Novi Beograd sinks Hanover and secures third European victory

The water polo team of Novi Beograd maintained a perfect record in the Champions League, as they defeated the German team Hanover 10-8 in the third round as hosts. Novi Beograd had previously defeated Steaua and Oradea, and now leads the group with a maximum of nine points.

Živko Gocić's team dictated the pace of the game, taking a comfortable lead of 4-1 already in the first quarter. Later, the score reached 5-2, before Hanover made a comeback and closed the gap to 5-4 by halftime.

In the continuation of the game, Novi Beograd maintained control of the score, extending their lead to 7-4 with goals from Vasilije Martinović. Both teams continued to score, and Hanover brought suspense to the end of the match by getting within one point at 9-8. However, the hosts got a power play opportunity, and after a timeout, they capitalized on it through Dimitris Skumpakis for the final score of 10-8.

Angelos Vlahopulos was the top scorer with three goals, while Martinović added two more.

Novi Beograd – Hanover 10:8 (5:2, 0:2, 1:0, 4:4)

Novi Beograd: Glušac, Gadamasi 1, Skumpakis 1, Martinović 2, Ćuk 1, Trtović, Vučinić 1, Dimitrijević 1, Perković, Vlahopulos 3, Lukić, Krstić, Pajković.

Hanover: Benke, Macan, Šiper, Langevič 1, Kupers 1, Lozina, Buha 1, Sekulić 2, Milardović 1, Takač, Gansen 2, Bok.