Group leaders Ferencvaros and Barceloneta managed to defeat their respective arch-rivals, Jadran Split and Marseille, in intense battles, positioning themselves well to reach the quarter-final round. A thrilling 30-shot shootout determined the outcome between Jadran Herceg Novi and Crvena Zvezda, while Spandau secured second place in its group by narrowly edging out Vouliagmeni.
Group C: Jadran Herceg Novi (MNE) v Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 8-8, pen: 13-12,FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN) v Jadran Split (CRO) 13-11. Standings: 1. FTC 9, 2. Split 6, 3. Herceg Novi 2, 4. Zvezda 1
Group D: Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) v Vouliagmeni NC (GRE) 14-13, Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP) v CN Marseille (FRA) 9-7. Standings: 1. Barceloneta 9, 2. Spandau 6, 3. Marseille 3, 4. Vouiagmeni 0
Host teams won extremely tough battles in Group C. The leader, FTC, staged a brilliant third period, hammered six goals against Jadran Split, and seemed to have secured the victory at 11-6. But the Croats didn’t give in, they hit back with five goals in the fourth period and Some Vogel’s incredible save prevented them from closing the gap to one goal two minutes before the end. In ten seconds, Denes Varga closed down the contest, landing a third win for the Hungarians.
Crvena Zvezda kept the game under control for most of the time in Herceg Novi, leading 5-8 early in the fourth period. Still, in the last three minutes, the host Jadran staged a 3-0 run to save the game to a shootout. The match turned into an endless rally of penalties, and the decision came in the 15th round when the 30th shot was saved by Darko Durovic, earning two crucial points for the Montenegrins.
In Group D, Barceloneta bagged a big win over Marseille in a heated battle. The Spaniards stormed to a 3-0 lead, but their rivals mounted a comeback to level the score at 4-4 by halftime. The hosts geared up once more, after two man-up hits in 1:45 minutes, Felipe Perrone scored his trademark goal from a counterattack, giving them a two-goal advantage going into the fourth period. Marseille halved the gap twice but couldn’t level the score and Alejandro Bustos’ close-range shot from a 6 on 5 secured Barceloneta’s third win.
Spandau dominated the first half against Vouliagmeni, early on the Germans led 6-2 and they were 9-6 up at halftime. However, the Greeks had a brilliant spell in the third quarter, netting three in a row to level the score at 9-9. Spandau missed four extras in this quarter before netting the fifth regaining the lead with 46 seconds remaining in the period for a score of 10-9.
The fourth was a real thriller. Vouliagmeni equalised twice, then the home side hit two in 50 seconds for a 13-11 lead. The Greeks erased that deficit too, making it 13-13 with a minute remaining. Nevertheless, Spandau had the last laugh, as Tyler Abrahamson’s excellent wing shot won the game for the Berliners, who, with back-to-back home victories, have become serious contenders for a spot in the quarter-finals. On the contrary, Vouliagmeni played three entertaining matches, each producing 23+ goals but lost each by one or two goals.
