Comebacks and Home Wins Mark Euro Cup Round 2
The second round of the 2026 Euro Cup produced another entertaining evening of water polo, with most home sides celebrating victories. Two remarkable comebacks – from BVSC and Savona – were the standout moments of the night.
In Budapest, BVSC overturned a four-goal halftime deficit to defeat Panathinaikos 13–10 in Group C, while Savona rallied from three goals down in the third quarter to beat Sabac 17–12 in Group D. Hungarian teams enjoyed a successful day overall, as Szolnok edged Trieste 16–14 in one of the night’s most competitive games.
Group A
ASC Duisburg – Jug Dubrovnik 9–18 (4–7, 1–5, 3–2, 1–4)
ASC Duisburg: Simic 3, L. Metten 3, Seifert 1, E. Metten 1, Gergeleyfi 1.
Jug Dubrovnik: Zuvela 5, Jokovic 4, Pavlic 4, Susic 1, Buslje 1, Krzic 1, Busic 1, Mozara 1.
Terrassa – Solaris 16–12 (4–2, 6–1, 5–4, 1–5)
Terrassa: Ten Broek 4, Blasco 3, Chico 3, Bargallo 2, Alarcon 1, Pericas 1, Cuacos 1, Teclas 1.
Solaris: Pelicaric 4, Cubranic 4, Mijic 3, Bajic 1.
There was little drama in Group A. Jug Dubrovnik quickly took control against ASC Duisburg, breaking away from a 3:3 scoreline to establish a commanding 10:4 lead. The defending Euro Cup champions never looked back.
Terrassa also recorded a comfortable win over Solaris, dominating the middle two periods to build an insurmountable advantage.
Standings: 1. Jug 6 pts, 2. Terrassa 3, 3. Solaris 3, 4. ASC Duisburg 0.
Group B
Szolnok – Trieste 16–14 (4–3, 3–2, 3–4, 6–5)
Szolnok: Kovacs 4, Szabo 2, Bedo 2, Zeman 2, Jozsa 1, Kakstedter 1, Zernivary 1, Krasznai 1, Simon 1, Boroczky 1.
Trieste: Draskovic 6, Marziali 3, Cagalj 2, Podgornik 1, Manzi 1, Mezzarobba 1.
Barcelona – Rapid Bucharest 22–11 (5–2, 5–2, 7–2, 5–5)
Barcelona: Van der Weijden 5, Prat 3, Millan Martin 3, Goma 2, Daura 2, Watanabe 2, Ramon 2, Angelescu 1, Paul 1.
Rapid Bucharest: Prioteasa 6, Chikovani 1, Negus 1, Dragomir 1, Radu 1, Lutescu 1.
Szolnok controlled their clash with Trieste but were pushed until the end. The Italians equalized several times but never took the lead, with Bence Szabo’s long-range goal for 13:10 proving decisive in the final quarter.
In Barcelona, the hosts produced a clinical display, outscoring Rapid 10–3 across the second and third quarters to seal a dominant win.
Standings: 1. Szolnok 6 pts, 2. Trieste 3, 3. Barcelona 3, 4. Rapid 0.
Group C
BVSC – Panathinaikos 13–10 (2–3, 2–5, 5–0, 4–2)
BVSC: Shushiashvili 4, Csacsovszky 3, Ekler 3, Tatrai 2, Meszaros 1.
Panathinaikos: Chalzvopoulos 4, Gkiouvetsis 2, Skoumpakis 1, Papanikolaou 1, Papasifakis 1, Kopelaidis 1.
Buducnost – Vouliagmeni 7–17 (0–4, 3–3, 3–4, 1–6)
Buducnost: Brguljan 2, Brnovic 2, Boskovic 2, D’Souza 1.
Vouliagmeni: Te Riele 5, Chatzis 3, Torulos 2, Kastrinakis 2, Ubovic 1, Tottis 1, Sapounakis 1, Spachits 1, Belesis 1.
In Budapest, BVSC delivered one of the comebacks of the season so far. After trailing 8:4 at halftime, Daniel Varga’s side erupted with eight consecutive goals, overturning the deficit and keeping their European hopes alive. Goalkeeper Gyapas was superb, denying Panathinaikos repeatedly, including six missed man-ups and a penalty.
Meanwhile, Vouliagmeni continued their perfect run, dispatching Buducnost with ease. The Greeks raced to a 5:0 start and never looked threatened, extending their unbeaten streak at the top of the group.
Standings: 1. Vouliagmeni 5 pts, 2. BVSC 4, 3. Panathinaikos 3, 4. Buducnost 0.
Group D
Savona – Sabac 17–12 (4–5, 3–4, 4–2, 6–1)
Savona: Leinweber 5, Bruni 3, Damonte 3, Occhione 2, Figlioli 1, Rizzo 1, Gullotta 1, Cora 1.
Sabac: Toholj 3, Barac 2, Stojanovic 2, Novakovic 1, Stanojevic 1, Micanovic 1, Macic 1, Kovacevic 1.
Steaua – Spandau 04 9–11 (2–5, 2–1, 2–2, 3–3)
Steaua: Fulea 3, Neamtu 2, Georgescu 1, Fenech 1, Colodrovschi 1, Oanta 1.
Spandau 04: Nagy 3, Kojic 2, Hofmann 1, Bauer 1, Chiru 1, Caraj 1, Culina 1, Bruns 1.
Savona staged an impressive late surge to turn around a three-goal deficit and overpower Sabac. Led by Hungarian star Oliver Leinweber, the Italians finished the game with a 9:1 run, cementing their second straight win.
Spandau, meanwhile, bounced back from their opening-round loss with a composed away victory against Steaua in Bucharest. After seeing their lead cut to 6:6 in the third quarter, the Germans responded decisively, pulling clear once again.
Standings: 1. Savona 6 pts, 2. Spandau 3, 3. Sabac 3, 4. Steaua 0.
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