Water polo, Pro Recco triumph: third Champions League in a row and another treble

Last year on penalties, this time suffering much less. Pro Recco again beats Novi Beograd at home and conquers its eleventh Champions League, the third in a row: the feat had only succeeded in Mladost Zagreb between 1968 and 1970. In the final they closed on 14-11, but the gap seen in the water also appears higher. So here is another treble for the Biancoceleste team, after winning the Coppa Italia (beating Ortigia Siracusa) and then the Scudetto (beating Brescia in two games). And there is also the European Super Cup to be recorded which however refers to the previous season, won in November against the Spanish side Sabadell. Encouraging signs for coach Campagna – present in Belgrade – a month and a half before the Fukuoka World Cup.

WHAT A TRY

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In the crowded pool, to witness the Italian triumph, also the ex Recchese Mandic, surprisingly knocked out of the team by the Serbs (he was their captain) two months ago, following some disappointing performances. Pro Recco flies up 4-1 in the first half, then also reacts to an episode that could stun him: Echenique in the 11th minute is sent off for brutality after revision at the Var, Sukno’s boys find themselves for 4′ with a man down but they hold on (at that time, only 3 goals to 2 for the Serbs). Del Lungo performs a thousand feats between the posts, while on the other side Gocic looks for the shock by alternating the bewildered Joao Pedro and Filipovic on goal, without obtaining practically anything (then also passing to the M zone, but without making any counter-escapes). In the middle of the match it’s 9-5, at the last interval it’s 13-9: you never get the impression that anything can change in the air. Then it closes precisely on 14-11 with poker from Zalanki and Di Fulvio. Center buoys Loncar and Hallock were also among the best in the field, along with the indestructible captain Aleksandar Ivovic who proudly underlines: «Only a group with so much energy can offer similar tests. Here nobody puts his ego in front of the others, and it is the real winning key of the last years». For the losers, five goals from a superlative Granados. All this 58 years after the first European triumph, when Pro Recco celebrated at the Cozzi swimming pool in Milan together with many fans who had come from Genoa on a special train. It was precisely 1965: the other successes date back to 1984, 2003, 2007 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2021 and 2022. Sandro Sukno rejoices: «We showed great things. What a reaction when Echenique was sent off.” While the president Maurizio Felugo remarks: «We wanted to give a gift for our patron Gabriele Volpi for his 80th birthday».

THE OTHERS

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In the challenge for third place, the Spaniards of Barceloneta beat the Greeks of Vouliagmeni on penalties (14-13, 9-9 in regular time). The fifth goes to the Greeks of Olympiacos (9-4 over the Hungarians of Ferencvaros), the seventh to the Croatians of Jug (14-10 over Brescia, who also finished group B of the preliminaries in the lead with a great run). It was the last game for captain Christian Presciutti who will now devote himself to his coaching career: with Settebello he won a world gold (2011), silver and Olympic bronze (2012, 2016).

N.BEOGRAD-PRO RECCO 11-14

NOVI BEOGRAD:Joap Pedro, S. Rasovic 3 (1 pen), V. Martinovic, Granados 5 (1 pen), Vucinic, D. Pijetlovic 1, Drasovic, Jaksic 1, Perkovic, Vlachopoulos 1, Skoumpakis, V. Rasovic, R. Filipovich. All. Gocic.PRO RECCO: Del Lungo, F. Di Fulvio 4 Zalanki 4 (1 penalty), Cinnamon, Younger 1, A. Fondelli, N. Presciutti, Echenique, A. Ivovic 3, Velotto 1, Loncar, Hallock 1, Negri. All. S. Sukno.REFEREES:Margeta (Slo) and Zwart (Ola). NOTE: sup. no. Novi Beograd 17 (6 goals), Pro Recco 11 (7). Exp. for brutality Echenique 2nd t.. Usc. 3 f. Velotto 3rd t., Loncar and A. Fondelli 4th t.

Wednesday 31 quarters: Barceloneta (Spa)-Jug (Cro) 11-9, Novi Beograd (Srb)-Olympiacos (Gre) 13-11, Vouliagmeni (Gre)-Brescia 11-10, Pro Recco-Ferencvaros (Ung) 8-4.

Thursday 1 semifinals:Novi Beograd-Barceloneta 12-10 pens. (8-8), Pro Recco-Vouliagmeni 12-8.

Saturday 3 finals: 3rd place Barceloneta-Vouliagmeni 14-13 rig. (9-9), 1st place Novi Beograd-Pro Recco 11-14.