Champions League Women: St Andreu, Mataro and Roma punch their Quarter Final tickets after four rounds
Title-holders St Andreu, Mataro and SIS Roma secured their respective places in the quarter-finals of the women’s Champions League on Saturday, while Olympiacos are also virtually through after maintaining their perfect record. Elsewhere, FTC came away with a huge win at Vouliagmeni, moving a step closer to the last eight and taking over the lead in their group.
2025/26 Champions League Women
Group Stage, Day 4
Saturday 13 December
Group A
Dunaujvaros (HUN) 11-10 UVSE Helia D (HUN)
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 20-9 Alimos NAC Betsson (GRE)
Standings: 1. Olympiacos 12pts, 2. UVSE 6pts, 2. DFVE 6pts, 4. Alimos 0pts
Group B
Astralpool Sabadell (ESP) 11-8 Ekipe Orizzonte (ITA)
Assolim Mataro (ESP) 13-8 CN Terrassa (ESP)
Standings: 1. Mataro 12pts, 2. Sabadell 8pts, 3. Orizzonte 4pts, 4. Terrassa 0pts
Group C
Vouliagmeni NC (GRE) 8-13 FTC-Telekom (HUN)
Rapallo Pallanuoto (ITA) 17-8 Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)
Standings: 1. FTC 10pts, 2. Vouliagmeni 8pts, 3. Rapallo 6pts, 4. Spandau 0pts
Group D
ONE Eger (HUN) 7-13 CN Sant Andreu (ESP)
ZV De Zaan (NED) 13-15 SIS Roma (ITA)
Standings: 1. Sant Andreu 12pts, 2. Roma 9pts, 3. De Zaan 3pts, 4. Eger 0pts
Group A
Standings: 1. Olympiacos 12pts, 2. UVSE 6pts, 2. DFVE 6pts, 4. Alimos 0pts
Dunaujvaros (HUN) 11-10 UVSE Helia D (HUN)
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 20-9 Alimos NAC Betsson (GRE)
Dunaujvaros came back from an early four-goal deficit to stun fellow Hungarian side UVSE in a thriller. Their local arch-rivals had a perfect start, storming to a 0-4 lead in five minutes and 1-5 with 1:28 remaining in the first period.
Then the hosts caught a wave, hitting three straight goals before the break. It took 67 seconds for Nikolett Szabo, with a double, and Ilona Borsi, with a buzzer-beater, to bring DFVE back into the game.
This had long-lasting consequences for UVSE, as those three goals rocked their high-flying confidence and they were unable to sustain their offensive play in the second period.
It was an enormous battle, with almost six minutes of no goals, just missed chances and great defending.
With 2:22 remaining before the middle interval, Brigitta Horvath drew first blood, though UVSE survived a six-on-five. The Budapest side then missed their next two six-on-fives and conceded another from action, allowing Dunaujvaros to take the lead for the first time at 6-5.
After being shut out in the entire second quarter, UVSE finally scored to end their 12-minute drought, with Kamilla Farago netting her third from the perimeter.
Horvath responded a minute later, but Kinga Alaksza converted an extra after a time-out to make it 7-7. She then buried a penalty to give UVSE the lead again, though only briefly, as Szabo scored her third from action, 57 seconds from time, for 8-8.
Tekla Aubeli was set up on the 2m line during an extra and delivered 36 seconds into the fourth, but UVSE couldn’t hold on. Ilona Borsi then scored twice from action in 62 seconds, putting DFVE ahead again at 10-9.
The following minutes proved crucial. UVSE missed two six-on-fives and, although they earned a penalty in a third extra, which Farago converted for 10-10, the hosts retained the psychological edge thanks to their strong defending.
After two and a half minutes of battling for the winner, captain Krisztina Garda scored from action with 1:15 remaining. UVSE had another six-on-five opportunity but missed it, as they had 12 of 17 throughout the game.
Credit also goes to Dunaujvaros’ defence, which did a tremendous job keeping the team in contention for the quarter-finals.
The all-Greek encounter in Piraeus lacked similar excitement. Alimos initially took the lead, but Olympiacos responded with five goals from action and converted three six-on-fives – all in the first period – setting the tone.
Alimos had a better spell in the second, but the home side maintained the lead at 9-4 at half-time.
To erase any doubts, Olympiacos scored three more in the first two minutes after the restart for 12-4 and never looked back.
They finished with 20 goals, and only a series of unlikely events – heavy losses in their remaining matches in Hungary – could prevent them from staying in the contest and retaining the top spot.
Group B
Standings: 1. Mataro 12pts, 2. Sabadell 8pts, 3. Orizzonte 4pts, 4. Terrassa 0pts
Astralpool Sabadell (ESP) 11-8 Ekipe Orizzonte (ITA)
Assolim Mataro (ESP) 13-8 CN Terrassa (ESP)
Mataro secured their quarter-final berth, and fellow Spanish side Sabadell also took a huge step by defeating Orizzonte in a clash of the titans, where the seven-time winners met the eight-time champions.
Sabadell came up with the perfect storm in the first half. Though the Italians initially took the lead, the Spaniards hit back with seven straight goals.
Irene Gonzalez and Tara Prentice led the charge, and their left-handed legend, Judith Forca – returning to the big stage after giving birth to her first child – also netted a great goal to give Sabadell a 7-1 lead, with 3:54 remaining until half-time.
It stood 8-2 at the long break, and Gonzalez added a six-on-five goal 32 seconds into the third quarter. It looked as if the game was settled, but Sabadell missed two more six-on-fives, allowing Orizzonte to regain morale.
The Italians scored twice in 67 seconds, with another denied six-on-five in between, hitting the comeback trail.
Another denied six-on-five, followed by a great goal from Beatrice Cassara made it 9-5. With 41 seconds to go, Cassara held the ball on the penalty line but hit the post, halting their rise.
She quickly made up for the missed penalty in the fourth by converting two more six-on-fives, bringing the score to 9-7 with 3:43 on the clock.
Sabadell faced a 0-5 surge from Orizzonte and missed five consecutive six-on-fives. Gonzalez saved the day, scoring a brilliant goal from action for 10-7, ending a 12-and-a-half-minute scoreless period.
Cassara hit her sixth from action, but Paula Crespi converted Sabadell’s next six-on-five for 11-8, putting an end to the contest with 1:20 remaining.
Meanwhile, 35km away, the all-Spanish battle between Mataro and Terrassa kicked off. The lead exchanged hands constantly in the first half during a fierce contest.
The group-leading hosts built a two-goal advantage deep into the second quarter, but Terrassa leveled the game in just 48 seconds.
A well-executed six-on-five gave Mataro a 6-5 lead courtesy of Tilly Kearns’ fine finish. She opened the third quarter with a brilliant goal from the centre, but a powerful shot from Panni Szegedi kept Terrassa close at 7-6.
Kearns then scored two more in 38 seconds to extend the advantage to three goals. An emergency time-out did not help the visitors, and Clara Cambray added an extra shortly after.
Terrassa missed their six-on-five, and Clara Espar’s shot from the perimeter gave Mataro an 11-6 lead with 2:30 remaining in the third.
This 4-0 run proved decisive. Pilar Pena pulled one back, but trailing by four before the final period left little hope for Terrassa.
Just 23 seconds into the fourth, Jewell Roemer buried a penalty for 12-7, leaving no way back for their rivals. Silvia Avegno made it 13-7 three minutes later, and Martina Fernandez’s 2m finish in a six-on-five came four minutes into the last period. It was also the final goal, as both sides appeared to settle for the result.
Group C
Standings: 1. FTC 10pts, 2. Vouliagmeni 8pts, 3. Rapallo 6pts, 4. Spandau 0pts
Vouliagmeni NC (GRE) 8-13 FTC-Telekom (HUN)
Rapallo Pallanuoto (ITA) 17-8 Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)
Fradi claimed a huge win in Athens, avenging their shootout defeat in Budapest on Day 1. These three points could well secure their top spot in the group.
Eleni Xenaki converted Vouliagmeni’s first six-on-five, but Dorottya Szilagyi was on target 28 seconds later to set the tone. After a quick exchange of goals, Fradi denied the Greeks’ back-to-back six-on-fives, and Bea Ortiz scored from action to make it 2-3 still in the first period.
Vanda Valyi doubled the lead from action early in the second quarter. Although Nefeli Krassa pulled one back two minutes later, Ortiz converted a six-on-five, and after killing a six-on-five, Rita Keszthelyi scored from distance. In just 49 seconds, Fradi jumped to a 3-6 lead.
They held that gap at half-time as Dora Leimeter, replying to Eleftheria Fountotou’s action goal, managed to find the back of the net from the right wing for 4-7, with 0:04 on the clock.
The second quarter proved a huge boost for the greens. Valyi replicated her feat from the previous period, netting another action goal 1:10 into the quarter. Boglarka Neszmely made a huge penalty save, and Szilagyi immediately scored from action. Instead of 5-8, it stood 4-9, visibly breaking the home side.
Vouliagmeni struggled, missing two more six-on-fives, while the Hungarians focused on their defence. The next four minutes passed without a goal, then Keszthelyi extended the lead to 4-10 with 2:06 remaining in the third – leaving the Greeks with too much to handle.
They managed to score twice, ending their 7:30-minute drought, and Vivien Bonca added another from a six-on-five with 21 seconds left, giving Fradi a 6-11 lead.
Fountotou pulled one back early in the fourth, but Vouliagmeni failed to convert a crucial six-on-five after a time-out.
Keszthelyi then hit her third from action with 3:32 remaining and was enough to ensure the vital three points.
Fradi’s victory propelled them to the top of the group, and with two home games in hand, it’s hard to see them losing that position.
In the other game, Rapallo recorded a convincing win against Spandau. The Italians settled the score quickly, storming to a 4-0 lead within six minutes. Although the Germans fought back slightly in the second quarter, Rapallo still led 9-5 at half-time.
The home side managed the gap professionally, never letting Spandau get within four goals. They were up by six at 13-7 heading into the final quarter.
The Germans ran out of steam in the last eight minutes, and Rapallo comfortably extended their lead. However, they still face a tough task to advance, with their final two matches away in Athens and Budapest.
Group D
Standings: 1. Sant Andreu 12pts, 2. Roma 9pts, 3. De Zaan 3pts, 4. Eger 0pts
ONE Eger (HUN) 7-13 CN Sant Andreu (ESP)
ZV De Zaan (NED) 13-15 SIS Roma (ITA)
Both quarter-final spots have been booked after four rounds, as CN Sant Andreu overcame Eger’s fierce resistance with a 0-6 blast in the final period, while SIS Roma won another thrilling game after fending off De Zaan’s repeated surges in the Netherlands.
Title-holders Sant Andreu faced unexpected hardships in Eger, where the hosts delivered heroics over three periods, holding the Spaniards to 7-7 before the final quarter.
In the opening period, a late double in 41 seconds gave Sant Andreu a 1-3 lead, but Eger responded with two action goals in the second quarter and managed to stifle the champions’ offence, including denying three six-on-fives.
With 1:53 remaining, Zsofi Horvath scored from the centre to put the hosts ahead 4-3, and Ariadna Ruiz netted from the perimeter, breaking Sant Andreu’s seven-minute scoreless stretch.
Another great defensive stop during a six-on-five and a buzzer-beater from Brigitta Nagy reset Eger’s lead at 5-4.
Two quick action goals to start the third seemed to bring the Spanish side back on track, but the Magyars, coached by triple Olympic champion Peter Biros, stunned their rivals again.
In just 49 seconds, they retook the lead with two more action goals. Having earned two six-on-fives in the opening period, Eger had only one more in the remaining three quarters.
Philippa Pedley levelled the score from action with 1:10 remaining, but Sant Andreu continued to struggle in six-on-fives, missing another after a time-out.
The fourth quarter saw a turnaround, with Ariadna Ruiz opening with a fine six-on-five goal, followed 47 seconds later by Queralt Anton from action, and 23 seconds after that, Elena Ruiz buried a penalty. These three goals in just 70 seconds rocked the hosts, who could not recover.
Eger failed to breach the Spanish defence in the final period, conceding three more goals. The final result mirrored expectations, though the manner of the win reflected credit not only to the victors but also to the resilience of the hosts.
In the other match, Euro Cup winners De Zaan had one last chance to stay in contention for the quarter-final spots.
After eight minutes, Roma pulled away, hitting four consecutive goals following a 2-2 scoreline and denying the Dutch two six-on-fives late in the first period to lead 2-6.
Though the Italians maintained the gap at 4-8, two quick action goals from De Zaan in 45 seconds late in the second quarter halved the deficit.
De Zaan even had a six-on-five opportunity to reduce the margin to a single goal but missed, allowing Chiara Ranalli to finish the ensuing counter for 6-9 with six seconds remaining.
The home side bounced back after half-time, converting a six-on-five and, 47 seconds later, Lieke Rogge scored from action to make it 8-9 with 5:27 remaining.
Despite having a couple more possessions, the Dutch couldn’t capitalise before Lavinia Papi scored for Roma after over four minutes. Both teams had a six-on-five each but missed their chances, until Sara Centanni scored from action 1:51 before the last break, restoring the three-goal gap at 8-11.
Centanni added another goal from a counter early in the fourth quarter, which seemed decisive.
Lieke Rogge responded from action, followed by a six-on-five goal from Roline Schuijt, and 55 seconds later Lieke Rogge scored again from distance.
This three-goal surge in 1:50 brought the score to 11-12, but Ranalli held her nerves and buried a penalty in Roma’s next possession.
De Zaan’s momentum was halted, as they failed to convert their next six-on-five, while Roma forced another penalty and Ranalli scored again to make it 11-14.
Nerida Drewes pulled one back from a six-on-five, but Elizaveta Zaplatina immediately replied for 12-15 with 2:29 remaining. One final goal came eight seconds from time for the hosts, but it was a mere consolation.
Roma’s win secured their quarter-final berth and ended De Zaan’s hopes of progressing to the top eight, following their Euro Cup triumph last season.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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