A1 M – Training Academy Olympic Roma, what a heart: a golden draw in the derby!
Onda Forte – Training Academy Olympic Roma 10-10 (4-1, 3-3, 3-3, 0-3)
The high tension derby ends in a heart-stopping 10-10 draw. In the 8th round of the A1 series championship, the Training Academy Olympic Roma draws against Onda Forte, maintaining the distance from the black and green team and the last place in the standings. At the Ostia Natatorium - but this time as guests - the home team is always ahead and closes with a +3 lead at the end of each quarter. Then, in the last quarter, the comeback fueled by determination, nerves, and heart of Mario Fiorillo's men, who manage to snatch a crucial point from the match with Kadar in the final extra player.
Match Summary
Onda Forte starts well with goals from the top scorers Moskov and Faraglia. The Training Academy Olympic Roma tries to react with Agh's goal in a man-up situation, but the black and green team scores two more times: it's 4-1 at the end of the first period. The hosts extend their lead to 5-1 early in the second half, then Agh and De Robertis (again on a man-up situation) shorten the distance to 5-3. There are plenty of whistles and opportunities in the extra player situations: Onda Forte goes up 7-3, then De Robertis scores again to make it 7-4 as the teams head into the halftime break.
After the long break, the match's momentum does not change. Onda Forte pushes the accelerator further and secures a maximum advantage: 9-4, things look bad for Olympic. This is where the heart and determination of Mario Fiorillo's men make the difference. Vitale, Leporale, and Agh shorten the lead to 9-7, before another goal by Moskov extends it to 10-7.
A miracle is needed in the final quarter. And a miracle arrives: Lo Re scores in a man-up situation, the defense protects Giannotti, repelling all the attacks from the black and green team. The rest of the magic is provided by Bruno Kadar: the Hungarian - again on a man-up situation - first scores 10-9 with a minute and a half to go, then - with less than 30 seconds remaining - is quickest to score on a rebound after a great save on Leporale. It ends 10-10: considering how the match was going, a hard-earned and valuable point for the rest of the championship.
Onda Forte: Piccionetti, Maffei M. 3, Maffei F., Faraglia 1, Barigelli 1, Bego 1, Gatto, Boezi, Moskov 4, Barillà, Borovcic, Rubini, Fabbri. TPV: Massimiliano Fabbri.
Training Academy Olympic Roma: Giannotti, Ballarini, Vitale 1, Graziosi, Lo Re 1, Agh 3, Cianchetti, Kadar 2, Mirarchi, De Robertis 2, Tartaro, Leporale 1, Peluso, Cotugno. TPV: Mario Fiorillo.
Man-up situations: Onda Forte 3/9 + 2 penalties, Training Academy Olympic Roma 6/15.
Press Office Training Academy Olympic Roma
Photo by Riccardo Borgia
