The regular season of Italy’s Serie A1 has officially come to a close, and the playoff picture is now complete. Trieste have secured the final spot in the championship semifinals with an emphatic 14–7 victory over Florentia, edging out De Akker in the battle for fourth place.
Heading into the final day, Trieste and De Akker were level on points. Trieste, however, held the crucial head-to-head advantage. A win for Trieste and a slip-up from De Akker would see the northeastern side advance—and that’s exactly how it played out.
Draskovic leads Trieste to glory
Trieste travelled to Florence knowing what was at stake and rose to the occasion in style. Montenegrin attacker Vuk Draskovic delivered a standout performance, scoring seven goals to drive his team to a convincing win.
The visitors took early control of the game, racing to a 7–2 lead midway through the second quarter. Florentia hit back with three unanswered goals to make it 7–5 at halftime, but Trieste shut the door with a dominant third quarter (3–0) and finished strong to seal the result.
Trieste now prepare to face top-seeded Brescia in the semifinals. Brescia claimed first place in the standings after edging Pro Recco 13–12 in a dramatic clash on Friday.
Savona spoil De Akker’s hopes
De Akker needed to beat Savona and hope for a Trieste slip-up, but neither came to pass. Savona, locked into third place regardless of results, came to Bologna with intent and played with purpose. After an even opening half, Savona gradually pulled away in the second, outscoring De Akker 4–1 in the final quarter to take a 14–10 win.
Daniil Merkulov led the way for Savona with four goals, while Balazs Erdely added three. De Akker’s top scorer was Lucci, who netted five.
As a result, De Akker will now compete in the 5th–8th place playoffs alongside Posillipo, Roma Vis Nova, and Ortigia.
5th–8th Playoffs and Relegation
De Akker’s playoff opponent will be Ortigia, who edged Posillipo 13–11 thanks to four goals from Cassia and three from Inaba. Telimar also picked up a win, beating Roma Vis Nova 11–8.
The fifth and sixth-placed teams at the end of the placement playoffs will qualify for the newly introduced Conference Cup.
At the other end of the table, Telimar, Catania, Olympic Roma, and Florentia will battle in the relegation playoffs. Onda Forte, who lost a close 15–14 match to Quinto, have been relegated to Serie A2.
Round 26 Results – Serie A1 (2024/25)
- Florentia 7–14 Trieste (1–3, 4–4, 0–3, 2–4)
- Catania 11–16 Olympic Roma (2–4, 3–3, 4–5, 2–1)
- De Akker 10–14 Savona (3–4, 2–1, 4–5, 1–4)
- Onda Forte 14–15 Quinto (3–4, 3–5, 3–4, 5–2)
- Ortigia 13–11 Posillipo (2–1, 2–3, 4–3, 5–4)
- Telimar 11–8 Roma Vis Nova (5–4, 2–1, 1–1, 3–2)
- Played earlier: Brescia 13–12 Pro Recco
Final Standings (Regular Season)
- Brescia – 73 pts
- Pro Recco – 73 pts
- Savona – 66 pts
- Trieste – 49 pts
- De Akker – 46 pts
- Posillipo – 38 pts
- Roma Vis Nova – 37 pts
- Ortigia – 35 pts
- Quinto – 29 pts
- Telimar – 28 pts
- Florentia – 26 pts
- Olympic Roma – 18 pts
- Catania – 8 pts
- Onda Forte – 5 pts
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