The Champions League Quarter-Final stage got underway on Tuesday evening with two tightly contested encounters in Group A, as Novi Beograd edged Olympiacos 12–10 in Belgrade, while Barceloneta secured a 13–11 victory away to Brescia in Italy.
Although both matches finished with a two-goal difference, the paths to victory were very different. Barceloneta established control early and protected their lead throughout the second half in Brescia, while Novi Beograd had to survive a late surge from Olympiacos before sealing victory in dramatic fashion.
The result in Belgrade marked Novi Beograd’s third consecutive win over Olympiacos, continuing a trend that began in last season’s Champions League Quarter-Final stage.
Novi Beograd 12–10 Olympiacos
(4:2, 3:2, 1:4, 4:2)
Novi Beograd looked in control for much of the match but needed a strong finish to deny Olympiacos, who were inspired by a sensational six-goal performance from Hungarian star Gergo Zalanki.
The hosts took early control. After both sides exchanged goals in the opening minutes, Novi Beograd scored twice late in the first quarter and successfully defended a man-down situation to close the period ahead 4–2.
Olympiacos briefly drew level at 4–4 midway through the second quarter, but Novi Beograd responded impressively. With Milan Glusac producing several key saves in goal, the Serbian side went on a 3–0 run to build a 7–4 lead by halftime.
Olympiacos returned from the break with renewed intensity. Within 94 seconds, goals from Konstantinos Genidounias and Christodoulos Kakaris cut the deficit to one. Late in the third quarter, Gladovic extended Novi Beograd’s lead to 8–6 on a power play, but Zalanki struck twice in the closing seconds—once from distance and once on a counterattack—to level the match at 8–8 heading into the final period.
The Hungarian left-hander continued his scoring display early in the fourth quarter, converting a penalty to give Olympiacos their first lead of the game at 9–8.
However, Novi Beograd quickly responded. Nikola Lukic equalized with his fourth goal of the night before Zalanki restored the visitors’ advantage with his sixth. The decisive moment came when Montenegrin left-hander Aleksa Ukropina scored two consecutive power-play goals to turn the score to 11–10 in Novi Beograd’s favor with just over three minutes remaining.
Both goalkeepers produced important saves in the closing minutes, but the hosts had the final word. Marko Dimitrijevic sealed the win on a counterattack 33 seconds before the final buzzer.
Novi Beograd: Lukic 4, Marinovic 3, Ukropina 2, Gladovic 1, Dimitrijevic 1, Perkovic 1
Olympiacos: Zalanki 6, Genidounias 1, Alafragkis 1, Kakaris 1, Pouros 1
Brescia 11–13 Barceloneta
(3:4, 2:5, 2:2, 4:2)
Barceloneta built the foundation for victory in a dominant second quarter, opening a four-goal advantage that ultimately proved decisive.
After edging the first quarter 4–3, the Spanish champions extended their lead early in the second period when Gomila scored for 5–3. Brescia responded quickly, equalizing at 5–5, but Barceloneta seized control in the closing minutes of the half.
Bernat Sanahuja converted a penalty to restore the lead before the visitors launched a late surge, scoring three more goals before the interval. Vince Vigvari capped the run with a counterattack goal just 13 seconds before halftime, giving Barceloneta a commanding 9–5 advantage. Goalkeeper Unai Aguirre played a key role during this stretch with several important saves.
The teams traded goals in the third period, with Barceloneta maintaining their cushion. In the 28th minute, Sanahuja scored his third goal from distance to push the lead to 12–7 and effectively put the game beyond Brescia’s reach.
The Italian side mounted a late rally in the final minutes, reducing the deficit to two goals, but Barceloneta held firm to secure the win and an important opening result in Group A.
Brescia: Del Basso 3, Ferrero 2, Popadic 1, Dolce 1, Gianazza 1, Balzarini 1
Barceloneta: Sanahuja 3, Vigvari 2, Biel 2, Bustos 1, Munarriz 1, Valls 1, Burian 1
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