Honved and De Akker will compete in the Conference Cup final in Athens. The Greek clubs, co-hosts of the Final Four, Apollon Smyrnis and Panionios, will compete for the bronze medal in the first edition of the youngest European club competition.
Honved defeated Apollon 16:12, and De Akker edged Panionios 13:12 in today’s semifinals.
Apollon, with strong support from its fans, scored the first goal in the match against Honved. However, the Hungarians imposed their rhythm shortly after, scoring three goals in 02:04 minutes to build a 3:1 lead. Early in the second half, Honved stretched the margin to three – 5:2 and 6:3. Apollon replied immediately after each of the two goals. However, Honved went on a new quick 3:0 run midway through the second period, jumping to 9:4. Throughout the rest of the game, the difference never fell below three goals.
The second semifinal was more exciting. De Akker opened the match with a 2:0 lead, but Panionios replied with a 3:0 run. At halftime, the Greeks led 6:5. Panionios opened the third period with two quick goals, widening the gap to 8:5. It seemed that the Greeks had control, but De Akker were able to come back.
Early in the fourth period, Edoardo Campopiano converted a penalty shot to level the score at 10:10. From that point until 12:12, the teams traded goals. Left-handed Campopiano scored his fifth and De Akker’s 12th goal in the 28th minute. The Italians’ goalkeeper Santini posted a save in Panionios’s next possession. Just 41 seconds after Campopiano’s equalizer, Dashuel McFarland put De Akker in front – 13:12. It was the Italians’ first lead after the opening 2:0. De Akker managed to keep its slim advantage in the remaining 03:30 minutes even though Panionios had three man-up possessions.
2026 Conference Cup, Final Four Athens
Semifinals
Honved – Apollon Smyrnis 16:12 (4:2, 5:4, 4:3, 3:3)
Honved: Vadovics 4, Moskov 4, Sugar 2, Bencz 2, Kiss 1, Ekler 1, Kevi 1, Szepfalvi 1.
Apollon Smyrnis: Bogdanovic 3, Solanakis 3, Laskaridis 2, Daube 2, Alamanos 1, Kapotsis 1
De Akker – Panionios 13:12 (3:4, 2:2, 4:4, 4:2)
De Akker: Campopiano 5,McFaland 3, Bragantini 2, Painter 1, Di Muro 1, Lucci 1.
Panionios: Gounas 5, K. Bitsakos 2, Suzuki 2, A.Bitsakos 2, Mourikis 1.
More articles about the Conference Cup
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