Champions League Women: Mataro, Olympiacos and St Andreu all secure third straight win
Title-holders St Andreu and last season’s bronze medallists Olympiacos each won comfortably on Day 3 of the women’s Champions League Group Stage, while Mataro claimed a stunning 7–12 away win in Sabadell. These results ensured all three teams kept their perfect records intact.
2025/26 Champions League Women
Group Stage, Day 3
Saturday 29 November
Group A
Alimos NAC Betsson (GRE) 4-14 UVSE-Helia D (HUN)
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 16-8 Dunaujvaros FVE (HUN)
Group B
Astralpool Sabadell (ESP) 7-12 Assolim CN Mataro (ESP)
Ekipe Orizzonte (ITA) 13-9 CN Terrassa (ESP)
Group C
Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) 8-21 FTC-Telekom (HUN)
Rapallo Pallanuoto (ITA) -TBD*- NC Vouliagmeni (GRE)
*To be decided, game not played due to technical reasons
Group D
CN Sant Andeu (ESP) 13-10 SIS Roma (ITA)
ONE Eger (HUN) 13-17 ZV De Zaan (NED)
Group A
Alimos NAC Betsson (GRE) 4-14 UVSE-Helia D (HUN)
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 16-8 Dunaujvaros FVE (HUN)
When Afroditi Bitsakou netted her second to put Alimos 3-2 ahead against UVSE with 20 seconds remaining in the first period, few could have predicted the hosts’ next goal would come only at the very end of the game, with 1:20 left on the clock.
What followed was a masterclass by the Hungarians, whose defence began clicking in the second period. At the other end, they scored three in just 1:40 and killed a six-on-five, boosting their confidence further. Another denied six-on-five for Alimos was followed by Kinga Alaksza’s brilliant perimeter action shot, giving UVSE a 3-6 lead 37 seconds before the middle break.
The home side’s struggles weren’t solved by the interval, and a fine counter finished by Kamilla Farago one minute into the third deepened their crisis. Three more action goals followed in just 95 seconds, with UVSE also successfully killing two more six-on-fives.
Remarkably, UVSE repeated the feat in the fourth, scoring three goals in 71 seconds. Effectively, they staged a 0–11 run and kept the Greeks scoreless for 23 minutes, securing a remarkable away victory and putting themselves firmly on course for the quarter-finals.
In the other Greek v Hungarian clash, Olympiacos ensured there would be no more Magyar surges on Day 3.
Dunaujvaros played bravely, taking the lead three times in the first period, but a penalty and a six-on-five goal put Olympiacos 5-4 up after eight minutes.
Abby Andrews converted another six-on-five, followed by another Vasiliki Plevritou’s penalty to set the tone for the second period. Brigitta Horvath pulled one back, but a six-on-five goal and another penalty extended the lead to 9-5 by half-time.
Andrews started the third with another six-on-five strike, then Dunaujvaros scored back-to-back six-on-five goals, holding off the Greeks for two minutes.
Andrews added a fine action goal for 11-7, and in the final two minutes of the period, Olympiacos scored three from three possessions to close it 14-8.
The fourth period was quieter. Olympiacos added two in 40 seconds early on, but no further goals followed. Dunaujvaros lost five players to three fouls, managed to deny the last four six-on-fives, but could not score, ending the contest 16-8.
Group B
Astralpool Sabadell (ESP) 7-12 Assolim CN Mataro (ESP)
Ekipe Orizzonte (ITA) 13-9 CN Terrassa (ESP)
Mataro claimed a stunning win in Sabadell, their first since May 2024 against their arch-rivals, ending a run of five straight losses.
For a while, the match followed the usual script – Emily Kearns opened the scoring for Mataro, but the hosts responded with three quick goals, and Athina Giannopoulou added a fourth in the second period to make it 4-1.
Next came a penalty save by Isabel Williams, and it seemed the seven-time winners were comfortably in control. Perhaps too comfortably, as the next three minutes saw a thrilling comeback – Kearns and Jewel Roemer each netted twice, while Paula Crespi scored for Sabadell, levelling the score at 5-5.
With 42 seconds left before the break, Roemer struck again to put Mataro ahead 5-6, and they also killed a six-on-four before the buzzer.
Mireia Guiral converted an extra to double Mataro’s lead early in the third, and although Irene Gonzalez pulled one back, Kearns and Roemer added two more in 49 seconds, stunning Sabadell.
Guiral then scored another from a six-on-five for 6-10 with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter. Sabadell’s woes deepened when Mariona Terre saved Simone van de Kraats’ penalty with 0:04 on the clock.
Martina Claveria netted an action goal two minutes into the fourth, effectively deciding the contest. After trailing 4-1, Mataro responded with a remarkable 2-10 surge, an incredible feat in Sabadell’s pool.
The home side managed only one more goal after nearly a 10-minute-long drought and scored just two in the second half. Claveria added another penalty to crown Mataro’s third straight win.
Elsewhere, Orizzonte closed the gap to a single point behind Sabadell. The Italians stormed to a 5-1 lead at home, forcing Terrassa into a chasing game. Panni Szegedi responded in the second quarter with a double in 39 seconds, but Orizzonte shut their rivals out over the next 6:21 minutes and added three more to lead 8-3 at half-time.
Szegedi converted a penalty early in the second half, but Terrassa could not reduce the gap further, missing three extra-player opportunities.
Dafne Bettini struck a rocket 38 seconds from time, and Maria Manso scored from a six-on-five for 9-5.
Orizzonte remained in control, and the fourth period saw four goals apiece, leaving the Italians’ victory never in doubt.
Group C
Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) 8-21 FTC-Telekom (HUN)
Rapallo Pallanuoto (ITA) -TBD*- NC Vouliagmeni (GRE)
*To be decided, game not played due to technical reasons
FTC took a flying start, scoring four inside the first four minutes, then they sat back somewhat and added only four more till half-time. Spandau fought bravely and could score four goals, so after the 1-6 opening period, they were trailing 4-8 at half-time.
However, the Hungarian champions lifted their game in the second half. They kicked off the third with four action goals and never looked back. They netted six in the third and seven in the fourth to bag three more points.
Due to technical reasons, the game between Rapallo and Vouliagmeni didn’t take place. A decision on this match will be made shortly.
Group D
CN Sant Andeu (ESP) 13-10 SIS Roma (ITA)
ONE Eger (HUN) 13-17 ZV De Zaan (NED)
St Andreu stormed to a 6-0 lead in just one and a half quarters, showing devastating form and dominating almost every square metre of the pool.
The Italians scored their first goal after 12:35 minutes from a penalty and added two more from open play, but the hosts forced a penalty in the final eight seconds of the half, which Alice Williams converted for 7-3.
The game became more balanced in the third, yet Roma were unable to cut the deficit below four goals. The Spanish side reset the six-goal difference, still leading 11-6 heading into the final quarter.
SIS briefly glimpsed hope in the fourth, scoring twice and denying two six-on-fives. With four minutes remaining, it was 11-8, but Ariadna Ruiz halted St Andreu’s scoreless run on the next possession.
Sara Centanni added an extra with 2:43 on the clock, and after Roma missed back-to-back extras, St Andreu’s Maria Palacio converted a penalty 33 seconds from time for 13-9 to seal the win.
In the clash between sides with zero points, De Zaan edged out Eger in a thrilling 30-goal encounter. With the scores locked at 5-5 midway through the second quarter, the Dutch scored a quick double in 32 seconds.
Once the Euro Cup winners gained the advantage, they controlled the tempo, with the hosts never able to equalise.
The Rogge siblings, Bente and Lieke, consistently found crucial goals – captain Lieke netted seven by the end, Bente three.
Deep into the third, Lieke added two more in 42 seconds, giving De Zaan a three-goal lead at 10-12.
Dora Czigany led Eger’s fightback with six, and halfway through the fourth, Rebecca Parkes brought them to 12-13 with a trademark centre shot.
De Zaan’s Roline Schuijt converted an extra to give her team some breathing space, and after Eger missed a six-on-five, De Zaan struck twice from action from their next two possessions to secure a 12-16 advantage, and they maintained a four-goal lead to the final buzzer.
—
Watch all the Champions League Women action on European Aquatics TV
For full Champions League Women fixtures, results, stats and tables, click here or download the European Aqautics app
Stay tuned to the European Aquatics Water Polo social media accounts for more news and live updates on Facebook and Instagram
Watch water polo highlights and previews on our YouTube channel
Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
The post Champions League Women: Mataro, Olympiacos and St Andreu all secure third straight win first appeared on European Aquatics®.