Marseille won its second Euro Cup trophy.
Jadran defeated the French team 16:14 in the return match of the final, played in front of a packed crowd at the outdoor pool in Split. However, Marseille managed to keep an advantage in the aggregate score, thanks to a 19:16 victory in the first match in France.
The match in Split was a closely contested battle with numerous lead changes. Jadran held the advantage over Marseille for more time than Marseille, but the hosts’ lead never exceeded two goals. This occurred three times, with scores of 2:0, 11:9, and 16:14. On each of the first two occasions, Marseille quickly reduced their deficit. After Jadran took a 16:14 lead in the 30th minute, the Croats had several opportunities to extend their advantage to three goals but were unable to do so. Ultimately, Marseille secured their second Euro Cup victory.
The French won their first trophy in this competition in 2018, when today’s head coach, Milos Scepanovic, was the goalkeeper and the captain.
Marseille has reached the final twice and won the trophy on both occasions. In contrast, Jadran lost in both of its appearances in the Euro Cup finals (1998 and 2016).
Jadran’s captain Zvonimir Butic delivered an outstanding performance in the 2nd leg, scoring eight goals. However, it was a slim consolation for him.
2026 Euro Cup, final, Leg 2
Jadran S – Marseille 16:14 (5:5, 5:4, 2:3, 4:2) – 1st leg 16:19
Jadran Split: Butic 8, Matkovic 3, Zovic 2, Marinic Kragic 1, Nemet 1, Burazin 1.
Marseille:Vernoux 5, Crousilla 3, Larumbe 1, Nagy 1, Marion Vernoux 1, Bodegas 1, Kalogeropoulos 1, Gbadamassi 1.
In the first three and a half minutes of the match, Jadran took an early 2:0 lead, with penalty shot goals from Marinic Kragic and Butic. Shortly after the hosts’ second goal, Vernoux put Marseille on the scoreboard. The French equalized at 2:2, 3:3, and 4:4. Vernoux gave the visiting team their first lead by converting a man-up opportunity, making it 5:4 with just 35 seconds remaining in the first period. However, the first period did not conclude until 20 minutes later due to issues with the shot clock that caused a significant delay. After this unplanned break, Jadran began their final possession of the quarter, and Matkovic managed to equalize at 5:5 with just eight seconds left on the clock.
Thomas Vernoux Photo by Victor Castillo
Marc Larumbe made it 5:6 in Marseille’s first attack in the second quarter. After that, there were no goals for a while. Midway through the quarter, Dusan Matkovic scored two goals, giving his team a 7:6 lead. The game then turned into a high-scoring affair again, with the lead changing hands multiple times. After Jadran took a 7:6 lead, the hosts then went ahead 8:7. The French team responded with two consecutive goals (9:8), but Jadran quickly equalized with back-to-back goals of their own. Zvoniir Butic converted a man-up 12 seconds before the middle break and the hosts entered the second half with a 10:9 advantage.
In the second half, Marseille never took the lead, but successfully chased the hosts.
Butic added one goal from a penalty shot early in the third quarter,11:9. Two goals separated the rivals for the first time after an opening 2:0, but not for long. Nagy and Crousillat scored powerplay goals, leveling at 11:11. Then, both teams missed several chances. In the 21st minute, Jadran’s Curkovic and Marseille’s Larumbe were red-carded (exclusions with substitution). Shortly after, Butic ended Jadran’s 5-minute scoring silence with his 6th goal, 12:11. But the French Marion-Vernoux leveled shortly after, and the teams were tied at 12:12 before the final eight minutes. At the finish of the third period, Jadran left without Jerko Marinic Kragic, who was excluded with substitution for a foul in the visitors’ half of the field, and Marseille’s De Nardi committed his 3rd personal foul.
Zvonimir Butic Photo by Tomislav Franic/HVS
Zvonimir Butic continued his scoring show at the beginning of the fourth quarter, 13:12. But Vernoux replied immediately. At 02:54, left-handed Ivan Domagoj Zovic fired the ball from a distance for 16:14, waking up Jadran’s hopes. Bijac then saved a shot from Vernoux, and Jadran had a chance to build a three-goal lead for the first time in the game. Additionally, the hosts forced an exclusion, but failed to convert that man-up. Marseille didn’t score in its next long attack, and Jadran got a new chance. 56 seconds from the end, Jadran’s head coach Jure Marelja called a timeout. However, his players didn’t score. Marseille’s goalkeeper Tesanovic saved a shot from his fellow countryman Dusan Matkovic with 35 seconds to go. After that, Marseille kept the ball as long as possible. In the final several seconds, Bijac joined Jadran’s players in the attack, but the visitors defended their net.
All winners
LEN Trophy
1992/93: Ujpest Budapest (HUN)
1993/94: Racing Rome (ITA)
1994/95: Barcelona (ESP)
1995/96: Pescara (ITA)
1996/97: Ujpest Budapest (HUN)
1997/98: Partizan Beograd (YUG)
1998/99: Ujpest Budapest (HUN)
1999/00: Jug Dubrovnik (CRO)
2000/01: Mladost Zagreb (CRO)
2001/02: Brescia (ITA)
2002/03: Brescia (ITA)
2003/04: Barcelona (ESP)
2004/05: Savona (ITA)
2005/06: Brescia (ITA)
2006/07: Sintez Kazan (RUS)
2007/08: Shturm Chekhov (RUS)
2008/09: Szeged (HUN)
2009/10: Cattaro Kotor (MNE)
2010/11: Savona (ITA)
LEN Euro Cup
2011/12: Savona (ITA)
2012/13: Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB)
2013/14: Spartak Volgograd (RUS)
2014/15: Posillipo Naples (ITA)
2015/16: Brescia (ITA)
2016/17: Ferencvaros (HUN)
2017/18: Ferencvaros (HUN)
2018/19: Marseille (FRA)
2019/20: season canceled
2020/21: Szolnok (HUN)
2021/22 Sabadell (ESP)
2022/23 Vasas (HUN)
2023/24 Jug Dubrovnik (CRO)
2024/25 Pro Recco (ITA)
2025/26 Marseille (FRA)
More articles about the Euro Cup
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
