Euro Cup Men: Eight Finals set for thrilling conclusion as second legs get underway

As the decisive second legs of the men’s Euro Cup Eight Finals take place this weekend, European Aquatics spoke to several key players and coaches to get their views on the games ahead.

2025/26 Euro Cup Men
Eight Finals, Second-Legs
Saturday 7 March
(Local times shown, and first-leg scores)

19:00: Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v Panathinaikos AC (GRE) (10-11)
18:00: CN Terrassa (ESP) v CSM Oradea (ROU) (13-14)
19:00: VK Sabac Elixir (SRB) v CN Sabadell (ESP) (3-11)
19:00: CN Marseille (FRA) v RN Savona (ITA) (12-11)
18:00: BVSC Manna ABC (HUN) v Vasas Plaket (HUN) (8-11)
18:00: VK Jadran Split (CRO) v Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker (HUN) (15-10)
20:30: SPD Radnicki (SRB) v CN Barcelona (ESP) (15-10)
*VK Jug AO (CRO) v VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE) (13-14)
*To be played on Saturday 14 March

19:00: Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v Panathinaikos AC (GRE) (10-11)

The clash between Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi and Panathinaikos is one of four finely poised second legs, with just one goal separating the two teams.

Panathinaikos edged the first leg after Nikolaos Papasifakis fired in what proved to be the winner with just 24 seconds remaining.

Strahinja Gojkovic had a great chance to level at the death, but the Greek side’s USA star goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg produced a spectacular close range block to preserve his team’s lead.

Jadran dropped into the competition from the Champions League and began the tie as favourites. However, Panathinaikos arrive with a narrow lead and the belief they can finish the job as they fight for a place in the top eight.

“We expect a very demanding match,” Panathinaikos coach Dimitris Mazis told European Aquatics. “We have prepared as best we can to claim qualification to the next round.”

Jadran coach Vladimir Gojkovic added: “This is an extremely important match for us, an opportunity to reach the Euro Cup quarterfinals against an outstanding team.

“The result from the first leg means we are still very much in contention, and I believe we can achieve our goal in our home pool.”

18:00: CN Terrassa (ESP) v CSM Oradea (ROU) (13-14)

The tie between CN Terrassa and CSM Oradea is another finely balanced contest, with the Romanian side travelling to Spain holding a slender one goal advantage from the first leg.

Terrassa have played twice in Spain’s Division de Honor since their defeat in Romania, recording one win and one loss, both away from home, so back in their own pool, they will hope home support can inspire them to turn the tie around on Saturday night.

“This is a game we need to win at all costs to stay alive,” said Terrassa coach Sergi Mora. “We have to deliver a very complete performance and be clear with our game plan.

“We hope the atmosphere at the pool will be decisive. We need a full house to put pressure on our opponents and cheer on our players. Beyond tactics, the fans can be an extra player for us. It is a historic event and we need everyone’s support.

“We need to pay closer attention to the players who hurt us the most in the first leg. Oradea have a very complete style of play and force you to defend until the very last second, but there are a few key players we must keep under tighter control.

“On the other hand, we also need to manage our attacks better and avoid rushing. At times we play too much with our hearts when we should be playing more with our heads.”

Terrassa captain Ricard Alarcon is expecting another demanding contest.

“Saturday’s match will be a very tough one,” he said. “We know their weaknesses and what areas we need to work on. We are one goal behind, which is not the worst situation but certainly not the best either. We will try to come out with our best version from the very start.”

Oradea are aware their narrow lead could quickly disappear in Spain. Sebastian Oltean admitted his side had hoped to build a bigger advantage in the first leg.

“We wanted to win the first match by more goals. Unfortunately, the mistakes in the last minute cost us, conceding twice, and that is how we ended up with a minimal margin.

“We have to learn from these mistakes and not repeat them. We will go to Terrassa with the intention of playing better and qualifying.

“We face a strong opponent, an exponent of Spanish water polo, but we are determined to fight for qualification. We have prepared very well and are looking forward to this game. We are optimistic and confident of victory.”

19:00: VK Sabac Elixir (SRB) v CN Sabadell (ESP) (3-11)

Sabadell travel to Serbia with a commanding eight-goal advantage from the first leg, but captain and goalkeeper Ed Lorrio insists his side are taking nothing for granted ahead of their meeting with Sabac.

“We are expecting a very difficult match,” Lorrio said. “Sabac are a team that play very well at home, but our goal is to be in the next round and we want to win this game against them on Saturday.”

Sabac face a huge uphill task as they look to overturn the deficit, yet the Serbian side are determined to fight until the very end, especially in their own pool.

“There is no surrender in front of our home crowd, even if we are starting this game from behind,” said Sabac’s Veljko Tomic. “We have taken the lessons from the first encounter and are ready to put up a much stronger fight.”

19:00: CN Marseille (FRA) v RN Savona (ITA) (12-11)

Savona head to France looking to overturn a first leg deficit when they face Marseille, in what promises to be another intense European battle.

“As the first leg demonstrated, Savona and Marseille are two top level teams, and both obviously want to advance,” said Savona captain Valerio Rizzo ahead of the encounter.

“We will go to Marseille to play our way, just as they tried to impose their style of play in Savona. It will be a physical, tough match, full of clashes and counter attacks.

“Both teams will obviously be extremely focused on giving their best, as such a high level match in Europe demands.”

After the disappointment of crashing out of the Champions League, Marseille are determined to extend their continental campaign and make sure there are more European home nights to come beyond this weekend.

“The first leg was a success, but nothing is decided yet,” said Marseille coach Milos Scepanovic. “We have seen that Savona are a very strong and aggressive team.

“They will give everything to win the second leg, so it is up to us to fight hard and assert ourselves at home, in front of our fans.”

Marseille captain Ugo Crousillat echoed that message.

“Even though we won in Savona, which was no easy task, there is still a lot to play for,” he said. “We know they have ambitions to reach the next round, but we are determined not to give up anything and secure the win to qualify for the quarterfinals.”

18:00: BVSC Manna ABC (HUN) v Vasas Plaket (HUN) (8-11)

Since the thrilling first leg, Vasas Plaket have lost both of their games in the Hungarian league, while BVSC Manna ABC have won each of theirs.

However, the visitors faced the tougher opposition, losing to FTC 9-15 before edging past Szolnok 11-10, while BVSC defeated Debreceni 15-11 and Szeged 17-8.

Despite Vasas holding a three goal advantage, the tie remains far from settled and BVSC coach Daniel Varga is confident his side can still turn it around against their domestic rivals.

“I am very optimistic,” he said. “We are preparing to play step by step, goal by goal, and at the end anything can happen.

“I do not think anything has been decided yet. In the first leg we played a really good game and in the first half we were close to each other. We played well and I was satisfied with what I saw.

“But in the second half we lost our concentration, especially with our man up and with the quality of our shots. I think that was the biggest difference, and that is why Vasas earned a three goal difference.”

BVSC’s Benedek Batizi also believes his team can overturn the deficit.

“Our goal is to win by at least a four or five goal margin, so that we can continue playing in the Euro Cup.”

18:00: VK Jadran Split (CRO) v Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker (HUN) (15-10)

With a five goal lead from the first leg, VK Jadran Split will start the return match as clear favourites to progress, especially with them also having home advantage this weekend.

With the Croatian side’s talented roster, Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker will need to produce a near perfect performance if they are to upset the odds.

It could prove to be the end of the road for the Hungarians, but coach Zoltan Hangay insists his side will give their all.

“We will fight until the very end,” he said. “We have to look ahead and try to give our best every time. If we keep striving for this in every match, sooner or later it will pay off.”

Szolnok player Bertold Vamosi also shares his coach’s determination.

“We will try our best to make it as difficult as possible for them,” he said. “We have a quite busy schedule now, with matches every third or fourth day, so it might be a bit difficult to give our best every time, but we will not give up and we will fight until the last second.”

20:30: SPD Radnicki (SRB) v CN Barcelona (ESP) (15-10)

After winning the away leg by five goals, SPD Radnicki are firmly in the driving seat ahead of the return match against CN Barcelona.

“We are definitely feeling confident going into this game,” said Radnicki’s Bae Fountain. “But we know Barcelona kept it close with us the whole time in their pool, right up until the fourth quarter, so we are expecting another close match.”

It was 8-8 heading into the final quarter in Spain, before the Serbians pulled away in the last period, winning that 2-7 to open up a substantial lead.

“Defensively we know we can just play our systems and rely on our solid defence to stop their attacks,” added Fountain.

“We know how Barcelona like to play, so we will do everything we can to combat that and treat this game with the utmost respect.

“Knowing Barcelona have the capability to score goals and play really good defence, we will go out there and try our best and hopefully come away with another win.”

*VK Jug AO (CRO) v VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE) (13-14)
*To be played on Saturday 14 March

VK Jug AO may trail by one goal from the first leg, but they will still believe they can turn the tie around against VPK Primorac Kotor.

Jug coach Vjeko Kobescak will be hoping his key players, such as Maro Jokovic and Vlaho Pavlic, can be the difference. Jokovic was the top scorer in the first leg with four goals, while Pavlic added three.

Primorac showed great character in the opening encounter, recovering from a 0-4 deficit to claim the victory, and the Montenegrin side will be determined to start much better when the teams meet again on Saturday 14 March.

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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

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