Pro Recco overpowered Savona 11–7 in the standout fixture of Round 9 in the Italian League, keeping their perfect domestic record intact and reaffirming why they remain the benchmark in Serie A1.
Both sides arrived with confidence after strong European results earlier in the week—Recco securing their Champions League Quarterfinal place, and Savona booking a spot in the Euro Cup eighth-finals. But after a gruelling schedule, fatigue was always going to play its part.
Recco’s explosive third quarter decides the derby
The opening half was a goalkeeper showcase: Nicosia and Del Lungo were exceptional, with goals at a premium. Recco jumped out to an early 2–0 lead inside the first three minutes, but Savona slowly steadied and brought the game back to 2–2 by halftime.
The match flipped after the break. Recco came out with trademark intensity, firing off a 4–0 run in under two minutes—two goals each from Francesco Di Fulvio and Alvaro Granados—to surge ahead 6–2. From there, the champions never looked back. Recco stretched the gap to 11–5 in the final quarter before Savona grabbed two late goals.
Di Fulvio finished with four goals, Granados with two. For Savona, Pietro Figlioli struck twice.
Recco and Brescia remain the only unbeaten teams, both sitting on a perfect 27 points.
Elsewhere in Round 9
Brescia 13–8 Olympic Roma
Brescia powered through an 8–1 first half, with Mario Del Basso scoring four. A 10–1 lead early in the third quarter sealed the result despite a modest late push from Olympic.
Telimar 12–15 De Akker
De Akker climbed into the top half of the table with a huge win in Palermo. Telimar led 12–11 in the 26th minute, but De Akker closed the match with four unanswered goals to steal the points.
Posillipo 10–5 Iren Quinto
A controlled defensive performance helped Posillipo maintain their strong form.
Canottieri Napoli 12–10 Florentia
Napoli kept Florentia winless, managing the game well across all four quarters.
Salerno 12–7 Roma Vis Nova
Salerno continue to build momentum with a convincing home win.
Trieste vs Ortigia
To be played on Sunday.
2026 Italian League – Round 9 Results
- Pro Recco – Savona 11:7 (2:1, 0:1, 5:2, 4:3)
- Brescia – Olympic Roma 13:8 (3:1, 5:0, 3:4, 2:3)
- Posillipo – Iren Genova Quinto 10:5 (2:1, 2:1, 3:2, 3:1)
- Telimar – De Akker 12:15 (2:3, 5:4, 4:3, 1:5)
- Canottieri Napoli – Florentia 12:10 (4:2, 3:3, 3:2, 2:3)
- Salerno – Roma Vis Nova 12:7 (4:2, 3:1, 1:3, 4:1)
- Trieste – Ortigia (Sunday)
Standings (after Round 9)
- Pro Recco – 27 pts (9 GP)
- Brescia – 27 pts (9 GP)
- Savona – 21 pts (9 GP)
- Posillipo – 17 pts (9 GP)
- Trieste – 15 pts (8 GP)
- Salerno – 13 pts (9 GP)
- De Akker – 12 pts (9 GP)
- Roma Vis Nova – 11 pts (9 GP)
- Olympic Roma – 11 pts (9 GP)
- Iren Quinto – 10 pts (9 GP)
- Telimar – 9 pts (9 GP)
- Canottieri Napoli – 9 pts (9 GP)
- Ortigia – 4 pts (8 GP)
- Florentia – 0 pts (9 GP)
Read more about Italian water polo
Follow Waterpolo 360 on Facebook, Instagram and X