Assolim CN Mataro arrive in Malta with one question hanging over them: can the fourth time finally be the charm?
The newly crowned Spanish league champions will play their fourth Champions League Final Four this week, with Dani Ballart’s side facing Olympiacos in Wednesday’s semi-final. According to Mundo Deportivo, the title won by Mataro earlier this week has reinforced a project that has spent years building towards one clear objective: becoming champions of Europe.
Mataro’s ambition on the continental stage is not new. Mundo Deportivo notes that it is now a decade since the club won the LEN Trophy in 2016, a title that confirmed the team could aim beyond domestic success. Since then, the Champions League has become the prize Mataro have been chasing.
They have come close before. Their first Champions League Final Four appearance came in 2017, one year after that LEN Trophy triumph. Mataro lost 11-8 to Kirishi in the semi-final, before being beaten 7-5 by Sabadell in the bronze medal match. It was the beginning of a longer journey, with players such as Marta Bach, Ona Meseguer, Laura Lopez and a young Clara Cambray already part of the project.
Their closest brush with European glory came in 2023. With a squad featuring Simone van de Kraats, Vivian Sevenich, Rita Keszthelyi, Anni Espar, Clara Cambray and Silvia Morell, Mataro reached the Champions League final against Sabadell at Can Llong. In a dramatic final, Sabadell won 9-8, with Laura Ester making a crucial late save to deny Sevenich and prevent the match from going to penalties.
A year later, Mataro returned to the Final Four, this time in Barcelona, where three Catalan teams were among Europe’s final four. But the semi-final brought a painful defeat against Olympiacos, who won 16-12, inspired by a seven-goal performance from Nikoleta Eleftheriadou. Mataro then lost the bronze medal match 8-7 to Sant Andreu, finishing fourth.
Now, two years on, Mataro return with a different-looking team and renewed belief. Mundo Deportivo highlights the growth of players who were once part of the second row of the squad, but who are now leaders, alongside strategic signings such as Jewel Roemer, Tilly Kearns, Clara Espar and Paige Hauschild – although the later will not feature in Malta after sustaining an injury in the Spanish League Finals.
The project is still led by Ballart, and it has already delivered a third Spanish league title. But the Champions League remains the prize that has eluded them.
Their semi-final opponent, Olympiacos, will be a major test. The Greek side are considered favourites by Mundo Deportivo and are chasing a fourth European title. Mataro, however, have reason to believe. They have built depth, experience and momentum, and arrive in Malta fresh from a league triumph that has strengthened the feeling around the team.
Mundo Deportivo frames this as Mataro’s fourth opportunity to break through at the highest level. One final and two fourth-place finishes tell the story of a club that has repeatedly placed itself among Europe’s elite, without yet taking the final step.
This week in Malta, Mataro have another chance.
Ten years after their LEN Trophy triumph confirmed the scale of their ambition, the Spanish champions return to the Champions League Final Four still chasing the title that has defined the project’s long-term dream.
Fourth time lucky? For Mataro, there may never have been a better moment to find out.
Read more about the water polo Champions League
Visit the WP360 Shop!
Follow Waterpolo 360 on Facebook, Instagram and X