Scudetto semi-final, Ortigia vs Pro Recco 11-18
Pro Recco wins at Ortigia 11-18 and awaits a Scudetto final between Brescia and Savona. In Syracuse the Italian champions repeat their success in game 1 with a match always led: four goals from Zalanki, the best scorer of the match.
Sukno chooses Negri between the posts and the number 13 responds immediately to La Rosa’s close-range shot. Pro Recco flies to 0-3 in two minutes with Zalanki from position 1, Condemi’s winning restart and Rossi’s shot over Tempesti’s head. Twenty seconds from the siren Carnesecchi surprises the Biancoceleste defense with his incursion, but the Italian champions end the first half on +3 thanks to Di Fulvio’s lift and shot.
We start again and Kakaris gets a penalty that Younger doesn’t miss. Ferrero rebounds on the water and shortens the score (2-5), Echenique’s counterattack concluded with a dive restores the +4. We enter the last hundred seconds before the change of sides and Cupido capitalizes on an extra double man. Superiority that not even Iocchi Gratta makes a mistake (3-7). Ten seconds from the siren Ortigia beats Negri again with Inaba 6 against 5.
In the first half of the third half, Pro Recco made a breakthrough by scoring four times with Echenique, Younger, Zalanki and Kakaris (4-11), a break that forced Piccardo to call a time out. Sukno takes advantage of this to send Del Lungo into the water who immediately has to collect the ball in the back of the net, beaten by Ferrero’s penalty. The Sicilian number 11 does it again after Zalanki’s third goal (6-12). The hosts scored again two minutes from time with La Rosa, in superiority, and before the siren Di Fulvio shot a penalty onto the crossbar: in the last eight minutes the result was 7-12.
Ortigia scores twice in the first two minutes of the fourth half, bringing the Biancocelesti dangerously close (9-12) who, however, in forty seconds put the Sicilians back at a safe distance with Zalanki from position 2 and Hallock who sends Cassia into the cockpit and scores Di Fulvio’s assist (9-14). The +5 at half-time is a blow for the hosts, who still see the Biancocelesti score four times with Presciutti, Di Fulvio and Condemi’s brace.
“We played two good games against Ortigia, perhaps today we conceded a lot of goals, but with so many expulsions the possibility of conceding increases – Mr. Sukno’s comment -. However, I am happy with how we managed the match, we are growing physically and the Champions League match against Novi Beograd will be excellent preparation for the Scudetto final. Brescia and Savona are two organized teams, with pace and we know that a very tough final awaits us as always happens in Italy.”
CC ORTIGIA 1928-PRO RECCO 11-18
CC ORTIGIA 1928: S. Tempesti, F. Cassia, L. Giribaldi, G. La Rosa 1, S. Di Luciano 1, L. Cupido 1, A. Bitadze, A. Carnesecchi 1, A. Condemi, Y. Inaba 3 , F. Ferrero 4, C. Napolitano, G. Calabresi, S. Nesti. All. S. piccardo
PRO RECCO: M. Del Lungo, F. Di Fulvio 2, G. Zalanki 4, G. Cannella, A. Younger 2, A. Fondelli, N. Presciutti 1, G. Echenique 2, F. Condemi 3, K. Kakaris 1, M. Iocchi Gratta 1, B. Hallock 1, T. Negri, G. Rossi 1. All. S. sukno
Referees: Ercoli and Navarra
Partial scores: 1-4, 3-3, 3-5, 4-6. Iocchi Gratta (P) left due to fouls in the third half; Younger (P), Cassia (O) and Rossi (P) in the fourth half.
Numerical superiorities: Ortigia 8/15 + 2 penalties and Pro Recco 7/11 + 2 penalties. Di Fulvio (P) misses a penalty (crossbar) in the third half. Del Lungo replaces Negri in goal from the middle of the third half.
Photo attached (Credit Schenone)
