Champions League Men: Highlights show and five talking points from day 4 of quarter-final stage

1. On Day 1 of the Champions League quarter-final Stage, Recco became the first team in two years to beat Ferencvaros in regular time. And the way they dismantled the title-holders was astonishing, a 0-5 opening period and a four-goal win at the end, it was Recco at their best.

Come Day 4, and Fradi ended Recco’s unbeaten streak the Italians had held across all competitions since their Super Cup final loss to Fradi in early October.

It is somewhat ironic that FTC came up with this heroic effort on Day 4 – in the previous two seasons, when they had their monstrous 88-2 run (all matches included), those two defeats came in the fourth round of the quarter-final stage respectively when Fradi visited the strongest rivals and fell to Olympiacos in 2024, then to Barceloneta (in a shootout) in 2025.

This season, they have already suffered two defeats, against Brescia and Recco, both at home and with three key players injured – replaced by talented juniors – and a couple of more playing with sickness (like Stylianos Argyropoulos), Fradi didn’t look like a team ready to achieve one of the biggest feats in water polo, to upend Recco in Genoa.

Then in the first period it was already clear, that this was going to be different – Fradi was 0 for 5 in man-ups on Day 1, now they went 6 for 6, which highlighted Recco’s problems during these weeks, the vulnerability of their defence.

They conceded 16 in their last league match from Savona and at the end this week Fradi also stopped at 16. Down by six at half-time, 4-10, Recco tried to stage a big comeback and indeed they had a seven-on-six at the end to tie the game, but the Magyar defence denied them and Szilard Jansik sent the ball to the empty net to seal FTC’s win and maintain their unbeaten run in away matches (across all competitions).

It’s not a big blow for Recco, though, just a small chink in their armour – since Mladost sank in Hannover, it is almost sure that Recco and Fradi will qualify to the Final Four, and since the Italians managed to get inside the four-goal gap (they won 13-9 in Budapest), they have a good chance to keep the top spot in the group.

2. Since the Champions League brand and playing format started in the 2013/14 season, Recco have only been beaten three times at home – an amazing run from the 11-times winners.

In 2019, OSC Budapest won 9-12, followed by CNAB’s 8-9 win in 2023, and now Fradi upended them 14-16.

What links the first and the current defeats is the brilliant Krisztian Manhercz.

Playing for OSC seven years ago, he led the charge with three goals – now he hit five, four right away in the first period.

It also stood out how much impact came from the players who skipped the demanding World Cup tournament in early April, where six matches in seven days took a heavy toll.

Manhercz was among those who stayed out, and his freshness showed. The same can be said for his fellow Hungarians, Daniel Angyal and Gergo Zalanki.

Both played crucial roles in Piraeus, where Olympiacos needed a big performance against Novi Beograd. They combined for five of the Greeks’ last seven goals, sealing an important win in a gruelling contest.

Roger Tahull’s display was equally influential in CNAB’s dominant victory over Brescia.

The experienced centre-forward, also absent from Spain’s squad in Alexandroupoli, imposed himself physically, drawing exclusions and adding two excellent goals as Barceloneta cruised to a commanding win.

3. Talking about CNAB, the Spaniards have officially become the first team to secure a place in the Final Four.

They remain the only side in the quarter-final stage with a perfect record, claiming their fourth win in emphatic fashion. Their 11-goal demolition of Brescia stands as the most dominant result so far – especially notable in a phase where margins are typically much tighter and most matches turn into nail-biters.

Until now, the biggest win had been Fradi’s nine-goal victory over Hannover. Even last season, double-digit margins were rare at this stage, usually appearing only when already-eliminated teams began to fade – like Jadran Split’s heavy 6-18 home loss to Marseille.

What makes this result even more striking is Brescia’s recent form. They had reignited their campaign with an impressive win over Novi Beograd on Day 3, only to collapse in Barceloneta in the very next round.

4. Luck hasn’t been on Novi Beograd’s side. The Serbs opened this stage with a magnificent win over Olympiacos, only to face a brutal stretch of three consecutive away matches.

First came a visit to Barceloneta, where they delivered a brilliant, toe-to-toe performance. The score was locked at 16-16 with 2:37 remaining, but the Spaniards found an extra gear and rattled off the final three goals.

Next was Brescia. The Italians were excellent, yet still couldn’t put the Serbs away. NBG kept fighting back despite trailing by five in the third and still being four down early in the fourth.

With 3:15 left, it was 12-11, and soon after Novi had a five-on-four chance – but missed it and suffered another narrow defeat.

This week brought a rematch with Olympiacos. Once again, the Greeks looked sharper early, building a three-goal lead after eight minutes.

But the Serbs clawed their way back, turning it into another intense back-and-forth battle. In the end, they had a man-up opportunity to force a draw – only to hit the post and walk away empty-handed for the third straight time.

That run of heartbreaks may well end their impressive streak of four consecutive Final Four appearances, including three trips to the final (all ending in silver).

There’s still a path forward – Novi holds the tie-breaker over the Greeks – but qualification is no longer in their hands.

5. Hannover have done it again. The Germans entered the group stage as clear underdogs, yet battled their way through one of the toughest sections, knocking out both Marseille and Sabadell.

Their comeback against Sabadell still stands out. The Spaniards led for most of the match and seemed in control at 12-14 with 3:13 remaining. Then came Hannover’s late surge: a stunning finish that flipped the game into a 16-14 victory.

Now they’ve repeated the trick. In their last home game against Mladost – who desperately needed all three points to stay in the race – the Croats went 12-14 ahead with 3:53 left.

But once again, Hannover produced a perfect closing run. A 3-0 burst in the final minutes sealed another comeback win, ensuring they wouldn’t end their quarter-final stage campaign empty-handed.

The result all but settles Mladost’s fate. They now trail Fradi and Recco by six points, and only a mathematical miracle can deny the top two, who need just a single point to officially book their Final Four spots.

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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