The water polo players of ZV De Zaan did not cause a stunt in the second round of the Champions League. In group D, all three games were lost this weekend. “Unfortunately we didn’t score any points, but we actually had that expectation beforehand,” said trainer Mick van den Bree.
In Rome, the Zaankanters played against European top teams: Olympiacos Piraeus (Greece), SIS Roma (Italy) and NC Vouliagmeni (Greece). On Friday, reigning champion Olympiacos Piraeus was the opponent. That game was narrowly lost 16-15. “The following days it became less and less. In that match we showed the best water polo”, Van den Bree looks back.
Big defeat
Saturday was lost 13-6 against Roma. Today ZV De Zaan lost 7-4 against the Greek Vouliagmeni. Despite the three defeats, Van den Bree’s team will continue to the Euro Cup.
“We know that we play against fully professional teams. Most of us do it as a hobby that got out of hand. Then it is very nice to see what the girls put down to character”, said a proud Van den Bree afterwards.
The trainer therefore concluded that the strengths during the tournament became less compared to the professional teams. “That is not surprising, because a large part of our team is still studying or working alongside it.”
Next week is the draw for the Euro Cup.