Euro Cup Men: Vouliagmeni secure shootout victory against Panathinaikos in spectacular Greek derby

Vouliagmeni NC won the Greek derby after a dramatic penalty shootout against Panathinaikos AC on Day 3 of the men’s Euro Cup Group Stage. Other highlights included VK Jug AO downing domestic rivals VK Solaris Sibenik, ASC Duisburg narrowly missing out on their first points at CN Terrassa, RN Savona edging CSA Steaua Bucharest in the Romanian capital, and Pallanuoto Trieste’s late charge sinking CS Dinamo Bucuresti.

2025/26 Euro Cup Men
Group Stage, Day 3
Thursday 13 November

Group A

VK Jug AO (CRO) 12-10 VK Solaris Sibenik (CRO)
CN Terrassa (ESP) 14-13 ASC Duisburg (GER)

Standings: 1. Jug 9pts, 2. Terrassa 6pts, 3. Solaris 3pts, 4. Duisburg 0pts

Group B

Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker (HUN) 10-14 CN Barcelona (ESP)
Pallanuoto Trieste (ITA) 17-16 CS Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU)

Standings: 1. Trieste 6pts, 1. Barcelona 6pts, 1. Szolnok 6pts, 4. Dinamo 0pts

Group C

PVK Buducnost Podgorica (MNE) 8-18 BVSC Manna ABC (HUN)
Panathinaikos AC (GRE) 10-10 (6-7P) Vouliagmeni NC (GRE)

Standings: 1. Vouliagmeni 7pts, 1. BVSC 7pts, 3. Panathinaikos 4pts, 4. Buducnost 0pts

Group D

CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU) 10-11 RN Savona (ITA)
VK Sabac Elixir (SRB) 11-8 Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)

Standings: 1. Savona 9pts, 2. Sabac 6pts, 3. Spandau 3pts, 4. Steaua 0pts

Group A

VK Jug AO (CRO) 12-10 VK Solaris Sibenik (CRO)

VK Jug AO extended their dominance over VK Solaris Sibenik, overturning an early 0-1 deficit with a 5-0 surge that set them on course for a 13th straight win against their domestic rivals.

The hosts were in command at half-time, leading 7-3, but Solaris mounted a spirited third-quarter fightback, opening with four unanswered goals to level at 7-7.

Jug responded through Vlaho Pavlic and Maro Susic (twice) to wrestle back the lead (10-7), yet Solaris refused to fold.

Andrija Vlahovic converted a penalty just before the final break, then Simun Brajkovic finished off a six-on-five early in the fourth to cut the deficit to one with 7:03 still to play.

Filip Krzic struck from the centre to make it 11-9, but Niko Cubrancic hit back on extra for 11-10 to set up a tense finish, before Susic converted Jug’s next man-up to settle the nerves and help seal Jug’s third successive win.

CN Terrassa (ESP) 14-13 ASC Duisburg (GER)

ASC Duisburg staged an epic second-half fightback against CN Terrassa and came agonisingly close to claiming their first points of the campaign.

The Spaniards looked in cruise control after two 3-0 surges put them 6-1 up midway through the second quarter, and they led 8-2 at half-time.

Duisburg refused to surrender and roared back in the third, finishing the quarter with a four-goal blast to narrow the gap to 10-8 at the last break.

Terrassa were rocked, and although Ignasi Bargallo briefly halted the Germans’ momentum, Sascha Seifert fired in three goals from distance to level at 11-11 with 4:18 remaining.

Bargallo struck again before Lennox Metten equalised, then Albert Sabadell scored from the perimeter for 13-12 with 3:04 on the clock.

It was a breathtaking finale. Seifert then netted his seventh of the night to make it 13-13, before Sabadell finished off a six-on-five after a time-out with 2:04 remaining, which proved to be the winner.

Duisburg earned another extra, but they failed to convert it and fell to a third consecutive defeat.

Group B

Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker (HUN) 10-14 CN Barcelona (ESP)

CN Barcelona – inspired by a stunning 1-6 third quarter – recovered from a sluggish start to hand Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker their first defeat and moved level with the Hungarians on six points at the top of the table.

Gergo Kovacs put Szolnok ahead, following up to score after his own penalty was saved, before Bertold Vamosi doubled the lead to give the hosts the perfect start.

It could have been even worse for the Spaniards, but goalkeeper Oscar Matarredona kept them in touch by blocking Maxim Cseh’s penalty.

Krisztian Bedo made it 3-0 early in the second quarter, but that setback finally sparked Barcelona into life and they hit back to level at 4-4 by half-time.

Niko Paul fired Barcelona in front early in the third, and from that point they never looked back. Clinical finishes from the likes of Pol Daura and Abel Ramon powered them through the decisive spell, as a spectacular 0-4 run turned the game on its head and opened up a 5-10 advantage heading into the final period.

From there, Barcelona controlled the play, closing out a memorable and deserved away victory.

Pallanuoto Trieste (ITA) 17-16 CS Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU)

A fourth-quarter surge from Pallanuoto Trieste saw them come from 12-13 behind to edge past CS Dinamo Bucuresti and finish a 33-goal thriller in dramatic fashion.

The Italians held the upper hand at half-time, leading 9-6, but the Romanians, hunting their first points of the campaign, stunned the hosts in the third. A quick 0-3 burst after 11-9 put them ahead, and an exchange of goals saw the score move to 12-13 at the last break.

Trieste – urged on by their home fans – came out strong in the fourth, firing in four unanswered goals to regain control. Dinamo dug deep and, in the final frantic minutes, closed to within one at 17-16 with just 34 seconds remaining, but they couldn’t force a shootout and left empty-handed once again.

Dinamo captain Andrei Prioteasa – who top scored with six – was outstanding all night and was unfortunate to end up on the losing side.

Group C

PVK Buducnost Podgorica (MNE) 8-18 BVSC Manna ABC (HUN)

BVSC Manna ABC followed up their fine home victory against Panathinaikos on Day 2 by thrashing PVK Buducnost Podgorica 8-18 away on Day 3. 

Georgian star Nika Shushiashvili was the standout performer for BVSC, firing in a five-goal haul as the visitors recovered from a 2-0 deficit to run out comfortable winners.

The Montenegrins struggled to keep up after the first quarter (3-4), with BVSC racking up a 5-10 advantage by half-time. The gap stretched to seven by the end of the third (8-15) and widened to 10 by the final buzzer.

Panathinaikos AC (GRE) 10-10 (6-7P) Vouliagmeni NC (GRE)

Vouliagmeni NC kept their nerve for a second successive Group Stage shootout to condemn domestic rivals Panathinaikos AC to a painful home defeat.

Three of the previous four meetings between these sides had been settled by a single goal, and this clash followed suit, with the lead changing hands throughout.

An explosive first quarter saw 11 goals fly in, edged by Vouliagmeni 5-6, before both defences tightened and only nine goals were scored across the next three quarters (2–2, 2–1, 1–1), sending the game to penalties.

After Panathinaikos’ Konstantinos Gkiouvetsis levelled at 10-10 with 6:13 remaining in the fourth, both sides wasted two six-on-five chances, missing the opportunity to snatch a win in normal time.

Gkiouvetsis had been the hero earlier with his fourth goal of the night, but his miss in the seventh round of the shootout proved costly, as Vouliagmeni’s Charalampos Troulos scored next to secure the two points.

Group D

CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU) 10-11 RN Savona (ITA)

RN Savona secured another thrilling one-goal away victory, edging Steaua Bucharest 10-11, with the result echoing their dramatic 15-16 win in Berlin on Day 1.

The Italians pulled away in the second quarter, heading into half-time with a 4-8 lead, but the Romanians, desperate for their first points, hit back with a 5-0 surge to level at 9-9 by early in the fourth.

A tense endgame saw both teams give everything for the win. Davide Occhione nudged Savona ahead, only for Dorde Vucinic to equalise with 4:38 remaining.

Oliver Leinweber struck the decisive goal with 2:43 on the clock – his fourth of the night – finishing off a swift counter down the left-hand side, and Savona’s defence held firm to make it three wins from three.

VK Sabac Elixir (SRB) 11-8 Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)

VK Sabac Elixir’s fortress remained intact as they sent Spandau 04 Berlin back to Germany with nothing to show for their efforts. The win marked the Serbians’ sixth consecutive home triumph in all competitions.

Despite falling 0-2 behind in the opening four minutes, Sabac soon found their rhythm, embarking on a 5-0 run to lead 7-3 by half-time.

Both defences dominated in the third, with each side scoring just once, leaving Sabac firmly in control at 8-4 entering the fourth.

Aljosa Macic and Filip Novakovic struck first to extend the lead to an unassailable six (10-4) with just 3:13 remaining.

Although Marton Nagy (twice), Kristijan Culina and Till Hofmann responded for Spandau, their efforts proved mere consolations.

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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

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