The 2026 Champions League Quarter Final Stage delivered another dramatic night as Olympiacos claimed a hugely significant 16-15 victory over Novi Beograd, while Barceloneta became the first club to mathematically qualify for the Final Four in Malta after dismantling AN Brescia 17-6.
Olympiacos’ home win may prove the most valuable result of Round 4, lifting the Greeks into second place in Group A with six points and putting them firmly in control of the race for the remaining qualification place.
Barceloneta, meanwhile, continued their sensational form with a ruthless performance in Spain, making it four wins from four and confirming their place in the season-ending showpiece.
Olympiacos 16-15 Novi Beograd
Backed by a passionate crowd in Piraeus, Olympiacos made the perfect start and never relinquished control, despite relentless pressure from the Serbian visitors.
Novi Beograd struck first through Perkovic, but the hosts quickly settled and surged clear with a decisive 3-0 run midway through the opening quarter. Two power-play goals and a penalty helped Olympiacos build a 5-2 lead before captain Konstantinos Genidounias converted late on for 6-3 after the first period.
That early cushion proved decisive.
Novi Beograd repeatedly fought back and reduced the deficit to a single goal nine times across the final three quarters, but they could never find the equaliser. Olympiacos answered almost every challenge, with Ioannis Fountoulis, Gergo Zalanki and Krisztian Angyal all delivering key moments.
The defining statistic was man-up efficiency. Olympiacos converted an outstanding 11 of 13 extra-man chances, while Novi Beograd scored nine from 15.
Genidounias finished with three goals, matched by Fountoulis and Angyal, while Luka Lukic and Vasilije Martinovic both scored four for the visitors.
Novi Beograd had one final chance with 42 seconds remaining after drawing an exclusion. Coach Aleksandar Sapic called timeout, but Milos Cuk struck the post, allowing Olympiacos to celebrate a potentially season-defining win.
Barceloneta 17-6 Brescia
If the match in Greece was tense, the contest in Barcelona was anything but.
Barceloneta overwhelmed Brescia from the opening quarter and had effectively ended the contest by halftime, leading 8-2 after a devastating defensive display.
Brescia actually opened the scoring, but the hosts immediately responded with three unanswered goals and never looked back. Goalkeeper Unai Aguirre anchored an outstanding defensive unit, while Vince Vigvari starred in attack with five goals.
Bernat Sanahuja, Unai Biel and Alberto Munarriz also impressed as Barceloneta continued to stretch the margin throughout the second half.
By the fourth quarter the result was beyond doubt, but the Spanish champions showed no mercy, closing out one of the most dominant wins of the Quarter Final Stage.
Group A standings
- Barceloneta – 12 pts
- Olympiacos – 6 pts
- AN Brescia – 3 pts
- Novi Beograd – 3 pts
What comes next?
Olympiacos now face a crucial trip to Brescia, while Novi Beograd host already-qualified Barceloneta. With just two rounds remaining, the battle for second place is finely poised—but tonight belonged to Olympiacos and an unstoppable Barceloneta side.
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