CN Marseille produced one of the biggest upsets of the Champions League season, recovering from three goals down to defeat reigning European champions Ferencvaros 12-10 in France on Wednesday evening.
Elsewhere, Panathinaikos celebrated their first-ever Champions League group stage victory with a remarkable 25-14 win over Steaua Bucharest, while Novi Beograd claimed their first points in Group C by beating Jadran Split 16-11.
Marseille End Ferencvaros’ Remarkable Away Record
Ferencvaros looked firmly in control during the opening quarter, racing into a 4-1 lead against the French champions.
However, Marseille gradually worked their way back into the contest, with Marc Larumbe equalising at 6-6 just four seconds before half-time.
The decisive period came after the break. Marseille’s defence, supported by goalkeeper Petar Tesanovic, frustrated the Hungarian champions as the hosts scored five consecutive goals to transform a 4-6 deficit into a 9-6 advantage.
Former Ferencvaros player Adam Nagy was among the scorers against his old club, while Thomas Vernoux contributed four goals.
FTC attempted to respond in the final quarter, but Marseille maintained their advantage to secure a memorable 12-10 victory.
The result ended Ferencvaros’ extraordinary Champions League away unbeaten run in regulation time, which stretched back to April 2024.
There was also a sense of deja vu for Marseille. The French side had previously defeated FTC 13-7 in April 2023, making this only their second victory over the Hungarian giants in seven official meetings.
Panathinaikos Celebrate Historic First Victory
In Athens, Panathinaikos secured their first Champions League group stage victory in emphatic fashion, overwhelming Romanian champions Steaua Bucharest 25-14.
Despite conceding the opening goal, the Greek side immediately took control, racing into a 7-2 first-quarter lead before extending their advantage to 15-5 at half-time.
Dimitrios Nikolaidis and Nikolaos Papasifakis led the scoring with five goals each, while Dimitrios Skoumpakis, Efstathios Kalogeropoulos and Alexandros Kopelaidis added three apiece.
The victory gives Panathinaikos their first three points in Group D and keeps their hopes of progressing to the next stage alive.
Novi Beograd Recover Against Jadran Split
Novi Beograd finally got their Champions League campaign moving with a 16-11 home victory over Croatian side Jadran Split.
Jadran had led 6-5 at half-time, largely thanks to an impressive performance from captain Zvonimir Butic, who finished with five goals.
However, the Serbian side took control after the interval, outscoring their visitors 4-1 in the third quarter before adding seven more goals in the final period.
Nika Shushiashvili, Gergo Meszaros and Vuk Martinovic each scored four goals as Novi Beograd ended their winless start to the competition.
The result was particularly important following previous defeats to Barceloneta and Mladost, putting the Serbian side back into contention in Group C.
Champions League Round 3 Results
Group C
Novi Beograd 16-11 Jadran Split (2-2, 3-4, 4-1, 7-4)
Group D
CN Marseille 12-10 Ferencvaros (2-4, 4-2, 4-1, 2-3)
Panathinaikos 25-14 Steaua Bucharest (7-2, 8-3, 5-5, 5-4)
Remaining fixture – Friday, 13 November
Barceloneta vs Mladost – 20:30 CET