Waterpolo: Pro Recco again champion, Brescia beaten 5-2

It’s Pro Recco, for the 34th time. From the disappointment of 2021 – the series interrupted after 14 league titles in a row – to the new triumph, in the historic swimming pool of Punta Sant’Anna: the beautiful with Brescia ends 5-2 (1-0, 0-0, 1-0, 3- 2), in the sign of defenses and two applause goalkeepers. Especially Del Lungo, who keeps the clean sheet for the first 26 ‘. Faced for the twelfth time in the final, the tenth consecutive, Pro Recco and Brescia give life to a very intense match, postponed by two hours for television needs (from 18 to 20). Previously, in the series, two short-term victories with two former decisive players: 9-8 for the Ligurians in race-1 (Cannella’s goal at -1’55 “), 13-12 for the Lombards in race-2 (Renzuto a -50 “).

VOLTAGE

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Match that does not offer many feats: even a single goal in the first two halves and moreover on a penalty (Ivovic), disastrous teams in numerical superiority (0 out of 4 for the hosts and 0 out of 6 for the guests in the middle of the match). Between the second and third time, Echenique’s extension signed by Echenique on the restart and Zalanki with the extra man, for the 3-0 which represents the turning point. Maximum advantage with Di Fulvio for the 5-1 (the Pescara striker reaches 107 consecutive games to score), so it is Di Somma who sets the result at 5-2, with the penalty awarded after a repeated foul on the same blue by Children, contact that causes a frenzy. “So few goals it felt like football… I think the team that deserved the most won, but congratulations to Brescia. Curious to have lost against them, in race-2, in what I consider our best performance of the year ”comments Sandro Sukno. “It was the most physical match of the series – comments the Brescia captain Christian Presciutti – and we go out with our heads held high. Congratulations to Recco, even if the regret remains for what happened in race-1… We would need the televised test ”, the Roman regrets. The reference is to the episode that took place in the last seconds, when Aicardi’s interference would have been sanctioned with a penalty. For the fifteenth time, in the era of the playoffs (from the 1983-84 season), the title was awarded to the beautiful. It is the first championship for Nicholas Presciutti: in 2013 he joined his brother Christian in Brescia, then in the summer of 2020 the transfer to Pro Recco, against which he had lost the previous six finals. What a joke to have changed sides in the season at the end of the domination, even if after the Italian disappointment the Champions League arrived.

EUROPE

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Speaking of Europe: there is little time to rejoice or despair. Head to the Champions now. From Thursday to Saturday, Final Eight in Belgrade: the European champions in the quarterfinals will face the Spaniards of Barceloneta and in the eventual semifinal the Hungarians of Ferencvaros or the Croats of the Jug; the Lombards will make their soft debut against the Germans of Hannover and passing the turn they will challenge the French of Marseille or the Serbian hosts of Novi Beograd. It is possible to dream of another Pro Recco-Brescia, while in A-1 the final series also ends for the fifth place, also decided in race-3: in Syracuse, Ortigia beats Telimar 10-6 and reaches Trieste in the Euro Cup.

PRO RECCO: Del Lungo, F. Di Fulvio 1, Zalanki 1, Figlioli, Younger, Cinnamon, N. Presciutti 1, Echenique 1, A. Ivovic 1 (rig.), Velotto, Aicardi, Hallock, Negri. Herds S.Sukno. BRESCIA: Tesanovic, Dolce, C. Presciutti, Constantin-Bicari, D. Lazic, Vapenski, Renzuto 1, T. Gianazza, Alesiani, S. Luongo, E. Di Somma 1 (rig.), N. Gitto, M. Gianazza. Herds Bovo. REFEREES: Severo and Frauenfelder: NOTE: sup. num. Pro Recco 8 (1 goal), Brescia 13 (1). Exit 3 f. F. Di Fulvio at 31’10 “.

THE SERIES: Pro Recco-Brescia 9-8, Brescia-Pro Recco 13-12, Pro Recco-Brescia 5-2.