European Champions League Final Four. Champions League - Final Four for Recco, Vasas, Rijeka, and Mladost Pro Recco (ITA), Vasas Budapest (HUN), Primorje Rijeka (CRO), and Mladost Zagreb (CRO) have qualified for the Final Four in the water polo Champions League. An easy game and three thrillers – the second leg of the Quarter Finals brought extraordinary excitement and a miracle as Vasas managed to overcome a four-goal deficit which had happened only once before in the history of the top European club competition. LEN Office - Whether all three Croatian teams would travel to Oradea, the site of this year’s Final Four – this was the big question before the second QF-day. Well, two of them went through, but the least probable scenario happened as Jug – holding a four-goal advantage before the second leg – was ousted by Vasas Budapest in a game that will hardly be forgotten for a while. In fact, the Champions League history saw only one occasion since 1963 when a team managed to overcome a four-goal deficit in home-and-away games. It happened in 1992 when Canottieri Napoli lost 12-8 in Marseille (also in the quarters) but hit back in the return leg 12-5. This time the same happened to Jug as the Croats won 12-8 in Dubrovnik in March but in Budapest the team of Vasas stormed to a 16-9 win sending the 2000 spectators into the seventh heaven. After a modest start (3-3) the home side produced a 5-0 run for 8-3 in the second period which did the damage for the visitors who couldn’t cope with the devastating speed and determination of the Vasas players. The Hungarians – and their two foreign aces, Miho Boskovic (former a player of Jug) and Drasko Brguljan – didn’t have a weak minute, they maintained the level of their overwhelming attacking play throughout the entire game and built a six-goal lead by the end of the third period. They were even +8 for a while and the late night show ended in a 16-9 triumph: an almost incredible score-line as a Croatian team has never conceded 16 goals in any Champions League game in the regular time. Gergo Katonas (five goals) and Olympic Champion Adam Steinmetz (three) were the heroes of the encounter but the fans wildly celebrated all players who will return to the Final Four after four years. Although the final score (7-10 for Mladost) would seem to tell a story of an easy game, it was a huge battle as Szeged had great opportunities to eliminate the Croatians. However, the Hungarians – reaching the QF-stage for the very first time – missed the best ones: quite unbelievable as it is, they missed three penalty shots. The third came in the worst moment: they could have jumped to a 7-5 lead deep into the third period (after losing 6-8 in Zagreb), but Mladost’s goalie, Josip Pavic saved the shot with his head and Cosmin Radu scored a magnificent centre-goal in the very next attack for 6-6. Szeged missed an extra at 7-7 in the fourth while Vanja Udovicic brilliantly recognised an opportunity to score a goal from 12 metres for 7-8 and this was too much for the Hungarians whose quest ended here after a heroic effort which had included two wins over title-holder Partizan Belgrade. Mladost added two fine goals in the dying minutes and will have another shot to win a Semi Final in the Final Four which they haven’t managed to do since 2000. Primorje Rijeka finally succeeded: for the very first time they have reached the last stage of the series – but the road was tough. In the first leg, Rijeka led 11-8 but Jadran Herceg Novi came back to 11-11 before the Croatians hit the game-winner (12-11). Believe it or not, the same happened in Herceg Novi: Rijeka was always in front and seemed to enjoy a comfortable cruise after building a three-goal cushion for the fourth period and with minutes to go they led 11-8. And there came Jadran again: the Montenegrins levelled the score at 11-11 with 50 seconds to go! But the Croats managed to keep the ball for the rest of the game as they luckily collected the rebound after a shot had hit the post. The fourth game was agonisingly one-sided: Recco – already in the driving seat after a 13-5 win in Budva – brought its best to the game and entertained its fans with some festive play. They stopped at 19 goals, a scoring record for the Italians in this season and also an all-time record at this stage of the Champions League. Filip Filipovic hit six, the most of the day. Quarterfinals were like this: A-HID SZEGED Beton (HUNGARY) vs. HAVK Mladost ZAGREB (CROATIA) 7-10 1st Leg: 6-8 – Aggregate score: 13-18 for Mladost. Jadran HERCEG NOVI (MONTENEGRO) vs. VK Primorje RIJEKA (CROATIA) 11-11 1st Leg: 11-12 – Aggregate score: 22-23 for Rijeka. Teva-Vasas Uniqa BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) vs. Jug DUBROVNIK (CROATIA) 16-9 1st Leg: 8-12 – Aggregate score: 24-21 for Vasas. Ferla Pro RECCO (ITALY) vs. VK BUDVA M-Tel (MONTENEGRO) 19-6 1st Leg: 13-5 – Aggregate score: 32-11 for Recco. The Final Four tournament will be held in Oradea (ROMANIA) on 11-12 May. Euro Cup Final Savona: hands on the trophy again Carisa Savona built a quite massive lead for the second leg of the Euro Cup Final as they beat Sabadell 14-9 in a spectacular game. The Italians came up with a sensational performance for three periods: they almost flew above the water and led 10-3 minutes before the end of the third. Valerio Rizzo played one of the best games of his life as he netted seven goals! The Spaniards managed to stay alive as they won the final quarter (5-4), and yet they missed a handful of extras (4 for 14 – Savona was 6 for 11) which was a major factor in their defeat. So the current title-holders have already put their hands on the trophy again. Even so, Rizzo alerted all his team-mates after the game when he said: the five-goal advantage is great but Sabadell is a strong team which lacked the services of their huge centre-forward, Ivan Perez (injured) – if he returns for the second leg, the game on 3 May should be totally different and much harder. Friday 11th May 18.00 h Ferla Pro RECCO (Italy) - TEVA-Vasas Uniqa BUDAPEST (Hungary) 20.00 h HAVK Mladost ZAGREB (Croatia) - VK Primorje RIJEKA (Croatia) Teams: TEVA-Vasas Uniqa BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasas_SC President László MARKOVITS Technical Manager Jeno MEHES Founded 1911 (waterpolo section: 1945) Club Colours Red and Blue Honours Hungarian Champion: 16 times (1947, 1949, 1953, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1989, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) Hungarian Cup winner: 15 times (1947, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009) Hungarian Supercup: 2 times (2001, 2006) Club National Champions Cup winner: 2 times (1979-80, 1984-85) Club National Cup Winners Cup winner: 3 times (1985-86, 1994-95, 2001-02) Euroleague: 3rd place (2008) Coach László Földi FERLA Pro RECCO (ITALY) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Recco President Simone VOLPI Technical Manager Eraldo PIZZO Founded 1913 Club colours White and Light Blue Honours National Champion : 25 times National Cup winner : 7 times (1974, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) European Champion : 6 times (1964, 1983, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010) Super Cup winner : 4 times (2004, 2007, 2008, 2010) Coach Giuseppe PORZIO VK Primorje RIJEKA (CROATIA) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primorje_EB President Predrag SLOBODA Technical Manager Damir RADONIC Founded 1908 Club colours Black and Red Honours National Champion : 1938 National Cup winner : 1979, 1995 Coach Zoran ROJE HAVK Mladost ZAGREB (CROATIA) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAVK_Mladost President Luka MILICIC Technical Manager Bosko LOZICA Founded 1945 Club colours Dark Blue and Light Blue Honours European champion: 7 times (1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1989, 1990, 1996) National champion: 16 times (1962, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994,1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2008) Coach Vjekoslav KOBESCAK Official website: http://www.len.eu/ LEN - Ligue Européenne de Natation LEN is the oldest of the regional swimming organisations and, over its 81 year existence, has been responsible for many aquatic innovations. But, how much do we know of the early years and the ensuing developments and of the people that played their part in shaping LEN? The story will unfold over the pages which follow and memories evoked of characters and events which have helped to build our ‘Family of LEN’. LEN was originally established by FINA as an organisation specifically to organise the European Championships, which in the 1920’s were limited to a competition with less than 20 swimming events, 4 diving competitions and water polo. LEN’s raison d’être was therefore quite narrow in perspective. The situation has changed dramatically. We now have open water, synchronised and masters swimming. We also spend much more time educating and informing on all aquatic matters. Today, medical and legal matters occupy more of our time than in the past. In the 1920’s there was no such thing as a marketing consultant. Sponsorship and advertising around pool perimeters did not arise until much later. LEN started as a small organisation with little money and a quadrennial role which meant that it had much less relevance than it has today. Now we have a wide network of committees that meet regularly and help to guide and inform thinking on all aquatic matters across Europe. I am sure that we are all proud of what LEN has achieved, particularly in the last 20 years, the introduction of a wider range of junior competitions, an enhanced programme to accommodate all types of competitors in all aquatic disciplines and an increase in the number of countries that are affiliated, competing and contributing through our committees. We now have 51 member federations. LEN Euroleague and Women's Champions' Cup (European Water Polo) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEN_Euroleague LEN Trophy Winners: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEN_Cup LEN Cup Winners' Cup - this Cup no longer exists. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEN_Cup_Winners'_Cup
Final four in waterpolo. Semi-finale: VK Primorje RIJEKA (CROATIA) - HAVK Mladost ZAGREB (CROATIA) 10-6 Goalkeeper Josip Pavic (HAVK Mladost ZAGREB (CROATIA) FERLA Pro RECCO (ITALY) - TEVA-Vasas Uniqa BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) 12-5 Third place match: TEVA-Vasas Uniqa BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) - HAVK Mladost ZAGREB (CROATIA) 7-11 Finale: FERLA Pro RECCO (ITALY) - VK Primorje RIJEKA (CROATIA) 11-8 http://www.len.eu/cms?events championships oradea2012 schedule These are the best European and worlds waterpolo clubs.
Croatia is the Olympic Champion. They won against Italy 8-6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics_–_Men's_tournament
LEN Euroleague 2012./2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012–13_LEN_Euroleague Runner-up Primorje Rijeka, former champions Mladost Zagreb and Vasas Budapest, Italy's CN Posillipo and any team from Montenegro also declined to take part in the competition.
Some interesting results in waterpolo Euroleague: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012–13_LEN_Euroleague Vouliagmeni 11 – 6 Spartak Volgograd Red Star Belgrade Serbia 6 – 10 Jug Dubrovnik Croatia Atlètic Barceloneta 10 – 7 Sintez Kazan Szeged 8 – 5 Spandau 04
Some teams cancelled their participation in this competition, because they pay much more for travelling, hotels, prizes are not so big here, like in other sports.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012–13_LEN_Euroleague These results are not updated here. Matches are played, but results still don't exist here. Official website: http://www.len.eu/Press/LEN PR67-12 European WP Champions League Prelim Round Day 6 SUMMARY.aspx Croatian club Jug CO Dubrovnik achieved another victory against Olympiakos: 2-9.
The best three waterpolo players in the world for this year are: 1. Josip Pavić (Croatia) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Pavić 2. Miho Bošković (Croatia) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miho_Bošković 3. Stefano Tempesti (Italy) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefano_Tempesti Water polo at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships - Barcelona. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo_at_the_2013_World_Aquatics_Championships http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo_at_the_2013_World_Aquatics_Championships_–_Men's_tournament
LEN Euroleague 2012./2013. (Water polo Champions League) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012–13_LEN_Champions_League Eight finals: Team No. 1 Team No. 2 Game 1 Game 2 1. Atletic Barceloneta – Oradea 2. Montpellier – Szeged 3. Vouliagmeni – Marseille 4. Schuurman – Jug Dubrovnik, Croatia 5. Crvena Zvezda VET – Eger 13–6 6. Olympiacos – Spartak Volgograd 7. Partizan Belgrade – Brescia 8. Galatasaray – Sintez Kazan Results are updated. VK Jug Dubrovnik: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jug_Dubrovnik
Quarterfinals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012–13_LEN_Champions_League 1. Galatasaray – Jug Dubrovnik 2. Vouliagmeni – Atletic Barceloneta 3. Szeged – Crvena Zvezda VET 4. Partizan Belgrade – Spartak Volgograd
Semifinal 1: 31 May 2013, 17:00 Partizan 7–8 Jug Dubrovnik http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012–13_LEN_Champions_League Semifinal 2: 31 May 2013, 20:15 Crvena Zvezda – Barceloneta
Jug Dubrovnik, Croatia Team against Partizan Belgrade: Red cap players: Yesterday was one pretty bad scandal. Player of Partizan Belgrade got one expulsion, this expulsion lasts usually around 20 seconds, but he returned back just after 3,4 seconds, referees haven't seen this. Jug Dubrovnik should got one penalty because of this. Luckely Jug Dubrovnik managed to win, otherwise this match and entire Final Four tournament would be nice scandal. Final Four is held in Serbia, maybe we can expect similar things in final. Bronze game 1 June 2013, 17:00 Partizan – Atlètic-Barceloneta Final 1 June 2013, 20:15 Jug Dubrovnik – Crvena Zvezda
Final 1 June 2013, 20:15 Jug Dubrovnik 7 – 8 Crvena Zvezda Many bad things happened during this final match: - Serbian fans used terrible songs in Croatian language, they sang: Dog should fu*k your mother, Dog should fu*k your mother, also they used these words: Fu*k, Fu*k Croats. It was the same like on the EURO 2012 in handball, the same country hosted this event. Very hostile atmosphere, they really showed cultural and distinguished behavior. Very strange for the tournament that has reputation, after all this was club European Championship. - There was one goal for Jug Dubrovnik, but referees didn't (wanted) to see that the ball went over the line. Probably because they hosted this Final Four match. Nice job for referees. It would be 8-8 at the end with th goal and they would play additional time. - Match was under opened sky, it was not so warm, also on the sky we could see thunders. - After the final whistle Serbian fans jumped in the pool, Croatian players were still in the pool, this could be very dangerous for Croatian players. Nobody protected guest team at all. Maybe they will place videos on Youtube. Team of Jug Dubrovnik ended this season on the second place. http://gol.dnevnik.hr/clanak/ostali...lu-banjice-postala-prvak-europe---288978.html VK Jug Dubrovnik: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VK_Jug_Dubrovnik City of Dubrovnik: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubrovnik In eternal memory, this map is visible at the city entrance:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Dubrovnik_shelling.jpg Walls of Dubrovnik:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walls_of_Dubrovnik
VK Jug Dubrovnik players: #Player Country Position1 Andro Bušlje Croatia back2 Marko Macan Croatia back3 Tihomil Vranješ Croatia right wing4 Marko Bautović Croatia 5 Marko Ivanković Croatia outside right6 Nino Blažević Croatia outside or back7 Marko Bijač Croatia goalkeeper8 Hrvoje Benić Croatia 9 Marino Fatović Croatia outside10 Miho Bošković (captain) Croatia outside11 Mirko Nižić Croatia goalkeeper12 Antun Goreta Croatia 13 Tino Cvjetković Croatia 14 Frano Karač Croatia wing15 Aleksandar Ivović Montenegro outside16 Pavo Marković Croatia left outside17 Boris Pavlović Croatia center18 Maro Joković Croatia right wing19 Nikola Janović Montenegro left outside20 Pavo Zonić Croatia 21 Toni Popadić-Batina Croatia goalkeeper22 Nikša Dobud (captain) Croatia center23 Tony Azevedo USA Veselin Đuho Croatia Coach Croatian player Maro Jokovic (5) VK Jug Dubrovnik players: Serbian fan incidents, radical and nationalistic flags - usual activity in every sport for their fans They will host EURO 2016 in this sport, excellent references from previous events.
Water polo at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships The men's water polo tournament at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships will be held in Piscines Bernat Picornell, Barcelona, Spain from 23 July - 3 August. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo_at_the_2013_World_Aquatics_Championships_–_Men's_tournament
Controversial match between Red Star Belgrade and Jug Dubrovnik in Serbia. Words of Croatian water polo player Miho Boskovic.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miho_Bošković Quote: "In Belgrade it was hard to play because of many things, but the key is that we missed our opportunity....they threw on us few pieces of wooden slats, but it did not affected so much. In that game they showed that their fans are savages and that's their problem"
Water polo World Cup 2013 started today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo_at_the_2013_World_Aquatics_Championships_–_Men's_tournament Ten teams seem interesting to follow. They will decide about the highest positions.
World Cup 2013 Barcelona: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWNAy4pC9F0 Water Polo Highlights, Day 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeNJVWFh7ps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPOd0lRJdX4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRd37FFhG_k
Water Polo World Cup 2013 Knock Out Stage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo_at_the_2013_World_Aquatics_Championships_–_Men's_tournament
Results: 29-01-14 Jug (Croatia) 8-7 Pro Recco (Italy) 29-01-14 Olympiakos (Greece) 9-8 Barceloneta (Spain) 29-01-14 Primorje (Croatia) 20-7 Eger (Hungary) 29-01-14 AN Brescia (Italy) 8-9 Radnički 29-01-14 Oradea 9-9 Galatasaray 29-01-14 Partizan 7-5 Spandau (Germany) Standings: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEN_Champions_League_2013-2014 Upcoming matches: 22-02-14 Pro Recco-Jug 22-02-14 Barceloneta-Olympiakos 22-02-14 Eger-Primorje 22-02-14 Galatasaray-Oradea 22-02-14 Radnički-AN Brescia 22-02-14 Spandau-Partizan