Marseille stun CNAB in Barcelona after dramatic second night of Champions League action

CN Marseille produced the standout result of Wednesday night, claiming a spectacular 11-12 away win over Zodiac CNAB in Barcelona to take home three vital points. In Zagreb, Mladost edged Radnicki in a 32-goal thriller, 17-15, while Waspo 98 Hannover stormed back with a late 4-0 run to sink Sabadell after trailing for much of the match. Elsewhere, reigning champions FTC fired in 21 goals in Brescia but looked somewhat vulnerable at the back, conceding 17 in an entertaining end-to-end contest.

Champions League Men
Group Stage, Day Two
Wednesday 28 October

Group A

HAVK Mladost (CRO) 17-15 SPD Radnicki (SRB)

Group C

AN Brescia (ITA) 17-21 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)

Group D

Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 11-12 CN Marseille (FRA)
Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) 16-14 KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP)

Group A

HAVK Mladost (CRO) 17-15 SPD Radnicki (SRB)

Mladost and Radnicki – arguably Croatia and Serbia’s top clubs – produced another epic 32-goal clash between the fierce rivals, with the hosts proving slightly sharper in the decisive moments.

The opening period set the tone with a thrilling back-and-forth battle, the lead changing hands several times before Angelos Vlachopoulos buried a last-second penalty to pull Radnicki level at 5-5.

Ante Vukicevic converted a six-on-four to open the second quarter, and after Mladost killed a man-down, Josip Vrlic struck from the centre to give the Croats their first two-goal lead.

It didn’t last long. Andrija Prlainovic, who had missed a penalty earlier, made amends by scoring from an extra.

Mladost then squandered three straight man-ups, and Strahinja Rasovic punished them to tie it 7-7 with two minutes left. Petar Jaksic added another from a man-up, then the hosts wasted their fourth six-on-five, which left Radnicki 7-8 ahead at half-time.

Luka Bukic ended Mladost’s six-minute scoring drought early in the third with a simple six-on-four conversion, then lifted the home crowd further with a brilliant counter after surviving a man-down.

Sava Randjelovic briefly silenced the fans with a neat extra-man goal, but Mladost’s Russian duo – Konstantin Kharkov and Ivan Nagaev – netted back-to-back man-ups within 26 seconds to make it 11-9.

Rasovic responded from a long possession, but Kharkov hit back instantly, and then Prlainovic and Dusko Pijetlovic fired in to pull Radnicki level again at 12-12.

Both sides then missed a six-on-five, but with 11 seconds left in the quarter, Vukicevic’s fierce shot restored Mladost’s advantage.

The fourth quarter began with both defences stepping up – big saves and timely blocks kept the scorers quiet for over three minutes until the veteran Olympic champion Prlainovic levelled at 13-13.

Andrija Basic’s persistence paid off on Mladost’s second attempt of a dying man-up, but Vlachopoulos answered immediately from Radnicki’s next extra.

As always in clashes between Serbian and Croatian clubs, the finish hinged on man-up efficiency. Ivan Buljubasic buried Mladost’s next opportunity, before a miss at both ends. Then Viktor Rasovic broke free on a counter to make it 15-15 with 1:38 remaining.

Each team earned one final man-up. Mladost executed perfectly after a time-out, with Bukic firing home from an open shot.

Radnicki, however, failed to make the most of their chance, as after some poor passing, their final shot just beat the shot clock, but not the block, 31 seconds from time.

The Croats made the most of their last possession, not just burning up the time, but finding Vrlic in space to seal a 17-15 victory with seven seconds remaining.

Group C

AN Brescia (ITA) 17-21 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)

Five minutes in, Ferencvaros looked to have killed any early suspense with a ruthless 0-5 opening burst. All five came from action as they snuffed out Brescia’s man-up opportunities – the title-holders were at their dominant best.

Once Brescia finally broke through and survived two man-downs, Filippo Ferrero lifted the home crowd with a stunning lob past Soma Vogel with the final throw of the quarter.

Vlado Popadic then converted their first extra-man chance of the second to complete a 3-0 run, hauling the Italians back into the game at 3-5.

FTC hit back quickly, though, as Krisztian Manhercz and Stylianos Argyropoulos fired in back-to-back rockets within 55 seconds to restore control at 3-7.

The next four minutes turned into an offensive showcase, with both sides trading goals in rapid succession – seven in total – as Brescia kept pace to trail 7-10 at half-time.

FTC’s Vendel Vigvari struck early in the third from distance, but Brescia responded with two quick goals in a minute to make it 9-11, sending the crowd into full voice.

The champions, however, didn’t crack under pressure. Argyropoulos answered from distance, and that feat was repeated twice more in the next few minutes. Each time Brescia threatened to close the gap, FTC replied instantly, never allowing the hosts to get within a single goal.

That resilience proved decisive, as when Brescia faltered, Gergo Fekete punished them with a six-on-five strike to restore a four-goal cushion at 12-16.

Alessandro Balzarini cut it back to three, but FTC’s defence held firm, and Manhercz sprinted clear on the counter to make it 13-17.

It was a thrilling third quarter – ending 6-7 – capped by late drama as two FTC exclusions in the dying seconds gave Brescia a six-on-four to open the fourth.

Yet even that chance fizzled out, as former Brescia star Edoardo di Somma produced a crucial block before Argyropoulos added another clinical finish for 13-18.

From there, the outcome was beyond doubt – few teams recover from five goals down against the reigning champions with under seven minutes to play.

Still, Brescia’s young side fought valiantly, netting 17 against Ferencvaros – no small feat – but they couldn’t get any closer than three in the closing stages, as Argyropoulos and Fekete proved unstoppable.

The Greek sharpshooter finished with a perfect 7/7, Fekete added 4/4, and together they powered another statement victory for the Magyars.

Group D

Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 11-12 CN Marseille (FRA)

Marseille produced a brave and brilliant performance in Barceloneta’s home pool – a venue where visiting sides rarely leave victorious.

After three and a half minutes of tense exchanges, Alberto Munarriz opened the scoring from a six-on-five, but Adam Nagy quickly equalised with a fine shot.

Another quick trade of goals followed before Petar Tesanovic made a pair of key saves, and Nagy struck again from a man-up with just five seconds left in the quarter to give Marseille a 2-3 lead.

Nagy, formerly of FTC, completed his hat-trick just 24 seconds into the second period as CNAB’s offensive struggles became increasingly visible.

Their woes peaked when Bernat Sanahuja hit the post from a penalty, and Tesanovic made another crucial stop in a man-down.

Vince Vigvari eventually converted a six-on-five at the second attempt, though his next effort was blocked. Still, Barceloneta’s defence began to find rhythm, and after killing a man-down, Munarriz levelled it at 4-4 with a powerful long-range strike.

Marseille, however, had the final word of the half. Alexandre Bouet finished smartly from a late man-up, restoring the visitors’ lead with just one second on the clock.

Efstathios Kalogeropoulos opened the third with a fine action goal for 4-6. The French then missed two man-ups before Gergely Burian pulled one back with a sharp perimeter shot for 5-6.

But Marseille responded again – Nagy calmly scored from another extra, and less than a minute later, Marc Larumbe fired home from action against his former team-mates.

With 1:09 left in the period, Nagy buried yet another man-up to make it 5-9 – an astonishing scoreline for the French side.

Unai Biel offered a glimmer of hope for CNAB, squeezing a man-up shot under Tesanovic’s arm to reduce the deficit to 6-9 heading into the final quarter.

Barceloneta came out strong in the fourth, tightening their defence as they had two weeks earlier in Sabadell.

By the four-minute mark, they had closed the gap to 9-10, but Marseille’s Radomir Drasovic took full advantage from a six-on-four chance.

Burian’s six-metre strike made it a one-goal game again, and although CNAB killed a man-down and created chances – including an extra after a time-out – Tesanovic continued to stand tall.

Finally, with 1:23 remaining, a trademark CNAB counter found Alejandro Bustos free to equalise at 11-11.

But this night belonged to Marseille – and to Thomas Vernoux. He had been tightly marked all game and held scoreless through three quarters, but when it mattered most, the French star found the back of the net with 1:11 remaining.

Burian hit the post from CNAB’s final man-up, and their last possession ended with a decisive block to thwart Munarriz’s desperate shot.

The final buzzer confirmed penalties wouldn’t be needed – and Marseille could celebrate a stunning and well-deserved victory on Spanish soil.

Group D

Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) 16-14 KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP)

Waspo Hannover stunned Sabadell with a brilliant late surge in a match where defences struggled to keep pace with the relentless attacking play on show.

Sabadell dominated the first quarter, pulling away after a 2-2 start with a 1-4 run – the last three goals all coming from action – to lead 3-6.

Neri Panerai extended the visitors’ advantage early in the second with a man-up goal just 35 seconds in, opening up a four-goal cushion for Sabadell, who also successfully defended two man-downs.

Momentum shifted just before half-time. After a quick exchange of goals, Waspo struck twice in the final 28 seconds to halve the deficit, cutting it to 6-8 at the long break.

The third period brought more drama. Panerai missed a penalty in the first possession, and Nikola Milardovic capitalised immediately with a goal from action to make it 7-8.

Sensing vulnerability, the Germans pressed on. Although Panerai converted a counter, Denis Strelezkij and Milardovic struck again to level the game at 9-9.

Sabadell stayed composed – Panerai netting another extra-man goal, then the Spanish side killed back-to-back man-downs before Jan Perez added a fine effort from the centre for 9-11.

The hosts, however, refused to yield. With 28 seconds left in the quarter, Mark Gansen fired in from the perimeter to make it 10-11 heading into the final period.

The fourth quarter was a pure spectacle. Antonio Buha equalised from Hannover’s first possession, and within 25 seconds, both teams traded goals again for 12-12.

Midway through the quarter, Sabadell seemed to regain control, converting two successive man-ups – Panerai scoring his seventh of the night – to go 12-14 ahead.

But Waspo’s response was emphatic. Niclas Schipper pulled one back, Sabadell’s perimeter shooting faltered, and Strelezkij buried a penalty to level it again at 14-14.

Just 45 seconds later, Marko Macan finished off a well-worked extra from Waspo’s third straight possession to give his side their first lead since 1-0.

Sabadell pushed to respond, but they had lost their edge in attack – even the crossbar denied them in a crucial extra.

Moments later, Lazar Vukicevic produced a brilliant lob over world champion goalkeeper Edu Lorrio, marking Waspo’s sixth goal of the quarter and sealing the game.

Waspo’s stunning late 4-0 run earned them all three points, as they shut out Sabadell completely for almost all of the final four minutes.

With CNAB and Marseille also in this group, Sabadell’s hopes of progressing to the next phase are now fading fast after back-to-back defeats.

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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