They had few expectations when they boarded the plane to Athens. The water polo players of ZV De Zaan surprised friend and foe by finishing third in the group stage of the Champions League. As a result, they have qualified for the next round.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect it,” said ZV De Zaan trainer Mick van den Bree just before boarding the plane back to the Netherlands. “We were certainly not the favorite beforehand. In terms of the program, we had not left it, because the first three games were against top teams. After the 11-11 against Terrassa from Spain (first game ed.) We got a boost and we started in it to believe.”
On Friday, De Zaan played two games. The first game in the morning was lost against Eger from Hungary (15-10), but in the evening they narrowly won against Greek ANO Glyfadas: 12-11. The last group match against the French Nancy ended in a simple victory: 18-2.
Draw
The draw for the second round will follow tomorrow morning. “The best four teams from last season will be added,” explains Van de Bree. “It is already certain that we will be in the group with one of those clubs and two other teams. For us this is already the icing on the cake. If we do not make it to the next round, we will continue in the Europa League.”