Barceloneta – which beat the Greeks for the bronze medal in Belgrade – and Marseille will send a reinforced line-up to the pool.
Last but not least, Jug will play in the ‘group of death’ as Group B will see three champions from recent years gunning for the two qualifying berths. Victor in the last three seasons, Pro Recco, 2018 champion Olympiacos and four-time winner Jug will surely produce a series of thrillers.
(See the final composition of the Champions League Group Stage below.)
Group A (Hannover)
CN Barcelona (ESP) v Apollon Smyrnis (GRE) 12-11, Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) v EPS Honved (HUN) 13-12
Final rankings: 1. Crvena Zvezda 12 points, 2. Barcelona 9, 4. Hannover 6, 4. Apollon 3, 5. Honved 0
With Crvena Zvezda having stolen the show with four brilliant wins, the last day was about prestige and pride for the other four participants. Both encounters produced fine battles where a single goal decided the outcome. Barcelona built a three-goal lead a couple of times during the game, but the Greeks always came back, however, in the fourth they could score their last goal 21 seconds from time, so they had no chance to equalise. Host Hannover finally could clinch a win in a match of twists and turns. The fourth period was really dramatic, Waspo went 10-8 up, Honved equalised, then the Germans took the lead once more, but the Hungarians replied with a double, however, the last twist came in the last minute as the home side managed to hit two actions goals, the winner by Niclas Schipper came with three seconds from time.
Group B (Kragujevac)
Primorac Kotor (MNE) v ASD Duisburg (GER) 16-10, Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v AN Brescia (ITA) 8-15
Final rankings: 1. Brescia 12, 2. Radnicki 8, 3. Noisy Le Sec 6, 4. Primorac 4, 5. Duisburg 0
A kind of final was played between Radnicki and Brescia – but it was never an equal match. The Italians quickly built a 1-4 lead and rolled on in the second period to go 3-8 up by halftime, they could even afford missing a penalty. The Serbs tried desperately but Brescia was simply too good – Radnicki came back to 5-9 only to concede four more goals in three minutes late in the third for 5-13, so the excitements were gone before the last period.
Group C (Oradea)
CC Ortigia (ITA) v Primorje Erste Bank Rijeka (CRO) 16-14, CSM Oradea (ROU) v Vouliagmeni NC (GRE) 5-14
Final rankings: 1. Vouliagmeni 9, 2. Ortigia 6, 3. Primorje 3, 4. Oradea 0
Vouliagmeni already secured the first place after two days, but they added a third win against host Oradea on the last day. The two middle periods were the key when the Greeks shut out the Romanians for 14 minutes and staged a 7-1 run. The other match produced a 30-goal epic, Ortigia outlasted Primorje at the end. Francesco Cassia was on fire, he ended the game with 7 goals, netted the last four for his team after 12-12.
Group D (Dubrovnik)
Dinamo Bucharest (ROU) v EN Tourcoing (FRA) 8-14, Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO) v Genesys-OSC Budapest (HUN) 14-10
Standings: 1. Jug 9, 2. Tourcoing 6, 3. OSC 3, 4. Dinamo 0
When Tourcoing beat Dinamo as expected in the first game, Jug players could already feel themselves on safe waters as it was hard to see OSC beating them by six or seven goals – that would have been the only way the Croats bowing out. It never happened, OSC could go ahead twice in the first period, then Jug staged another perfect storm in the second period, like on Saturday against Tourcoing. They had a 4-0 run in the second, all in all they shut OSC out for 10:28 minutes as they rallied to a 9-3 lead and never looked back.
Champions League – Group Stage
Group A
VK Novi Beograd (SRB), Astralpool Sabadell (ESP), CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU), AN Brescia (ITA)
Group B
Pro Recco (ITA), Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE), WPC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO), Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO)
Group C
FTC-Telekom (HUN), VK Jadran Split (CRO), PVK Jadran Herceg Novi (MNE), Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Group D
Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP), CN Marseille (FRA), Spandau 04 (GER), Vouliagmeni NC (GRE)
