The list of the participants in the Champions League Final Four in Malta has been completed.
Olympiacos clinched the final available spot, finishing in 2nd place in Group A. Both matches in this group’s 5th round were closely contested. Olympiacos earned two points, defeating Brescia after a penalty shootout, 17:16 (11:11 regular time).
That win was enough for the Greeks to keep 2nd place, because Barceloneta beat Novi Beograd in Belgrade, 16:14, continued its winning streak and cemented the top spot.
Novi Beograd will not play in the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since its debut in the elite competition the season 2021/22,
The sixth round will be only a formality. The only open question is a consolation 3rd place. NBG and Brescia will battle for that position in that game.
Yesterday, Pro Recco and Ferencvaros confirmed their spots at the F4
2026 Champions League, Group A, Day 5
(quarters 2:3, 3:3, 4:4, 5:6)
Novi Beograd: Martinovic 5, Lukic 3, Cuk 2, Urosevic 1, Dimitrijevic 1, Perkovic 1, Pjesivac 1.
Barceloneta: Vigvari 4, Biel 2, Burian 1, Tahull 1, Bustos 1, Echenique 1, Munarriz 1, Velotto 1, Burian 1, Tahull 1, Bustos 1.
Even tough the game was open until the final moments, Novi Beograd never took the lead. It only leveled twice (5:5 and 10:10)
Both teams played strong in defense in the first quarter, but the visitors’ defensive play was lsightly better. Gergely Burian opened th scoring in the fourth minute and Sanahuja made it 2:0, both goals were with a man-up. Cuk put the hosts on the scoreboard in the 7th minute, Each team scored a goal apiece in the final 30 seconds of the period. The game followed a similar pattern in the second period. In a defensive battle, Barceloneta kept a small advantage until the 13th minute, when Novi Beograd scored two goals within 44 seconds (center-forward Pjesivac and left-handed Urosevic) and leveled at 5:5. However, the Spaniards regained the lead shortly after, thanks to a nice goal by Vince Vigvari. It was the last one in the first half.
Vince Vigvari Photo by VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija
Novi Beograd failed to convert a man-up in its first possession, which was followed by a counterattack and the seventh goal for Barceloneta. Echenique made it 7:5. Counterattacks after Novi Beograd’s mistakes were Barceloneta’s strong weapon in the third period. By the middle of this quarter, the visitors added two fastbreak goals. Unai Biel widened the gap to three for the first time, 9:6. A time-out, called by Aleksandar Sapic, shook the hosts, who reduced the gap to 8:9 and had a penalty shot to equalize. But, Unai Aguirre made a save, blocking a shot from Martinovic with his head. Barceloneta then executed its fourth counterattack in the third quarter. This time, Alessandro Velotto found the back of the net, and instead of 9:9, it stood 8:10. Martinovic redeemed himself by scoring shortly after, bringing the score to 9:10.
Milos Cuk surprised Barceloneta’s defense with a tricky shot at the beginning of the fourth quarter for 10:10. Still, it was the second and the last equalizer in the match. Barceloneta controlled the game. It quickly responded with two goals, going to 12:10. Midway through the final period, Barceloneta earned a 3-goal lead for the second time in the match after Sanahuja, converted a penalty – 14:11. Novi Beograd came close twice in the last two minutes (13:14 and 14:15), but Barceloneta had a response both times and avoided a thrilling finish.
(2:2, 4:4, 2:4, 3:1, PSO 5:6)
Brescia: Balzarini 4, Gianazza 2, Del Basso 1, Guerrato 1, Ferrero 1, Popadic 1, Dolce 1.
Olympiacos: Genidounias 3, Zalanki 2, Dimou 2, Nikolaidis 2, Pouros 1, Alafragkis 1.
Unlike the match in Belgrade, the game in Brescia offered a few twists and turns, so a penalty shootout was perhaps the fairest outcome.
The first period was a neck-and-neck race. Olympiacos took a one-goal lead twice, and Brescia responded. The game changed the course in the second quarter. Balzarini, who closed the first period with a nice goal from a distance put Brescia in front in the hosts’ first possession, and shotly after, Guerrato doubled the Italians’ lead to 4:2. The hosts had a 5:3 lead, too, but Olympiacos managed to level at 5:5 and again at 6:6. Nobody had an advantage at halftime. Brescia was more aggressive in attack and created more opportunities, but the hosts missed many shots.
Genidnounias escapes Ferrero Photo by Eleonora Frigerio
Early in the second half, Brescia went ahead once again – 7:6. Still, after that, the hosts couldn’t find the net for a while, and Olympiacos netted two back-to-back goals, taking an 8:7 lead. Gianazza equalized at 8:8. Olympiacos netted two goals in the final 40 seconds of the 3rd quarter. Nikolaidis scored for 9:8. Dimou beat the buzzer and gave his team a 10:8 lead in the very last second with a shot from eight meters.
Olympiacos kept the momentum. Zalanki stretched the margin to 11:8 in the 25th minute. It seemed that the Greeks were on the right track. But, Brescia managed to consolidate its defense, which helpe the hosts come back. A minute and a half before the end, Alessandro Balzarini scored his fourth goal, narrowing the difference to 10:11. Immediately after, Olympiacos forced an exclusion and had a chance to secure the win in a 6 on 5 possession. But, Tomaso Baggi-Necchi saved a shot from Fountoulis. Brescia earned a man-up attack with 35 seconds to go. Del Basso converted it to 11:11 with 22 seconds left on the clock. In the dying seconds, Brescia’s goalkeeper Baggi-Necchi, posted another save, this time from Genidounias.
Seven rounds of penalty shots were needed to determine the winner. Both goalkeepers, Baggi-Nechi and Zerdevas, posted saves in the 2nd round. There were no misses until the mentioned 7th round, when Zalanki scored for Olympiacos and Zerdevas saved a shot from Viskovic.
Standings: 1. Barceloneta 15, 2. Olympiacos 8, 3. Brescia 4, 4. Novi Beograd 3.
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