Marseille gains two-goal advantage in a game of twists

CN Marseille has got a bit closer to become the first French team ever lifting a European trophy in water polo. In the first leg of the Euro Cup final, the home team gained a 9-7 advantage against Montenegro’s Jadran Carine in an epic battle offering a handful of twists throughout the game.

Both teams were aiming at their first triumph at the European stage thus the first leg of the final already turned into a thriller.

Jadran took a flying start and stormed to a 0-3 lead while the hosts missed three man-ups. What came next was an astonishing twist: soon Marseille staged a 5-0 rush, including three hits in a span of 78 seconds and the fifth came just two seconds before the break to give the French a 5-3 lead at halftime.

Early in the third they went three up at 6-3 but after a silence of 11:06 minutes the visitors returned to the scoring track and soon it was 6-5. Then Marseille replied soon to hold on for 7-5 before the last break. After a series of missed 6 on 5s at both ends Jadran got closer again with 3:16 to go but in the finish the hosts netted two in 51 seconds for 9-6 and only 71 seconds remained.

Still, the Montenegrins could pull one back with an action goal just 17 seconds later and they even had a last possession to reduce the gap further but couldn’t score again. This means that Marseille will have a two-goal advantage in the return leg, to be played in two weeks time in Herceg Novi.

Euro Cup, Final, 1st leg

CN Marseille (FRA) v Jadran Carine Herceg Novi (MNE) 9-7