Pro Recco’s dream is shattered against Ferencvaros to lift the twelfth Champions League, the fourth in a row: in Malta the Hungarians won 11-12 in a match in which they were always in front from the end of the second half. What weighs on the match is the episode that happens 4.25 from the end: Iocchi Gratta scores the 9-9, but after consulting the Var the goal is annulled due to a violent play by Zalanki resulting in a penalty and four minutes of inferiority. Despite this, Pro Recco fights and could equalize with Condemi’s last shot blocked by Mandic.
The match:
Sukno renounces Ivovic and launches Iocchi Gratta in the thirteen, while Damonte remains out of the Magyars. The Biancocelesti failed with two more men in the first 120 seconds of the game, while Vigvari made no mistake with Presciutti in the well (0-1) passing Del Lungo above his head from position 2. In the third minute, and with the third man more, the boys of Sukno are equal with Iocchi Gratta in elevation at two meters. Forty seconds and with Di Somma in the cockpit here is the overtaking by Cannella, the only one of the match: the number 4 launched in counterattack turns on Nagy and beats Vogel (2-1). On the other side of Del Lungo, Fekete blocks, but he can do nothing on Di Somma’s undersized touch, in double superiority, 27 seconds from the siren which ends the quarter.
Less than two minutes into the second half and Mandic gives the Hungarians the lead again. A fireball that Younger responds to from position 3, surgical in finding the corner to Vogel’s left. Ferencvaros overtakes again with Jansik, in superiority, but it is Iocchi Gratta at the near post who re-establishes the tie (4-4) following an assist from Zalanki. Jansik’s dive and Mandic’s diagonal put the Hungarians ahead by two goals for the first time (4-6) at the change of ends.
The Biancocelesti try to react at the start of the third half with the Bedouin from Kakaris on Vogel’s rebound (5-6). Joy that doesn’t last long because with Iocchi Gratta in the cockpit Argyropoulos beats Del Lungo from position 2 and then Varga doesn’t miss the penalty for the Hungarian +3, the maximum advantage of the match. Sukno calls a time out and the Biancocelesti bring Ferencvaros closer by capitalizing on two more men with Zalanki and Hallock to make it 7-8 in the middle of the quarter. Cinnamon ends up in the cockpit and Argiropoulos from position 5 inflated finds the long post and the 7-9, the result with which the teams swim in the last eight minutes.
We start again and the Biancocelesti waste an extra double man with Condemi, but a super play by Cannella on Nagy sends Younger from five meters: the Australian makes no mistake in front of the specialist Vogel (8-9). Del Lungo’s save on Mandic is fuel for Pro Recco, but here is the key moment of the match: with 4.25 from the end Iocchi Gratta’s equalizing goal is canceled after the VAR review; from joy to desperation in an instant, because Zalanki is sent off for brutality, the Biancocelesti suffer Mandic’s penalty (8-10) and have to play four minutes in 5 against 6. It’s a bullfight, Di Fulvio scores with the extra man , but Varga from position 3 draws the 9-11 under the crossbar. Di Fulvio again in superiority, copy and paste of the previous goal from position 5, then Mandic drops the poker (10-12). Two minutes from the end with Varga and Argyropoulos in the cockpit, Kakaris passes Vogel (11-12). The Hungarian goalkeeper touches Di Fulvio’s shot on the post for a possible equalizer, Del Lungo is sensational on Nagy and the Biancocelesti, once again level, play the last ball of the match after the time out called by Sukno: Nagy ends up in the well and Mandic stops Condemi giving the cup to the Hungarians.
“Congratulations to Ferencvaros, a team built to win – the words of president Maurizio Felugo -. I don’t think our boys paid for their emotion, certainly after three years of consecutive victories we had the pressure of having to win. Tonight we saw everything, the result is correct even if it’s not a water polo game that I like, I don’t know what they understand from home. The goal disallowed by Iocchi Gratta certainly changed the momentum of the match, we would have seen a different ending and I think we had the energy to go and win it. We accept the verdict, congratulations to the boys who came close to this magical cup: we will certainly try again.”
“Congratulations to Ferencvaros and my boys, they deservedly won – comments Sandro Sukno -. It was a bad and confusing match, they played this type of water polo better and in any case before the brutality we didn’t play good water polo, we were too nervous in attack, we lacked clarity and they took confidence in defense. We still fought until the end, but it’s impossible to always win.”
Pro Recco: Del Lungo, Di Fulvio 2, Zalanki 1, Cinnamon 1, Younger 1, Fondelli, Presciutti, Echenique, Condemi, Kakaris 2, Iocchi Gratta 3, Hallock 1, Negri. All. Sukno.
Ferencvaros: Szakonyi, Mandic 4, Pohl, Merkulov, Argyropoulos 2, Di Somma 1, Fekete, Vigvari 1, Nemet, Varga 2, Janksik 2, Nagy, Vogel. All. Nyeki.
Referees: Margeta (Slovenia), Alexandrescu (Romania).
Partial: 2-2, 2-4, 3-3, 4-3.
Numerical superiority: Pro Recco 8/18, Ferencvaros 7/13. Penalties: PR 1/1, F 2/2
Zalanki sent off (PR) for violent play at 4.25 of the fourth period.
Exited due to foul limit: Pohl (F) in the third half, Merkulov (F), Fekete (F), Nagy (F) in the fourth half.
