All favourites are through after the first round of the qualifications in the water polo Champions League.
No real shocks occurred in the first round of the qualifications, apart from Galatasaray’s exit. The Turks played in the main round in the last two seasons, but after losing their wild-card status and key foreign players this summer, they couldn’t match the others in Group A and bowed out with three defeats. DiGi Oradea (ROU) and Mornar Split (CRO) qualified with ease from this quartet.
OSC Budapest (HUN) and Waspo Hannover (GER) are also through from Group B, the match they played each other brought fine excitements, with the Hungarians prevailing (12-11). The same happened to SM Verona (ITA) and Sintez Kazan (RUS) in Group C, easy wins against the other rivals and a thrilling 10-10 tie on the second day in their contest (the Italians came back from 5-9 down in the last period).
Group D, played in Malta, witnessed only one balanced match, involving the two top ranked sides, Jadran Carine (MNE) and Steaua Buchuresti (ROU). There the Montenegrins bettered the Romanian champions 9-7, taking the first steps towards repeating their feat from last year when they managed to reach the prelims.
The eight qualifying sides will meet the eight wild-card holder countries’ second seeded teams in the next round. They will be drawn into four groups of four on Monday from noon in the LEN Office in Nyon.
Champions League, Qualification Round I
Group A (played in Oradea)
- DiGi Oradea (ROU) 9, 2. Mornar Split (CRO) 6, 3. UZSC Utrecht (NED) 3, 4. Galatasaray Istanbul (TUR) 0
Group B (Budapest)
- OSC Budapest 6, 2. Waspo Hannover (GER) 3, 3. ZP Barendrecht (NED) 0
Group C (Porto)
- SM Verona (ITA) 7 (59-17), 2. Sintez Kazan (RUS) 7 (44-15), 3. Enka SC (TUR) 3, 4. CF Portuense (POR) 0
Group D (Valletta)
- Jadran Carine (MNE) 9, 2. Steaua Bucuresti (ROU) 6, 3. Valletta (MLT) 3, 4. Arkonia Szczecin (POL) 0
The first two seeded sides have qualified to the Qualification Round II.
Teams with wild cards for Round II: VK Primorje Erste Bank RIJEKA (CRO), ASC DUISBURG (GER), VOULIAGMENI NC (GRE), CN MARSEILLE (FRA), ZF-EGER (HUN), AN BRESCIA (ITA), Crvena Zvezda BELGRADE (SRB), CN SABADELL (ESP)
