Although 10 games remain in the Euro Cup Qualifications, almost all Group Stage berths have been allocated after today’s matches.
Ten teams secured their places in the next stage this evening: Primorac, Pays d’Aix (Group A), Apollon, Savona, Partizan (Group B), Sabac, Jug (Group C), Barcelona (Group D), BVSC and Terrassa (Group E).
Posillipo and Vouliagmeni will face off tomorrow in the battle for 2nd place in Group C and the last available ticket for the Group Stage
2027 Euro Cup Qualifications, Day 3
GROUP A (Aix-en-Provence), Round 2
Dinamo Tbilisi – Primorac 11:25 (1:4, 2:6, 5:8, 3:7)
Pays d’Aix – Galatasaray 19:15 (3:4, 5:3, 5:5, 6:3)
Primorac cruised to victory over Dinamo, with Balsa Vuckovic scoring six goals and Yusuke Inaba adding five.
Pays d’Aix defeated Galatasaray by four goals, but the French side had to wait until the fourth period to secure the win after a game with a few turns. Galatasaray held a two-goal lead midway through the second period (6:4), but Pays d’Aix fought back to take an 8:7 advantage into halftime. The visitors stayed in contention throughout the third period, and early in the fourth, they cut the deficit to just one goal for the last time (13:14).
Pays d’Aix then went on a 3–0 run to extend its lead to four goals (17:13) with three minutes remaining. The hosts maintained that margin until the final buzzer. Alexis Drahe and Daichi Ogihara led the French side’s attack, scoring six and five goals, respectively.
Standings: 1. Primorac 6, 2. Pays d’Aix 6, 3. Galatasaray 0, 4. Dinamo 0.
GROUP B (Athens), Rounds 3 and 4
Savona – Sintez Kazan 17:11 (5;2, 4:3, 5:1, 3:5)
Partizan – ASC Duisburg 14:13 (2:2, 1:2, 2:2, 4:3, PSO 5:4)
Sintez – ASC Duisburg 11:12 (1:5, 2:3, 5:1, 3:3)
Apollon Smyrnis – Savona 16:15 (4:2, 1:2, 3:6, 4:2, PSO 4:3)
Savona opened the morning session with a comfortable 17:11 victory over Sintez. Gil, Occhione and Andrea Condemi led the Italian side’s attack, scoring four goals apiece.
The clash between Partizan and ASC Duisburg proved to be a thriller. The Germans needed a win to keep their hopes of reaching the Group Stage alive, and they set the pace early on. Early in the second half, ASC Duisburg held a 6:3 lead. However, Partizan fought back, cutting the deficit to 6:7 before the final period. The Serbs took the lead for the first time with just 15 seconds remaining, when Vuk Andjelic converted a penalty to make it 9:8. But Sasa Seifert struck just two seconds before the final buzzer to level the score at 9:9 and send the game to a penalty shootout.
One save by Partizan goalkeeper Stefan Todorovski proved decisive, helping his team secure the victory. Andjelic was the hero of Partizan’s comeback, scoring all four of the Serbian side’s goals in the fourth period.
After losing all chances to qualify for the next stage, ASC Duisburg still had one more game to play—and its final result would have a major impact on the group standings. Less than six hours after the defeat to Partizan, the Germans returned to the pool and secured a victory that determined the fate of all participating teams.
ASC Duisburg closed its tournament campaign with a 12:11 win over Sintez. The result secured Group Stage places for Savona, Apollon, and Partizan, while locking Sintez into 5th place in the group, regardless of the remaining matches.
The Germans led 8:3 at halftime. Sintez came back and trailed by a goal before the final quarter (8:9). Duisburg built an 11:8 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Sintez cut its deficit once again (10:11). Metten doubled the Germans’ advantage to 12:10 with 19 seconds remaining. Sintez then scored a consolation goal. Sasa Seifert topped the scorers’ list with four goals.
Apollon and Savona played with little pressure, as they learned they had qualified for the Euro Cup Group Stage before their clash. But, it was an exciting game. Apollon started furiously, earning an early 3:0 lead. However, the hosts couldn’t keep that rhythm throughout the match. Savona made a big turn and took a 10:7 lead in the 23rd minute. Apollon leveled at 10:10, but Savona entered the final minute with a two-goal advantage (12:10). Still, the contest wasn’t over. Apollon scored two goals in the last 42 seconds. Laskaridis netted an equalizer from a counterattack in the very last second.
Apollon had stronger nerves in a shootout and won two points, which gives the Greeks a big chance to keep 1st place in a very balanced group. American Hannes Daube, who didn’t score a single goal against Partizan yesterday, was unstoppable today, scoring six goals.
Standings: 1. Apollon 8 (3 games), 2. Savona 7 (3), 3. Partizan 5 (3), 4. ASC Dusburg 4 (4), 5. Sintez 0 (3)
GROUP C (Sabac), Round 2
Sabac – Enka 18:11 (4:2, 4:2, 4:1, 6:6)
White Sharks – Jug 10:24 (1:5, 6:9, 1:4, 2:6)
As expected, Sabac and Jug advanced to the Group Stage from the tournament in Sabac.
Sabac led throughout the match against Enka, but the Turks came back, cutting the gap to 2:3, 3:5, and 4:6. After Enka’s fourth goal, Sabac went on a 5:0 run, securing a comfortable 11:4 advantage in the 20th minute. Experienced Ognjen Stojanovic led the scoring with five goals.
Jug was dominant in the game against White Sharks from the first whistle. Vlaho Pavlic scored six and Marko Zuvela added four in Jug’s 24:10 win. Luk Jaeschke was the German team’s top scorer (five goals).
Standings: 1. Sabac 6, 2. Jug 6, 3. Enka 0, 4. White Sharks 0.
GROUP D (Naples), Round 2
Posillipo – Barcelona 9:11 (2:3, 1:3, 3:3, 3;2)
Dinamo Bucharest – Vouliagmeni 11:12 (3:7, 4:5, 2:6, 2:3)
Barcelona dictated the pace in the first match of the day, against Posillipo. The hosts equalized at 1:1 and 2:2. However, Barceloneta produced a 4:0 run a the finish of the first period and in the opening minutes of the second quarter going to 6:2. The contest wasn’t over yet, as Posillipo fought back and came very close to the rival on several occasions in the second half (6:7, 7:9, 8>10(.In the 30th minute, Pol Prat converted a man-up, making it 11:8 and sealing Barcelona’s victory. Abel Ramon led the winning team with five goals, while Balzarini scored five for Posillipo.
Dinamo offered strong resistance to Posillipo yesterday. But, Vouliagmeni left no chance to the Romanians in the second round. The Greeks’ good start set the tone of the match. They earned a four-goal lead already in the 7th minute (6:2). Early in the second period, Vouliagmeni stretched the margin to five (8:3). Vouliagmeni, led by Troulos (6 goals) and Kastrinakis (5) reached a double-digit lead at the finish of the encounter.
Standings: 1. Barcelona 6, 2. Vouliagmeni 3, 3. Barcelona 3, 4. Dinamo 0.
GROUP E (Podgorica), Round 2
Buducnost – Terrassa 10:19 (4:4, 1:6, 2:4, 3:5)
BVSC – Primorje 14:5 (5:2, 1:1, 3:1, 5:1)
Terrassa secured a convincing victory over Buducnost in the middle of the game. Two goals separated the rivals in the 12th minute – Terrassa led 7:5. Over the next eight minutes, the Spaniards scored six unanswered goals, jumping to 13:5, and there was no way back for the hosts. Oscar Blasco, Albert Sabadell and Luka Krstic scored four goals each for Terrassa.
BVSC was too strong for Primorje. By the 13th minute, the Hungarians built a 6:2 lead. Primorje scored the last goal in the first half (3:6), but couldn’t come back. BVSC opened the second half with two quick goals to make it 8:3. In the rest of the match, the Budapest-based side secured a convincing win, playing excellently in defense. As for attack, BVSC had eight different scorers, with Simon scoring three goals.
Standings: 1. BVSC 6, 2. Terrassa 6, 3. Buducnost 0, 4. Primorje 0.
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