Mladost and Recco in pole position to reach Euro Cup final
After two contrasting first-leg clashes in the men’s Euro Cup semi-finals, the stage is set for this week’s decisive second-legs. Favourites Pro Recco dominated their encounter with KEIO CN Sabadell and will start with a formidable 10-goal lead in Spain, while HAVK Mladost edged past SPD Radnicki 13-10 at home, and face a much tougher task to maintain their advantage in Serbia on Thursday night.
2024/25 Euro Cup Men
Semi-Finals Second-Legs
Thursday, 24th April 2025
(Local times shown)
19:00: SPD Radnicki (SRB) v HAVK Mladost (CRO)
(First-leg: 10-13)
19:30: KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) v Pro Recco (ITA)
(First-leg: 6-16)
HAVK Mladost finally got the better of their rivals SPD Radnicki three weeks ago in Zagreb. It had been a long wait for the Croatians, as their last victory against the Serbians was way back in 2016.
Since that win in the Regional League nine years ago, Radnicki dominated the next six clashes between the two teams, winning five and drawing one, so it was a case of seventh time lucky for Mladost.
After Radnicki’s heroics in the Regional League Final Four a few days before the first-leg, where they lifted the famous trophy for a second time after beating Jadran Split, it was possibly a good time for Mladost to face them.
This week, however, Uros Stevanovic’s players will be fresher, and ready and waiting in their home pool, backed by a large partisan crowd.
In the first-leg, Mladost were never behind and even held a 9-4 lead midway through the third quarter, so their players were a little disappointed to see Radnicki cut the deficit to three by the final buzzer (13-10).
‘We opened the first game well and are entering the second half with an advantage,’ Mladost’s Konstantin Kharkov told his club’s website. ‘But, of course, you know how it is in today’s water polo – a three-goal advantage doesn’t mean much.’
Mladost can expect a fierce battle on Thursday right from the start and will need their big hitters – including Kharkov, who top scored with four goals in the opening clash – to be at the top of their game if they are to reach their third Euro Cup final.
The Croatians triumphed in 2001 against Leonessa (now Brescia) and lost in 2014 to Spartak Volgograd, while Radnicki won the title in 2013 after beating Florentia in their only appearance in the final.
The Mladost and Radnicki tie is still firmly in the balance, but the same can’t be said about Thursday’s other semi-final second-leg between Pro Recco and KEIO CN Sabadell.
The Italians dominated the first-leg at home and could have been further ahead had Sabadell not managed to silence them for almost seven minutes of the second quarter.
It was a brief respite after the Euro Cup favourites had raced into a 6-0 lead in the opening period, as Recco ended the night with a commanding 10-goal advantage to take to Spain.
‘If there was a perfect match, I can say it was tonight,’ Recco head coach Sandro Sukno told his club’s website after the 16-6 victory. ‘Our first shots went in and we took away their chances to restart. We did well in defence, as we remained compact and solid until the very end.’
As Recco’s pursuit of a first Euro Cup title continues to gather pace, Sabadell – who won the title in 2022 – will look to restore some pride in front of their own supporters.
‘We have to forget about the first leg, as we weren’t at our best, and we need to play the match against Recco as if it were a final, especially for our fans,’ said Sabadell’s Axel Corres.
‘Only by doing that will we be able to compete until the end against one of the best teams in Europe.’
‘We’re going to approach it like a brand-new game and give it our all to try and come out with the win,’ added Alberto Barroso, who scored a hat-trick in the first-leg.
The Spaniards have a massive mountain to climb, but at least they have recently been shown how to beat Recco, as Brescia knocked the Italian giants off the top of the national A1 league last Friday after a dramatic 13-12 victory.
That loss has set Recco on a collision course with Savona in their domestic play-off semi-finals this coming weekend.
‘Reaching the Euro Cup final looks easy on paper, but we will still bring the right energy and attitude to Sabadell,’ said Recco captain Francesco Di Fulvio.
‘We are aiming to improve from Friday’s defeat to Brescia and we’re building towards the clash with Savona. With only a month left of the season, every game and practice counts.’
The Euro Cup semi-final second-legs take place on Thursday 24th April. You can watch all the action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com, and stay up-to-date with all the results and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.
Andy Rollé for European Aquatics
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