Ferencvaros retain Champions League title after downing NBG

Ferencvaros went all the way to crown another perfect season by retaining the Champions League title on Sunday night in Malta. Novi Beograd forced a great fight, but a tremendous 4-0 rush in the third put the match on the path the Magyars wanted, and they never let the Serbs get closer than two goals in the remaining time. This was Fradi’s third victory and they also became the first Hungarian team to retain their title. Earlier, Barceloneta grabbed the bronze with a commanding performance against Marseille.

Champions League Men
Final Four, Finals
Sunday, 1 June 2025

Bronze Medal Game
Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 19-9 CN Marseille (FRA)

Gold Medal Game
VK Novi Beograd (SRB) 11-13 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)

After a brief swimming intro to the gold medal game, triggered by several turnover fouls, both sides earned six on fives, two apiece, and it was Fradi who broke the deadlock from the second. Krisztian Manhercz sent the ball home, then Nikola Lukic hit the equaliser from NBG’s third extra.

Lukic added another one from the next man-up, preceded by two more turnovers called against the title-holders.

Gergo Fekete’s deflected shot made it 2-2, but Lukic was on fire and hit the first action goal from the left wing again to complete his hat-trick inside seven minutes.

Dusin Mandic then buried a second attempt 26 seconds from time for 3-3, and the Serbs couldn’t do much in their six second man-up at the end.

At the start of the second quarter, Stylianos Argyropoulos failed to hit the target twice in a man-up, but this time a turnover foul against NBG offererd FTC a five on four and Manhercz made no mistake, however, Lukic was unstoppable, as he then hit his fourth of the night from a man-up, this time from the back for 4-4.

Edoardo di Somma converted a six on four, then Dimitrios Skoumpakis struck from a man-up to level things up once again.

A save and a block denied the Serbs in a man-up, while Fradi lacked their usual composure in offence. Their perimeter shots were anything but precise and they lacked the speed for launching counters.

It was rather the Serbs’ style of game – a tough physical battle with disciplined defending and a no-risk approach up front. The half-time score, 5-5, suggested that their plan was working well.

Since Lukic kept on scoring, NBG were not only very much in the game, but they led once more early in the third. Argyropoulos then finally found the back of the net after three missed shots, from an extra, for 6-6.

Also, NBG goalkeeper Milan Glusac was making all the stops which were expected, while Lukic hit his sixth of the final from a 6m shot, but Manhercz sent the ball to the net from a tight angle to make it 7-7 midway through the third.

Again, turnover fouls were shaping the game, which didn’t offer much spectacle. Then came a man-up and Manhercz hit his fourth to put Fradi ahead with two minutes remaining.

The Serbs had a man-up denied by a block and the Magyars went for their first real counter and Gergo Fekete finished off a three on two.

For the first time, two goals separated the sides at 7-9, and Fradi’s 3-0 run was enough for NBG coach Zivko Gocic to call a time-out.

It didn’t help, though – the six on five came, but Dusan Mandic made a huge steal and Szilard Jansik’s perimeter shot ended up in the net.

Miroslav Perkovic ended NBG’s bad run with a brilliant goal from the centre 12 seconds from time for 8-10, to keep some hopes alive for the Serbs before the final quarter.

Manhercz dashed those hopes somewhat with a stunner 47 seconds into the fourth, though Vasilije Martinovic also hit one from a man-up for 9-11.

At this crucial stage, it was all about who scored next, and whether the gap would be back to one, or widen to three.

Experience prevailed, as Marton Vamos’ smart finish from action did the damage, then Soma Vogel made a great save and Fradi soon had a six on five after a time-out.

Vendel Vigvari’s bouncer went wide and NBG’s Angelos Vlahopoulos’ pinpoint shot narrowed the gap to two once more with 4:24 remaining.

Still, Manhercz had some fortune on his side, as he scored when his shot wasn’t even on target – the ball bounced to Glusac’s head, then in for 10-13.

As the clock was ticking down, NBG needed everything they had to keep up – but they were running out of steam.

Lukic hit the post from a man-up, the next six on five was also lost – and it was hard to see Fradi letting their grip on the trophy slip away.

Gocic called for another time-out, but it was a mission impossible to erase the deficit in 95 seconds.

Vogel made another save in the next man-down to set up the celebrations. Martinovic netted one 37 seconds from time, but it didn’t alter anything – it was an-all green joy in the water.

FTC lifted the trophy for the third time in their history and became the first Hungarian team to retain their title.

Earlier, in the bronze medal game, Alvaro Granados needed just 75 seconds to put Zodiac CNAB 2-0 up, and at one stage it was 3-0 after it looked as if he’d scored his third from a counter attack, but the VAR denied him.

Instead, what initially appeared to be a great stop from Unai Aguirre a few seconds before in a man-down was ruled a goal, as the ball went behind the virtual line. So instead of 3-0, it was 2-1, and that strike from Romain Marion-Vernoux brought the French side back to life.

Unai Biel netted from a six on four, but Thomas Vernoux also blasted one from the perimeter, and then Marseille goalkeeper Petar Tesanovic produced two great saves during a man-down.

However, he couldn’t do much with Granados’ next rocket, and Biel Gomila soon added another for CNAB from the centre.

Aguirre came up with more saves in a man-down and CNAB even earned a penalty just before the first buzzer. Granados swam up to take it and claimed his fourth goal of the night – the Spanish sharpshooter was proving to be the difference in the opening period as Barceloneta led 6-2.

The French giants halted the Spanish scoring festival for a while in the second quarter, and Marion-Vernoux netted a man-up, but Martin Famera’s fine perimeter shot killed their momentum after three minutes.

Soon, two more CNAB goals followed and at 9-3, Marseille coach Milos Scepanovic had seen enough and called a time-out.

It wasn’t easy for them, though, as they had already lost leftie and captain Ugo Crousillat after his three fouls and one of their other stars, Andrija Prlainovic, was on two.

Scepanovic’s words didn’t help much, as they couldn’t really break CNAB’s defence down, and they missed three six on fives, while at the other end, Vince Vigvari put one away for 10-3 with 37 seconds remaining in the half.

Barceloneta had already beaten Marseille twice in the Group Stage, 19-14 at home and 12-9 in France, but neither were so lop-sided as this contest.

The intensity of the attacks was clearly mirrored by the shots on goal – the Spaniards, playing a gear or two faster, were 24-12 up late in the third in this field, when Alberto Munarriz hit another one from distance for 14-7.

With eight minutes remaining, CNAB were up by nine, 16-7 – leaving no doubt about which side would be taking home the bronze.

For the Spaniards, one mission remained – to tie or better their single-game scoring record for the finals, which they set in 2021 when they demolished Olympiacos 22-9 in the quarters.

In the end, they produced a second-best effort, beating Marseille 19-9 and finishing third on the podium for the fifth time in their history.

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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