Szolnok clinches historical first win in front of 10,000
History was in the making in Budapest as the opening event of the brand new Danube Arena, the Champions League Final Six tournament broke the single-match attendance record with more than 10,000 fans gathering for the final, the most ever watching a club competition final on site. And Szolnok (HUN) made history, too, winning its first ever trophy after a convincing 10-5 win over title-holder Jug Dubrovnik (CRO). Recco (ITA) finished third. Szolnok’s Viktor Nagy was picked for the Best goalkeeper award while team-mate Andrija Prainovic became the MVP.
Szolnok made the inauguration of Hungary’s brand new aquatic palace a really memorable event for the home fans as the team clinched the most prestigious trophy with a brilliant display of water polo. After the struggles in the semis, Szolnok came up with a first class performance and outdid title-holder Jug in all parts of the game.
The Croats seemed to run out of power, their big wins over last year’s runner-up Olympiacos (GRE) in the quarters and 2015 winner Recco (ITA) in the semis took their toll on the players. At the beginning they did a better job, though, early in the second Jug was 3-1 up. Few would have guessed that in the remaining 22:11 minutes the Croats would score only two more goals (only one in the entire second half).
On the other end Szolnok started to roll, their Serbian warriors, Milan Aleksic and Andrija Prlainovic netted two goals apiece, then Marton Vamos ‘arrived’ to the tournament and with two great blasts the classy leftie gave his team a 4-6 lead by half-time.
Jug missed its 6 on 5s in succession, though it was mainly Viktor Nagy in the Magyar goal who prevented them from closing the gap. He posted a series of brilliant saves and finished the match with an amazing 66.6% saving percentage as he made 10 stops on 15 attempts (Jug could score only twice in 11 man-ups).
In the middle of the third the Croats came close one last time at 5-7 but Aleksic buried his third with 1:13 to go in the penultimate quarter for 5-8 and when Nagy stopped Jokovic’s shot in a man-down, the outcome seemed inevitable. Gocic’s perfectly aimed ball extended the gap to four goals and that virtually ended the contest. The 10,000 spectators roared in joy when Gabor Kis netted another one for 5-10, securing Szolnok’s historical first trophy which was later presented by LEN Treasurer Tamas Gyarfas and Minister Zoltan Balog.
The bronze medal went to Recco as they demolished Eger 15-6, showing some glimpses from their strength.
Szolnok doubled down the special awards, Viktor Nagy got the best goalie distinction, while Andrija Prlainovic was named the Most Valuable Player (for the second time after 2013). The Serb netted three goals both in the semis and in the final and perhaps he was needed for Szolnok to make it to the top at last. He joined the team for this season and it looks like he is a major factor in Champions League triumphs as he was part of the winning sides in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and now in 2017.
When three outstanding players, Olympic champion Daniel Varga, Norbert Madaras and Serbian world champion Stefan Mitrovic left Szolnok a year ago – the team finished third on home soil then –, many said that the club would never have such a strong line-up. While comparing the strength of squads can be subjective, the results achieved ensure a clear picture and that shows the team of Szolnok lifting the Champions League trophy in 2017.
Champions League, Final Six, Day 3
Bronze medal match
Pro Recco (ITA) v ZF Eger (HUN) 15-6
Champions League Final
Jug CO Dubrovnik (CRO) v Szolnoki Dozsa-Kozgep (HUN) 5-10
Final rankings and prize money distribution
- Szolnoki D-Kozgep (HUN) € 50.000
- Jug CO Dubrovnik (CRO) € 40.000
- Pro Recco (ITA) € 33.000
- ZF Eger (HUN) € 31.000
- AN Brescia (ITA) € 28.000
- OIympiacos Piraeus (GRE) € 27.000
- CN Barceloneta (ESP) € 25.000
- OSC Budapest (HUN) € 24.000
- Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) € 10.000
- Partizan Belgrade (SRB) € 8.000
- Waspo Hannover (GER) € 6.000
- Olympic Nice (FRA) € 4.500
For free live streaming of all matches, play-by-play action and detailed stats, visit the LEN website (www.len.eu).
Champions League Final
Jug CO Dubrovnik (CRO) v Szolnoki Dozsa-Kozgep (HUN) 5-10
Vjekoslav Kobescak, head coach, Jug:
“It was visible that we didn’t have enough power left for this match. After beating Olympiacos and Recco in two days, our players got tired for the third day and Szolnok is as good team or even better as the previous two. We lacked what drove us in the quarters and semis. I saw on my players that they were slower both in speed and in making decisions. But I cannot say that I am dissatisfied now. We have two fantastic seasons with this team, we earned great results and I hope we can keep the guys together because we have lot more to achieve. Congratulations to Szolnok, they did a fantastic job.”
Zoltan Kosz, assistant coach, Szolnok:
“This is our fourth trophy this season but by no means the most valuable one. Playing one less match than Jug made the difference perhaps, though the first two periods were really tight so the players had to keep their nerves. In the second half we played just great, everything worked. Last year, when we finished third and three outstanding players left the club, many said that we missed our best chance to win the trophy and might never be as close as we had got then. Today it turned out that the saying was still valid: never say never!”
Bronze Medal Match
Pro Recco (ITA) v ZF Eger (HUN) 15-6
Vladimir Vujasinovic, head coach, Recco:
“This is the real face of our team, what we showed in the whole season. We had one bad game and we finished third, though. But this is sport, we have to deal with it and we have to start preparing for next year’s Final Four where we will be the host. Yesterday it was all about pressure – just like a year ago – and we have to take care of that as it cannot happen once more to such a great players.”
Norbert Dabrowski, head coach, Eger:
“The different level in speed made the difference today. Recco played in another class, they have quality players who can decide the matches and today they didn’t leave any chance for us. Perhaps I should say I’m proud of my team as we achieved the best result in our history but now I’m only feeling disappointment.”
27 May 2017
27 May 2017