Strasbourg takes a step towards the final
Marseille ruthless against Montpellier
One could have hoped for a close scenario, similar to the French Cup semi-final in January. But this time, the Marseille team left no room for suspense. From the first minutes, the French champions imposed their infernal rhythm.
After just six minutes of play, they already had a three-goal lead (0-3), then four by the end of the first quarter (1-5). Former Montpellier player Alexandre Bouet, on fire against his old club, was one of the main architects of this demonstration with no less than seven goals scored!
At halftime, the gap was already huge (2-9), killing any suspense. The second part of the match was more balanced, with the Montpellier team managing to limit the damage somewhat, but the outcome was in no doubt.
Thus, the team convincingly won at the Olympique Angelotti swimming pool and took a serious option on qualifying for the final.
Strasbourg strikes early and resists Aix's comeback
In the other semi-final, Team Strasbourg also perfectly handled their meeting with Pays d'Aix Natation. After four minutes of play, the Alsace team had already taken the lead (3-0), with an offensive intensity that was hard to contain.
Even former Strasbourg player Mathias Bachelier, who scored for Aix, couldn't stop the Alsace team, which led 6-2 at the end of the first quarter and 8-2 at halftime. With a solid defense and regained efficiency, Strasbourg seemed untouchable.
The team maintained this advantage until the end of the third quarter (11-5), before easing off a bit. Aix took advantage to reduce the gap towards the end of the match, but Strasbourg ultimately won 14-11 and approaches the return match with a comfortable lead.
Results
Montpellier WP – CN Marseille: 07 - 16 (1-5, 1-4, 2-5, 3-2)
Montpellier: Van Den Burg 1, Mustur 2, Vilcot Lambert 2, Vasin 1, Irmes 1
Marseille: Lena 1, Vernoux 5, Bouet 7, Bodegas 3
Team Strasbourg – Pays d’Aix Natation: 14 - 11 (6-2, 2-0, 3-3, 3-6)
Strasbourg: Popadic 3, Vitrant 4, Gardasevic 1, Denux 1, Misic 2, Petkovic 1, Mas 2
Pays d’Aix: Bachelier 1, Khasz 3, Peisson 1, Watanabe 2, Bertran 3, Montes 1
Photo credit - WP Inside
