Euro Cup M – Szolnok vs Pro Recco 10-15
Pro Recco closes the Euro Cup group stage with another victory, the sixth in six games: the white and blue team also defeats Szolnok 10-15 with four goals from Condemi and Iocchi Gratta, the protagonists in a night that sees the Italian champions pull away in the second half of the game after being tied 8-8 in the first sixteen minutes. In the Round of 16 – draw on Wednesday, December 11 – they will face one of Waspo Hannover, Dinamo Tbilisi, Vasas, and Primorac Kotor, all teams relegated from the Champions League.
In Hungary, there were immediately two penalties in the first thirty seconds of the game: Condemi and Kovacs did not miss. In the third minute, the Sicilian talent brings his team back in the lead with an advance resulting from a nice ball recovered in defense (1-2). Di Fulvio's lob shot leaves no chance for Jozsa, but Szolnok reacts, and after Bedo's goal from the center, they find the tie 40 seconds before the buzzer with the penalty converted by Schmolz (3-3). Pro Recco still has one attack left and plays it well: Hallock earns the second penalty, converted by Cannella to give them a +1 lead after eight minutes.
The second half starts with the same script as the first and especially the same main character, Condemi: in sixty seconds, number 11 beats Jozsa over the head from position 4 and then smashes the 3-6 on the second post, his fourth personal goal in just nine minutes. The Hungarians give everything and in less than two minutes, they equalize against Pro Recco thanks to Bedo's brace with the extra man and Cseh's penalty, the third for Szolnok (6-6). With two minutes and 40 seconds left, the home team finds the first lead with the power play goal capitalized by Szabo. The white and blues are led by Iocchi Gratta who scores twice with identical goals from the post: after sixteen minutes, the score is 8-8.
Eighty seconds into the third quarter, Pro Recco takes the lead again with Younger in a power play nailing a perfect diagonal shot (8-9). From the six meters, Di Fulvio scores the +2 and the white and blue defense holds off the Hungarian attacks trying to get back into the game. At 80 seconds before the buzzer, Del Lungo becomes an assist man fishing Cannella launched on a counterattack: number 4 doesn't miss in front of substitute Banyai (8-11). The distance remains unchanged at the end of the period because Schmolcz's goal in power play is answered by Di Fulvio, also with a man advantage, for the 9-12 after 24 minutes.
Presciutti from position 3 freezes the Vizilabda Arena at the beginning of the fourth quarter (9-13). The home crowd revives when Banyai saves the penalty from Condemi and the subsequent attempt, but another penalty, this time converted by Iocchi Gratta, sends Pro Recco to +5. Szolnok tries to keep the game alive with Schmolcz scoring for the third time, still in a power play (10-14) but with two and a half minutes remaining, Iocchi Gratta with a great dribbling play from position 1 crushes any hope of a comeback (10-15).
“It was a game of two halves, in the first two periods we suffered from their fast breaks – the words of coach Sukno – they earned several transition penalties and this made us lose some confidence. Then we recovered in the third quarter, the defense improved significantly, and Marco in goal stepped up, allowing us to pull away on the scoreboard and secure the sixth victory in the group. Surely we will face a Champions League team in the Round of 16, but we will be ready for this challenge in January”.
Szolnok: Jozsa, Monostori, Zerinvary, Cseh 2, Simon, Schmolcz 3, Vamosi, Kovacs 1, Boroczky, Szabo 1, Bedo 3, Teleki, Banyai. Coach: Hangay.
Pro Recco: Del Lungo, Di Fulvio 3, Demarchi, Cannella 2, Younger 1, Fondelli, Presciutti 1, Vujosevic, Iocchi Gratta 4, Scarmi, Condemi 4, Hallock, Negri. Coach: Sukno
Referees: Buch (Spain) and Kavcic (Slovenia)
Quarters: 3-4, 5-4, 1-4, 1-3.
Man-up situations: Szolnok 5/13, Pro Recco 4/9. Penalties: Szolnok 3/3, Pro Recco 3/4
Exclusions: Monostori (S) in the third quarter, Vujosevic and Cannella (PR) in the fourth quarter
Press Office Pro Recco Waterpolo
Photo Credit Schenone
