Champions League Men: CNAB and Olympiacos roar to victory on day 2 of quarterfinal stage

The favourites delivered emphatic home wins on Day 2 in Group A of the Champions League Quarterfinal Stage. Olympiacos’ third decisive surge, this time in the fourth period, finally downed Brescia, who fought hard, but ran out of steam at the end. Barceloneta also won by three, though it was a different story against Novi Beograd, as the Serbs kept pace until late. However, the Spaniards pulled away with a superb 3-0 run from 16-16 to win an epic battle.

2025/26 Champions League Men
Quarterfinals, Day 2
Tuesday 24 March

Group A

Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 14-11 AN Brescia (ITA)
Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 19-16 VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB)

Standings: 1. CNAB 6pts, 2. NBG 3pts, 2. Olympiacos 3pts, 4. Brescia 0pts

Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 14-11 AN Brescia (ITA) (2-2, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3)

Olympiacos landed their first win of the Quarterfinal stage with a convincing victory over Brescia. The Greeks produced three decisive surges across the last three periods, while their rivals managed two comebacks, but were unable to bridge the gap in the fourth quarter.

The opening eight minutes saw a balanced game. Olympiacos took the lead twice, but the Italians equalised on both occasions, while their goalkeeper Tomasso Baggi Necchi produced a couple of fine saves.

Fellow goalkeeper Panagiotis Tzortzatos also came up with a big stop early in the second quarter in a man-down, and this proved to be the launch of the hosts’ first big run.

Nikolaos Gkillas converted an extra in the next possession, then they forced a penalty during a six-on-five, which Konstantinos Genidounias duly buried.

Just 49 seconds later he struck again from the perimeter, and after another man-down save from Tzortzatos, Gergo Zalanki unleashed one of his trademark rockets. With 3:45 to go, Olympiacos led 6-2.

This prompted a time-out from Brescia coach Sandro Bovo, and it paid off as Vincenzo Dolce scored from their next extra. However, Daniel Angyal responded at the other end to restore the four-goal gap.

The Greeks had further chances to extend their lead before Stefano Guerrato found the net from distance to pull one back, and Brescia’s defence denied Olympiacos on their final six-on-five before the long break.

The hosts had a brief lapse, missing an early man-up in the third, and soon Jacopo Alesiani converted an extra. Just 22 seconds later, a steal and counter led to a penalty, and Vlado Popadic brought Brescia back to 7-6.

However, they were not allowed to go level. A second effort from Ioannis Fountoulis, following a save and a corner, ended Olympiacos’ dry spell.

While that goal came after a five-minute wait, the next followed just 53 seconds later from a six-on-five after a time-out, with the veteran sniper again on target.

Brescia appeared to lose composure, missing consecutive extras, though Alesiani kept them in touch with a fine perimeter effort.

Olympiacos responded with a well-worked move, finished from close range by Ioannis Alafragkis to restore the three-goal cushion (10-7).

Still, Brescia struck 13 seconds from the end of the period through Mateo Giri to keep their hopes alive before the final quarter.

The visitors reduced the deficit to a single goal with a penalty just 24 seconds into the fourth. After killing a man-down, they had possession to equalise, but a block denied them, and Fountoulis produced another superb action goal for 11-9.

Brescia then missed a crucial man-up, and Gkillas added another from action, which highlighted the Italians’ defensive struggles.

The Greeks withstood a long Brescia possession before Zalanki netted his third from a man-up. Although Guerrato replied with a powerful effort, Evangelos Pouros answered with a fine even-strength goal for 14-10 with 3:04 remaining.

This 4-1 surge, including three action goals, effectively settled the contest, and Brescia no longer had the energy to mount a third comeback.

They missed two more man-ups, and Tomasso Gianazza’s neat one-timer in a seven-on-six, 12 seconds from time, had little impact on the outcome.

Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 19-16 VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB) (6-6, 4-3, 4-4, 5-3)

The two winners from Day 1 produced a spectacular battle. Despite having top goalkeepers at both ends, this time the offences dominated, resulting in a 35-goal epic in which the Serbs stayed on equal terms until late in the fourth.

Barceloneta, however, delivered a brilliant 3-0 finish in the last two and a half minutes to secure their second win.

Novi opened the game with a double in 55 seconds, but CNAB responded in style with two action goals in 52 seconds to make it 2-2.

Vuk Milojevic surprised Unai Aguirre once more from a sharp angle, but Roger Tahull finished a fine assist on the two-metre line to convert a man-up from close range, and another well-worked passing move allowed Alberto Munarriz a clean strike for 4-3.

The lead did not last long, though, as the Serbs found success from the wings, particularly on the left-handed side, exploiting Aguirre’s angles.

At the other end, some underwater trickery from Alessandro Velotto gifted CNAB a goal after a missed man-up, his ‘shark-attack’ stealing the ball from Milan Glusac and sending it into the empty net.

Still, Novi Beograd’s goals kept coming, and the action-packed first period ended in a remarkable 6-6 draw.

Defences improved in the second period, especially from the Spaniards, who killed two man-downs, while Bernat Sanahuja converted the hosts’ first six-on-five.

Nikola Lukic responded with a fine effort from the next extra for 7-7, before a longer scoreless phase followed, nearly two and a half minutes with one missed extra apiece.

Munarriz struck from a six-on-five, Aleksa Ukropina replied immediately from a six-on-four, and after killing a man-down, Luka Pljevancic converted from close range to give the Serbs an 8-9 lead with 1:16 remaining in the half.

Still, Barceloneta regained the advantage before the long break with two perfectly executed man-ups, as Sanahuja and Gergely Burian both finished clinically within 28 seconds to make it 10-9.

Pjesivac added an easy close-range finish in a man-up two minutes into the third, and this time CNAB needed almost four minutes to respond for 11-10, after surviving two man-down situations. Gladovic soon equalised from a man-up.

The intensity rose further as CNAB forced a penalty during a man-up, and then, after Ukropina’s equaliser, earned another. Sanahuja converted both, though Martinovic also scored from an extra with 1:25 to go.

Sanahuja netted his fifth, again from a man-up, to give Barceloneta a 14-13 lead heading into the final quarter, as the Serbs’ six-on-five goal was ruled out for a turnover foul.

Two minutes into the fourth, Munarriz scored from 6m to double the home side’s lead, a rare two-goal margin in a game where, aside from Novi’s early 0-2 advantage, the difference had never exceeded one.

Even so, the Serbs remained composed, and Gladovic, followed by Pjesivac – finishing from a rebound – converted back-to-back extras within 85 seconds to level at 15-15.

Vince Vigvari then produced a superb action goal, but the Spaniards missed a man-up, and Gladovic struck his fourth from a six-on-four after overly aggressive defending from the hosts.

However, the Serbs’ defence began to falter when it mattered most, and not even incoming goalkeeper Pavle Gavrilovic could stop Sanahuja, who scored CNAB’s third consecutive action goal. After a turnover, Vigvari finished a two-on-one counter for 18-16 with 1:22 remaining, which proved decisive.

Forced into a quick finish in their final man-up – never their usual style – the Serbs were denied by one of Aguirre’s rare saves, effectively ending the contest.

As a final touch, a last time-out with six seconds left allowed Vigvari to produce a classic Magyar move, swimming free and finishing spectacularly on the buzzer to stretch the margin to three goals for the first time and seal a memorable victory for Barceloneta.

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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