Conference Cup Women: Four tickets to Final Eight booked after second thrilling day of qualification action

Four spots have already been booked for the Conference Cup Women Final Eight. Sant Feliu, Alba Iulia, Cosenza and Galatasaray made the cut on the second day of Qualification Round II – still leaving a series of exciting matches for Sunday.

Group A (Alba Iulia)

ASD Bogliasco (ITA) 11-11 (6-7P) CN Sant Feliu (ESP)

Bogliasco’s meltdown in the fourth period cost them the win and ultimately a Final Eight berth. As they were also edged out by hosts Alba Iulia on the opening day, they are now cemented to the third place.

The first half was balanced though the Italians were always in front after jumping to a 2-0 lead early and they held on for a 6-5 advantage at half-time.

The third period saw a penalty miss at both ends before Eleonora Bianco doubled Bogliasco’s lead and Erica Hardy added a brilliant goal from the centre 1:41 before the penultimate break, so the Italians were 8-5 up with eight minutes remaining.

Nothing really indicated what came in the fourth, but the Spaniards staged a fantastic surge, hit three action goals from as many possessions and Mari Duenas converted an extra – it was a 0-4 rush in just 2:30 minutes to go ahead at 8-9.

The scoring festival continued, though the Italians could also play their part as the next four attacks also ended in goals, two apiece in a span of 69 seconds, so Sant Feliu still led 10-11 with 3:50 to play.

Rosa Rogondino managed to equalise once more 1:55 from time, but the Italians couldn’t find a winner, though the Spaniards had the most serious chance, a six-on-five, but missed it.

The decision was left to the shootout which lasted eight rounds, as a save from Maria Diaz secured two points for Sant Feliu and eliminated Bogliasco.

Group B (Nea Smyrni)

AC PAOK (GRE) 7-10 Smile Cosenza Pallanuoto (ITA)

Cosenza, despite lining up with only nine field players, passed their second Greek test with flying colours, their 0-6 blast in the third period sent them to the finals in the first place and left the two Greek sides to clash for the second qualifying spot in a do-or-die match on Sunday.

The Italians jumped to a 0-2 lead, but the Greeks replied with three connecting goals in 1:18 minutes and added a fourth midway through the second period for 4-2.

Federia Morrone’s penalty broke Cosenza’s silence after 10:20 minutes, but PAOK had more to offer before the middle break as Karipidou sisters, Vasiliea-Iro and Symela-Melina hit an action goal respectively and the Greeks were up by three at 6-3.

But the Italians were far from done and not a minute had passed in the third when Iva Rozic and Nikki Meijer already hit two from action.

A finely played six-on-five, the only one called in this quarter, brought the Italians back to even and since the Greeks lost their edge in front, Cosenza soon managed to take the lead, with Morrone’s perimeter blast hitting the back of the net with 2:03 on the clock.

And they didn’t stop there, two more action goals came in the following 74 seconds to send Cosenza 6-9 up before the final period.

The Greeks were unable to recover from that shock, after a missed woman-up early in the fourth, Symela-Melina Karipidou managed to pull one back to end their 11-minute long drought.

Still, that remained their only goal in the second half, while Marta Misiti sealed the Italians’ great win with another action goal 1:09 from time, while PAOK will have 15 hours to bounce back and try to win the all-Greek showdown against Panionios on Sunday.

Group C (Novi Sad)

VK Vojvodina (SRB) 14-12 NC Chania (GRE)
CN Tenerife Echeyde (ESP) 19-9 SV Blau Weiss Bochum (GER)

The Serbs bounced back from their stunning defeat to Bochum on the opening day by edging out Chania in a thriller. The lead was exchanging hands constantly and Anja Svec’s buzzer beater put Vojvodina ahead at 3-2 at the end of the first period.

In the second quarter, the Serbs managed to double their advantage from time to time, but the Greeks stayed close, and Anna Skoumpaki hit a buzzer-beater to pull one back for 7-6 at half-time.

The trend didn’t change in the third, the hosts held on for 10-8 with 3:39 to go, but this time the Greeks not only halved the distance once more but a double from Kyriaki Stratidaki brought them back to even at 10-10 with a period remaining.

Chania netted a six-on-five two minutes into the fourth to take the lead, but Milana Popov’s 6m blast halted their 0-3 surge to make it 11-11 with 3:26 on the clock.

Though they missed a penalty a bit later, Iulia Savchenko finished off a counter and after a killed woman-down, Isidora Damnjanovic converted Vojvodina’s extra – so it was ‘3-0 time’ for the Serbs as they led 13-11 and only 1:06 remained in the game.

The Greeks could score from an extra 36 seconds from time, but Svec managed to secure the home side’s win 16 seconds from time.

The next match was a lopsided contest – after a tight opening period, Tenerife staged a 4-0 surge in five minutes to take a commanding 7-2 lead and never looked back.

They led 8-4 at half-time and added seven more in the third and came off with a 10-goal win which practically sent them through, though still there are several scenarios for the last day – a three-way tie for the first three places, or a three-way tie for the last three places. For sure, it’s going to be an exciting Sunday.

Group D (Istanbul)

Galatasaray Zena (TUR) 13-11 ZAVK Mladost Zagreb (CRO)

Galatasary came back from four goals down to land all three points against Mladost and that already secured their place in the Final Eight since the Croats finished their tournament with two points (after winning by penalties on the opening day).

The Turks, on the heel of their two fine Russian players Elvira Ermakova and Elizaveta Ivanova quickly stormed to a 3-0 lead, but Alka Lulic managed to put Mladost on the scoreboard after four minutes and next came Ria Glas who had netted the Croats first seven goals on Friday and now she hit two in 31 seconds to make it even. And a fourth goal arrived soon, Nika Alamat nudged Mladost ahead after eight minutes.

The Croats kept rolling on in the third, with Glas hitting another one from action and, despite a missed penalty, Mladost netted two more in a span of 49 seconds to lead 3-7 with 3:35 to go.

Indeed, it was a 0-7 rush from Mladost, but the hosts woke up and with back-to-back goals from extras they halved the distance by half-time.

And now it was time for the Turks to show something big as they added four more goals to turn the game and lead 9-7 with 2:23 to go.

It was quite a game, 3-0, 3-7, 9-7 – then came one goal apiece as the hosts held on for 10-8, Ivanova’s action goal came 39 seconds from time to reset the two-goal gap.

The crucial moment came deep into the fourth, at 11-10, when the Croats, after killing a woman-down, forced a penalty, but Elif Aydinlik stopped Glas’ shot and Ivanova hit from action right from the next possession so instead of 11-11, it stood 12-10.

Alka Lulic pulled one back once more and they had a ball to go back to even, but they couldn’t score and Lena Mihailovic finished off the ensuing counter to close down the contest and send the Turks to the finals.

Mladost now cannot do much apart from sit and watch the Turks’ battle with Brizz Nuoto on the last day, with the Italians needing at least two points to advance to the F8.

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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