Ortigia fights but loses in Brescia, the lions win Game 1 and get closer to third place

No external blow for theOrtigia that a Brescia he fights but loses Race 1 of the final for third place in the A1 men’s water polo championship. The Lions win 12-10 and are close to qualifying for the Champions League, a result that last year was the prerogative of the Aretusei against Telimar.

Stefano Piccardo’s boys had to chase their opponents for a long time, arriving a little tired then in some decisive moments that could have changed the fate of the match.

For the green and whites it will be mandatory to win on Saturday 25 May, in Syracuse, to postpone the 3rd place question to Game 3, again in Brescia which will be able to count on the home field factor.

Brescia’s trio starts but Ortigia recovers

A match that the Lombards, winners of the Italian Cup, started better, taking a triple lead midway through the first half. A slap that shakes Piccardo’s boys, capable of getting back on track with goals from La Rosa, Ferrero and Cassia (on a penalty).

The balance doesn’t last long because, on the reverse, Lazic invents the Bedouin which closes the half at 4-3 for the hosts. The second set is even more lively and fast-paced, with a lot of competitive spirit and with Brescia starting well again, extending up to +3. Ortigia, however, did not give up, coming back with Bitadze (in superiority) and Cassia (on a penalty). The green-and-whites also have the opportunity to equalize, but they hit Tesanovic, and so Brescia, with Gianazza’s turn two meters away, regained the double lead.

Same script shortly after: Cassia converts her third personal penalty, Gianazza responds from two metres. At half-time it’s 8-6 for the Brescians.

Landlords lengthen

In the third half the match becomes more edgy and nervous: Alesiani’s shout is worth +3 for Brescia, who then extends further with Del Basso, sent off immediately after the goal for having insistently celebrated in Tempesti’s face. The green-and-whites kept their nerve and Cassia shortened again, keeping Ortigia in the game, who tried in the fourth half, moved to -2 and gave themselves the chance to get even closer several times. However, Tesanovic and some hasty solutions prevented the comeback. In the end Brescia prevailed.

Piccardo, “Difficult match, playing at this level is a great result”

At the end of the race, coach Stefano Piccardo comments on the defeat: “At the beginning we paid for the fact that they had more pace, because they played a Champions League match in recent days. In the early stages, therefore, we had less freshness than them, then during the match we made a serious mistake at minus one and another later on, when we could have gone at minus two and instead we gave them an easy goal, sending them to plus four. So we always chased and that didn’t help us. It was a difficult match, we knew it, but the team came here, fought, proposed a game. For us, playing at the level of Brescia and the top teams this year is already a great result”.

The green and white coach underlines what didn’t work and which will need to be analyzed in view of Saturday’s match: “We did many things well and in the right way, but we were not very careful at the back, conceding too many goals in the first half of the match. Unfortunately, if you make even the slightest mistake, they punish you, but the idea of the game was right. In the end, however, we lost by two goals, we played until the end. Now race 2 awaits us. Tomorrow we will return to Syracuse and swim a bit, the day after tomorrow we will analyze the mistakes made and on Saturday we will be ready to do our best”.

Cassia, “Well done not giving up”

After the game, he also talks Francesco Cassiamidfielder of Ortigia, scorer of four goals this evening: “It was a good match, we played openly, there were also many expulsions, many contacts, there was good physicality in the water. The trend was a bit particular, because first we went down by two or three, then we recovered, then down again, and so on. I must say that we were good at not giving up when we were behind, we kept the game alive until the end. These are positive signs for Saturday’s match, because we must try to bring the series to game three. Now we will analyze the errors and try to fix some small things that perhaps went wrong. Surely, in Syracuse, we will have to contain their centers and lower the number of goals to even men”.

The scoreboard

Brescia-Ortigia 12-10

Partial: 4-3; 4-3; 2-1; 2-3

Brescia: Tesanovic, Del Basso 1, Balzarini 1, Faraglia, Lazic 2, Gianazza 3, Renzuto Iodice 1, Guerrato, Alesiani (Cap) 3, Manzi, Irving 1, Gitto, Messere Milani. Trainer: Alessandro Bovo

CC Ortigia 1928: Tempesti, Cassia 4, Giribaldi, La Rosa 1, Di Luciano, Cupido 1, Bitadze 1, Carnesecchi, Condemi, Inaba 1, Ferrero 2, Napolitano (Cap), Calabresi. Coach: Stefano Piccardo

Referees: Arnaldo Petronilli (Roma) and Stefano Pinato (Nervi, GE)

Note. Numerical superiorities: Brescia 5/15; Ortigia: 5/15 + 4 pens. Final red cards: Balzarini (B) and La Rosa (O) in the 3rd half, Giribaldi (O), Ferrero (O), Condemi (O), Faraglia (B), Irving (B) and Guerrato (B) in the 4th time for 3 fouls; Del Basso (B) in the 3rd half for incorrect behaviour.