Euro Cup M – Mladost Zagreb vs Pro Recco 13-16

Three golden points for Zagreb: Pro Recco beats Mladost 13-16 and extends its lead in the Euro Cup group. Hat-tricks by Di Fulvio and Hallock in a great performance of offensive efficiency.

The Croats fielded five reigning vice Olympic champions. It was one of these, Josip Vrlic, who scored against Del Lungo after just 43 seconds with Iocchi Gratta in the pit. Pro Recco immediately equalizes with Echenique from position 3 and takes the lead thanks to Presciutti who scores against Sunara, chosen over Marcelic. Vrlic is unstoppable at two meters and earns a penalty that Kharkov converts (2-2). Mladost takes the lead with Jan Busic, once again with a player up, skillfully beating Del Lungo. Pro Recco equalizes with a penalty earned by Hallock and converted by Di Fulvio. Lazic from position 4 finds the corner, Cannella responds in the following play with an extra man goal (4-4). The game is a rollercoaster, as Vrlic puts the Croats ahead again by taking advantage of Demarchi's rest in the pit, and Condemi scores a beautiful diagonal to make it 5-5, a score that remains until the final buzzer as Del Lungo saves the white and blue team twice towards the end of the period.

Just over two minutes into the second half and Pro Recco takes the lead again thanks to Di Fulvio on power play. The white and blue defense withstands a double Croatian man-up, and Cannella scores from position 4 on another power play for +2. Mladost strikes back with Vrlic's personal hat-trick, but Sukno's boys make it 6-8 with a ballistic feat by Condemi from the central position with 150 seconds remaining before the change of ends. Bukic shortens the gap with a man-up goal designed by Hrestak in a timeout, but Pro Recco has now taken control of the game. Echenique capitalizes on another double man-up, Mladost finds the goal for 8-9 with Jan Busic on extra man; the last goal of the period is the tenth for Pro Recco as Hallock scores magnificently on another power play (8-10).

Two and a half minutes into the third quarter, Jan Busic scores 9-10 from position 4. Echenique sets up Hallock for an easy +2, and in the second half of the quarter, Presciutti scores from close range for 9-12. There are numerous ejections in the pool, Cannella is kicked out and Vrlic doesn't miss in front of Del Lungo. Fondelli also doesn't miss from position 2, while Sunara's touch prevents Pro Recco from reaching +4 from Cannella's penalty shot: the score is 10-13 going into the last eight minutes.

In the final quarter, Jan Busic immediately scores his fourth from position 4. Hallock is unstoppable at two meters, sending Biljaka to the pit and beating Sunara on Di Fulvio's assist. Coach Sukno loses Iocchi Gratta and Condemi due to three fouls in quick succession, but Del Lungo shines on a man-down situation. A turning point as Younger scores 11-15 on power play. Pro Recco puts on a show, with Di Fulvio's entry and diving shot under the bar (12-16) earning applause from the crowd: the Italian champions secure three crucial points in the Euro Cup qualification race.

“I am happy, we have been together for less than a month but we have grown a lot in this period, and some players showed their quality tonight - Sukno's words. We played an excellent match against a quality team, and we return to Italy with three very important points for our Euro Cup journey. Now we focus on Savona, a team that is stronger than last year, deserving great respect. They play at home, coming off a clear victory in a hot pool like Kotor's, but we will be ready.” Mladost: Marcelic, Basic, Jajcinovic, T. Busic, M. Vrlic, Biljaka, Bukic 2, Lazic 1, J. Busic 5, J. Vrlic 4, Vukicevic, Kharkov 1, Sunara. Coach Hrestak.

Pro Recco: Del Lungo, Di Fulvio 3, Demarchi, Cannella 2, Younger 1, Fondelli 1, Presciutti 2, Echenique 2, Iocchi Gratta, Scarmi, Condemi 2, Hallock 3, Negri. Coach Sukno.

Referees: Zwart (Netherlands) and Achladiotis (Greece)
Quarters: 5-5, 3-5, 2-3, 3-3.

Man-up situations: Mladost 7/18, Pro Recco 8/13. Penalties: Mladost 1/1, Pro Recco 1/2

Exclusions due to fouls: Jajcinovic (M) in the second quarter, Lazic (M) in the third quarter, Iocchi Gratta (PR), Condemi (PR), Demarchi (PR), Fondelli (PR), and Kharkov (M) in the fourth quarter. Cannella missed a penalty shot in the third quarter. Sunara in goal for Mladost.