1/2 Finales Euro Cup 2014-2015

Posillipo, Acquachiara to battle for Euro Cup

 By: Tim Hartog  Men, Euro Cup

For the first time since the 2002-2003 season two teams from the same country will battle for the Euro Cup. And after Brescia and Florentia did so back then, this season again two Italian teams will have the honour. Even more unique, two squads from the same city got onto the finals on Wednesday holding on in their respective semifinals leg 2. And that just happened once before, back in 1997 when Budapest based Újpest and Ferencváros squared off for the title. Both Posillipo and Acquachiara saw their important victories in leg 1 not endangered in the return matches on Wednesday as they secured their spots in the Euro Cup finals, to be played 28 March and 11 April. Posillipo came out strong at home in the first half to beat Steaua Bucharest 8-5, while Acquachiara drew level with Mornar in Croatia 7-7 but enjoyed a comfortable 4-goal advantage from leg 1 so knew that their finals berth was virtually secured. Both teams make their debut and thus could win their first Euro Cup, although Posillipo holds a rich history that includes 3 European titles (1997, 1998, 2005) and 2 Cup Winners' Cups (1988, 2003).


Euro Cup 2014-2015
Semifinals

Leg 2

Wednesday, 4 March

C.N. Posillipo (ITA) vs. Steaua Bucharest (ROU) 8-5 (3-1, 2-0, 2-2, 1-2)
Posillipo scorers: Paride Saccoia 3, Valentino Gallo (pictured) 2, Aleksandar Radovic, Vincenzo Renzuto Iodice, Jacopo Mandolini.

Steaua scorers: Mihnea Chioveanu 2, Daniel Teohari, Matej Nastran, Miroslav Randic.

Mornar BS (CRO) vs. Carpisa Yamamay Acquachiara (ITA) 7-7 (1-1, 1-3, 3-2, 2-1)
Mornar scorers: Ivan Domagoj Zovic 2, Rino Buric 2, Maroje Gluhaic, Jure Marelja, Marin Ban.

Acquachiara scorers: Stefano Luongo 2, Amaurys Perez, Fran Paskvalin, Antonio Petkovic, Giacomo Lanzoni, Luca Marziali.

Finals

Leg 1
28 March, 2015

Leg 2
11 April, 2015


Leg 1 results

Wednesday, 11 February

Steaua Bucharest (ROU) vs. C.N. Posillipo (ITA) 6-8 (0-1, 3-3, 2-3, 1-1)
Steaua scorers: Petar Filipovic 3, Nicolae Diaconu, Mihnea Chioveanu, Miroslav Randic.

Posillipo scorers: Aleksandar Radovic 3, Valentino Gallo 2, Vincenzo Dolce, Filip Klikovac, Paride Saccoia.

Carpisa Yamamay Acquachiara (ITA) vs. Mornar BS (CRO) 15-11 (6-2, 4-2, 3-2, 2-5)
Acquachiara scorers Antonio Petkovic 5, Fran Paskvalin 4, Giuseppe Valentino 2, Amaurys Perez, Stefano Luongo, Matteo Astartita, Matteo Gitto.

Posillipo, Acquachiara take first step to Euro Cup finals

 By: Tim Hartog  Men, Euro Cup

The Italian representatives in the Euro Cup semifinals have made a first, big step towards the finals on Wednesday both winning their respective leg 1 match-ups. Posillipo held on to beat Steaua Bucharest in a tough battle 6-8 in Romania's capital enjoying a +2 goal scoring advantage with still a home game to be played. Meanwhile fellow Naples based side Acquachiara defeated Croatian opponents Mornar 15-11 at home in a high-scoring contest. Thanks to a strong showing in the first half Acquachiara took firm control of the game only to see Mornar cutting the deficit to 4 in the final period. However their '+4' has the current Italian number 4 in the driver's seat for the finals. Both leg 2 games are to be played on Wednesday, 4 March.


Euro Cup 2014-2015
Semifinals

Leg 1
Wednesday, 11 February

Steaua Bucharest (ROU) vs. C.N. Posillipo (ITA) 6-8 (0-1, 3-3, 2-3, 1-1)
Steaua scorers: Petar Filipovic 3, Nicolae Diaconu, Mihnea Chioveanu, Miroslav Randic.

Posillipo scorers: Aleksandar Radovic 3, Valentino Gallo 2, Vincenzo Dolce, Filip Klikovac, Paride Saccoia.

Carpisa Yamamay Acquachiara (ITA) vs. Mornar BS (CRO) 15-11 (6-2, 4-2, 3-2, 2-5)
Acquachiara scorers Antonio Petkovic (pictured) 5, Fran Paskvalin 4, Giuseppe Valentino 2, Amaurys Perez, Stefano Luongo, Matteo Astartita, Matteo Gitto.

Mornar scorers: Jerko Marinic Kragic 3, Duje Lusic 2, Rino Buric 2, Ante Corusic, Slavko Calic, Jure Marelja, Marin Ban.

Leg 2

Wednesday, 4 March

Italian sides resit in Euro Cup semis

 By: Tim Hartog  Men, Euro Cup

Both Posillipo and Acquachiara will have another shot at the Euro Cup finals. For the second straight year both Naples based sides reached the semifinals of the 2nd tier European club tournament but now try to erase the dissapointing memories of last year where Mladost Zagreb and Spartak Volgograd prevented an all-Italian finals clash by upsetting the slight favourites in the semis. On Wednesday both teams will start off a new try against different opponents. Posillipo travels to Bucharest taking on Romanian top team Steaua Bucharest who are keen to highlighting their successful run by reaching the final. The Romanians played a tough two-game quarterfinals battle but managed to eliminate German outsiders Waspo Hannover after a critical 9-7 home win in leg 1. Posillipo meanwhile was the only team to have won the series after losing game 1. Things looked good for Russian opponents Sintez Kazan who triumphed 9-6 at home but were not enough prepared for what was awaiting them in Naples in leg 2. Here Posillipo stormed back and thanks to a convincing 12-7 victory still won the series.

The second semifinal will start off in Naples as Acquachiara hosts Croatian side Mornar BS. The Croatians are coming off a tense quarterfinal battle with fellow Italians of Savona who fell in Split, Croatia 10-5 in leg 1 but were close to an upset at home in game 2 where Mornar narrowly held on to reach the semis (8-4 loss). Acquachiara meanwhile used a solid but also impressive 13-7 home win in leg 1 of their quarterfinals, facing French side Olympic Nice, to quickly decide things as the 10-10 draw in leg 2 was more than enough to reach the semis.

Euro Cup 2014-2015
Semifinals

Leg 1

Wednesday, 11 February

18.00: Steaua Bucharest (ROU) vs. C.N. Posillipo (ITA)
20.30: Carpisa Yamamay Acquachiara (ITA) vs. Mornar BS (CRO)

Leg 2

Wednesday, 4 March

Euro Cup, draw for the SF

Naples sides avoid each other again

The draw for the semifinals of the Euro Cup has been made in Belgrade on the occasion of the annual meeting of the LEN Technical Water Polo Committee.

Just as in last year, the two Naples based team avoided clashing each other in the semis – and the Italian sides have strong hopes to end the comparisons with last season here. A year ago neither of them survived the SF, that time Posillipo lost to Mladost (CRO) and Acquachiara to eventual winner Spartak Volgograd (ROU) – this time they wish to reach the final.

However, it won’t be an easy ride, as their respective rivals enjoyed some fine spells en route to the semis. Mornar (CRO) ousted the third Italian participant, former three-time winner Carisa Savona. Though the Croats had some scares in the return leg as Savona almost managed to come back from the four-goal loss in the first leg. This time the Split based team faces its second Italian test against Acquachiara which passed the QF easily by beating Olympic Nice (FRA).

Steaua Bucuresti came up with the best Romanian effort on club level in recent years: they won a tough battle against Hannover (GER) in the quarters and now they meet Posillipo. The other team from Naples produced the biggest win of the quarters as they beat 2007 winner Sintez (RUS) by five goals in the second leg after a three-goal loss in Russia.

Euro Cup

Semifinals

Carpisa Yamamay Acquachiara Napoli (ITA) vs. Mornar Brodospas Split (CRO)
Steaua Bucharest (ROU) vs. Circolo Posillipo Napoli (ITA)

First leg: 11 February • Second leg: 4 March

Naples sides avoid match-up in Euro Cup semis

 By: Tim Hartog  Men, Euro Cup

Just like in last year's edition the Naples based sides avoided each other in a possible semi-final match-up in the Euro Cup. Hopefully with more luck this time as the semi-finals proved the final station for the Italian team in the previous edition. In the draw, announced by LEN on Saturday it was unveiled that Acquachiara will take on Croatian representative Mornar BS while Posillipo meets Romanian powerhouse Steaua Bucharest. Mornar, responsible for the elimination of third Italian representative, three-time Euro Cup champion Savona in the quarterfinals, now face a convincing Acquachiara side who ousted Olympic Nice on their way to the semis. Steaua Bucharest won a tough battle with Waspo 98 Hannover from Germany in the quarters to now record the best performance by a Romanian squad in European club competition in recent years, but now face the daunting task of overcoming Posillipo. The Italians managed to turn things aroud in a tough quarterfinal battle with 2007 Euro Cup winner Sintez Kazan losing leg 1 by 3 goals. In the return leg however a big 5-goal victory secured their spot with the final four in an attempt to top last year's performance and make it to the final.

Euro Cup 2014-2015
Semifinals

Carpisa Yamamay Acquachiara (ITA) vs. Mornar BS (CRO)
Steaua Bucharest (ROU) vs. CN Posillipo (ITA)

Leg 1: 11 February, 2015
Leg 2: 4 March, 2015.