Champions League water polo – five talking points and highlights from matchday 1

1. While returning giants Pro Recco eventually downed Novi Beograd with ease (8-12), it was strange to see how the top shooters on both sides faltered in this match. Alvaro Granados is usually given free rein wherever he plays. Two years ago, while playing for Novi, he could easily take seven or eight shots – or more – in any game.

Now, back at the familiar 11 April swimming pool in Belgrade, he took 10 attempts, but scored only twice. Paired with Francesco Di Fulvio’s 0-for-5 performance, it could have been a bad night for the Italians, but their defence more than compensated, keeping NBG’s top shooters under constant pressure.

Indeed, Milos Cuk has had far better nights (2/9), and NBG’s hero from last season’s final in Malta, Nikola Lukic, couldn’t find the net at all – missing all six of his shots.

All in all, it was Recco who had the upper hand. NBG’s goalkeeper Milan Glusac kept the Serbs in the game with 15 saves, as Recco fired 10 more shots on goal than their rivals (27-17). The young keeper’s performance prevented Granados & Co. from achieving an even larger margin of victory.

2. When it came to shooting precision, several key players across different teams struggled, with their poor form clearly affecting the outcomes of their matches.

Yusuke Inaba’s 1-for-7 showing didn’t help Primorac Kotor in their crucial opener against Brescia. The Japanese star’s final miss was the most painful – it came at 13-13 in a promising position. Moments later, it was Brescia’s Montenegrin, Vlado Popadic, who netted the winner for the Italians.

Jadran Split usually rely heavily on Dusan Matkovic, Zvonimir Butic and Loren Fatovic to finish off their attacks. These three accounted for 23 of the team’s 35 shots against Herceg Novi, but combined for only seven goals.

Matkovic and Fatovic both went 3-for-9, while Butic was just 1-for-5. It’s no surprise they couldn’t match the balanced team effort of the other Jadran – Herceg Novi – who had 10 different players on the scoresheet. All but one of their players took more than four shots, yet they were far more efficient in attack and secured three valuable points.

3. In training games, teams often agree to play man-ups instead of taking penalties – using the opportunity to practice 6-on-5 situations. However, the Olympiacos players might want to prepare more for their 5m chances, especially whenever they are about to face a Croatian side.

Back in April, the Greeks missed four penalties against Jadran Split in the Quarter Final stage in Piraeus: Ioannis Fountoulis – saved. Konstantinos Genidounias – saved. Dimitrios Dimou – saved. Gergo Zalanki – saved.

Those misses cost Olympiacos the regular-time win – and ultimately their Final Four spot – thanks to another outstanding performance by Marko Bijac.

Fast forward to now: Mladost Zagreb visited Olympiacos, and it happened again. Alexandros Papanastasiou – saved. Zalanki – post. Genidounias – post.

The only difference? Olympiacos managed to win this time. But being 0-for-7 in penalties against Croatian opponents in 2025 is certainly cause for concern.

4. Krisztian Manhercz was the MVP of the 2025 Final Four. Dusan Mandic earned that honour the year before. Stylianos Argyropoulos was FTC’s top scorer in last season’s Champions League. Yet the title holders decided to rest all three on Day 1 to help them recover from injuries – along with Soma Vogel, Fradi’s first-choice goalkeeper since 2017, a three-time Champions League and four-time Super Cup winner.

Some might have thought that without them, Fradi would struggle against Oradea in their CL opener. Instead, it turned into another show of power.

Last year, their Quarter Final stage clash against the Romanians in Budapest ended 20-10; this time it finished 19-11. One fewer, one more – it hardly matters. Winning so decisively without four star players, while mainly fielding 18-22-year-old talents, was a statement of strength from the defending champions.

5. The all-Spanish duel between Sabadell and CNAB proved once again that in the Champions League, anything is possible. Just weeks ago, in neutral venues, Barceloneta had dismantled their domestic arch-rivals in two finals – 17-10 in the Catalonian Cup and 16-6 in the Spanish Super Cup. But in their CL opener, played in Sabadell’s pool, it was a completely different story.

At home, in front of their fans – and with neutral referees on the deck – Sabadell not only kept it close but, early in the third period, managed to create a sense that CNAB might be in trouble.

Fran Fernandez has been part of hundreds of high-stakes matches as a player, but as CNAB’s new head coach, this was his first Champions League game. Both he and his team faced a real test.

Down 9-7, CNAB responded brilliantly, staging a 0-7 run as they tightened their defence, raised their offensive level, and enjoyed a bit of luck at crucial moments.

At the end of the day, it was a fine reminder that the Champions League remains a truly special competition.

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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