Recco and Radnicki set for Euro Cup final first-leg
All eyes will be on Serbia this weekend, as the first-leg of the men’s Euro Cup final takes place in Kragujevac. Italian giants Pro Recco are aiming to win their first title, while SPD Radnicki are looking to lift the famous trophy for a second time. As both teams continue their preparations for Saturday’s opening clash, European Aquatics spoke to Recco captain Francesco Di Fulvio and Radnicki centre Nikola Murišić.
2024/25 Euro Cup Men
Final, First-Leg
Saturday 10 May 2025
(Local time shown)
21:00: SPD Radnicki (SRB) v Pro Recco (ITA)
‘We are grateful and happy to be back playing in a final,’ Pro Recco captain Francesco Di Fulvio told European Aquatics. ‘It’s not the Champions League, but it’s a new competition for us and we will face an amazing Radnicki team that includes several Olympic champions, so it will be hard – in Serbia and in Italy.
‘We will have to prepare well, but our team is also a great side, so we don’t have to be afraid of them. We just have to play our game and, at the end, we’ll see…’
History is on the side of the Italians, as you have to go back to October 2013 to find the last time SPD Radnicki beat them.
After that 10-12 defeat in the second round of the Champions League qualifiers, Recco responded by winning the next four clashes comfortably, with their two most recent successes (8-16 and 21-12) coming in the 2022/23 Champions League.
The aggregate score in their last five clashes might be 78-43 in Recco’s favour, but most of those wins came during the years they dominated the continent’s most prestigious club competition and a lot has changed since then.
This weekend’s first-leg is likely to be a much more even affair, especially as Recco have showed some vulnerability in recent months – most notabaly their two defeats to domestic rivals Brescia in the A1 league and their 10-10 draw with Sabadell in the second-leg of the Euro Cup semi-final.
The Italians have been ruthless during their charge to the final, though, winning 11 of their 12 games since the start of the group stage, with their only blip coming in the tie with the Spaniards – but that was after they demolished them 16-6 in the first-leg.
Recco have also fired in an impressive 177 goals en route to the gold medal game, with sharpshooter Giacomo Cannella leading the way with 34 goals, while Francesco Condemi has scored 23 and Di Fulvio 22.
They may have won the Champions League a record 11 times, but the Euro Cup has so far eluded their grasp, and they twice missed the chance to add the trophy to their glittering collection after losing the 1993 and 2002 finals – against Ujpest and Leonessa respectively.
Radnicki, meanwhile, know what it takes to win this competition, as they triumphed in 2013 after defeating Florentia over two legs 15-10.
The current Regional League champions will also arrive on Saturday full of confidence, especially after they defeated Novi Beograd in the opening game of the Serbian championship final 13-12 on Tuesday.
Nikola Jaksic was the MVP in the game against NBG, delivering three assists, two steals and one goal.
Now, Radnicki are aiming to get off to a flying start at the weekend in front of their own fans, as they look to continue their winning streak at home in this season’s competition.
After being eliminated from the Champions League, the Serbians swept aside last year’s Euro Cup champions VK Jug in the Eight Finals, before winning a fierce battle with Brescia in the quarters, and then knocking out Mladost in the semis.
‘Since this team came together, we’ve set our sights on the highest possible goals,’ Radnicki forward Nikola Murišić told European Aquatics. ‘We’ve reached the best part of the season and we’re going all-in.
‘I believe in this team, and I think it’s time for the trophy to come back to Kragujevac. It’s been a true joy to play in front of our home fans in every big match this season, and I expect the biggest support yet this weekend – with that kind of energy behind us, I’m confident we’ll come out on top.’
The Euro Cup final will take place on Saturday 10th and Saturday 24th May, with Radnicki at home first. You can watch all the action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com, and stay up-to-date with all the results and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.
Andy Rollé for European Aquatics
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