Courtesy: LEN
There were no comebacks in the Champions League Women quarter-finals – all four winners of the first leg made the Final Four, three of them with double victories. This means that two Spanish teams, Sabadell and Mataro, 8-time champion Orizzonte from Italy and Hungary’s surprise squad Dunaujvaros will go for the trophy on 30 March and 1 April.
Assolim CN Mataro (ESP) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 15-12 – aggregate: 26-21
Though Olympiacos jumped to a 0-2 lead – which equalled the aggregate score as Mataro had won 11-9 in Piraeus –, the hosts could break the ice after a little more than four minutes, and once it happened, they scored three in a row from connecting possessions in 84 seconds. Olympiacos netted two in 40sec to lead 3-4, but Cristina Nogue equalised 15 seconds from time, so it stood 4-4 after the first period. Vasiliki Plevritou put the Greeks ahead once more from their first possession, then Mataro started rolling again, shut out their rivals for the next three and a half minutes while staged another 3-0 run to lead 7-5. And they held that gap till the middle break for 9-7.
Olympiacos had a better spell early in the third when they came back to 9-9 in 50 seconds but then arrived another storm from the Spaniards. Just like in the previous quarters, they had another three-goal streak, and this did the ultimate damage. Their two foreign greats Dutch Simone van der Kraats and Hungarian Rita Keszthelyi were on fire, while the Greeks had another goalless phase of 4:35 minutes and they could not recover from 12-9.
Keszthelyi and van der Kraats added one apiece right at the beginning of the fourth to make it 14-10, which closed down the contest. They finished the match 9 goals combined, playing a major role to send Mataro to the Final Four for the second time in their history after 2017.
Dunaujvarosi VC (HUN) v CE Mediterrani (ESP) 9-8 – aggregate: 22-17
Dunaujvaros’ wonder-quest ended up in the Final Four – something not even the team expected at the beginning of the season. They lost two key-players and started their campaign with six rookies, most of them still in their teens, still, they have been enjoying an unbeaten run in the Champions League, and after having held on for draws against Italy’s two top sides Orizzonte and Padova in the prelims, now beat Mediterrani in both legs.
Their big four-goal win from two weeks ago had an impact on this return leg – the Hungarians were a bit nervous at the beginning, standing at the entrance of the finals for everyone’s surprise, backed a capacity crowd in their home pool, but, at the same time, they never lost their composure and discipline. That was bad news for the Spaniards, who didn’t want to rush things for a while but despite claiming a 0-2 lead in the first half, they couldn’t really harm the hosts’ confidence. Dunaujvaros pulled one back after four minutes, then Mediterrani scored early in the second for 1-3, but the Magyars didn’t start panicking, defended well and deep into this period they levelled the score in 96 seconds. Clara Espar netted a fine one from action, but the hosts could equalise again, what’s more, Nikolett Szabo put away an extra in the last second to take the lead for the first time in the afternoon at 5-4.
The third was a kind of replica of the opening period – Dunaujvaros could score after long minutes and only once in this quarter, still, their defence worked well, their Dutch goalie Laura Aarts came up with some tremendous saves. This let the Spaniards come back only to even, Axelle Crevier netted two extras, the second with 0:02 on the clock for 6-6. She hit a third one 66 seconds into the fourth to give Mediterrani some hope at 6-7. However, they couldn’t capitalise on it as the Hungarians defence tightened up once more, shut out the Spaniards for more than five minutes while netting three connecting goals, two finely played extras plus a third penalty goal by Krisztina Garda to kill all excitements at 9-7.
Ekipe Orizzonte (ITA) v ANO Glyfada iRepair (GRE) 15-9 – aggregate: 29-22
Last season, the Greek clubs swept the trophies in the women’s competitions, Olympiacos won the Euro League and Ethnikos lifted the LEN Trophy. With Olympiacos gone early afternoon, Glyfada remained their last hope, but they faced a mountain to climb as they lost at home in the first leg. Though they came back from six-goals down two weeks ago to lose by a single goal, the Italians were still the overwhelming favourites.
And they had a commanding start as they rushed to a 4-1 lead, but Glyfada could pull back two before the first break. After an early exchange of goals, it stood 5-4 but that was the last time the two sides were close. The hosts hit two in 42 seconds for 7-4 and after Eirini Ninou’s penalty goal Orizzonte added another quick double to gain a 9-5 lead at halftime. Though Glyfada pulled two back but after 9-7 Orizzonte staged a 4-0 rush, the last two came in 24 seconds which put a virtual end to the contest at 13-7. This gap remained till the end, so the 8-time winner Italian side can return to the finals after five years.
SIS Roma (ITA) v Astralpool Sabadell (ESP) 13-10 – aggregate: 23-25
It would have taken a miracle from the Romans to erase their five-goal deficit against five-time winner Sabadell – and even though they managed to win by three at the end, the Spaniards’ qualification was never in danger. Indeed, Sabadell took control in the return leg early on and for three periods they were in the lead almost constantly.
Though the hosts led 2-1 but were unable to score for the remaining 4:41 minutes in the first while Sabadell went 2-3 ahead in this phase. In the second, the Italians could equalise twice, then the visitors’ two master-shooters Judith Forca and Beatriz Ortiz both netted an extra for 4-6. Sofia Giustini’s action goal halved the distance before the middle break, but again, despite Roma levelled the score twice in the third, after 7-7 Sabadell hit two in a span of 37 seconds for 7-9. Sofia Giustini netted her 6th goal for 8-9, still, with six goals down in aggregate, the Italians’ situation was anything but promising with eight minutes remaining.
The home side staged a fine surge early on, scored three goals in a row for 11-9, then Catharina van der Sloot missed a penalty, for a while the Italians could have some hope. It lasted until Sabadell’s 3-time Olympic champ US star Maggie Steffens didn’t hit one from a 6 on 5 for 11-10 with 2:51 on the clock. Though the Italians could score twice in the remaining time, the second came 19 seconds before the end, so this three-goal win was only a consolation for the hosts.