VK Novi Beograd and Olympiacos SFP both started their Quarter Final campaigns with a win, but neither victory was easy. Marseille impressed by coming back to 13-13 from 12-8 down, but Novi Beograd held on to win and take all three points. Jadran managed to level the score against Olympiacos in the third quarter after being 2-6 down, but it was the Greeks who came out on top in the end, with a strong 0-4 run in the final minutes.
Champions League Men
Quarter Final Results
Group A, Round 1
Tuesday, 4th February 2025
- VK Novi Beograd (SRB) 15-14 CN Marseille (FRA)
- VK Jadran Split (CRO) 11-12 Olympiacos SFP (GRE)
In Belgrade, Marseille stunned the hosts by jumping to a 0-3 lead in the first five minutes. However, the Serbian team soon found their rhythm, scoring twice from man-ups to finish the first quarter at 2-3.
Captain Vasilije Martinovic converted a penalty to make it 3-3, but Marseille responded with goals from Andrija Prlainovic and Alexandre Bouet, pushing ahead again.
A goal from Duro Radovic broke Novi Beograd’s three-minute silence, but Bouet extended Marseille’s lead with a six-on-five goal. Martinovic converted a man-up, and Angelos Vlachopoulos added another extra to make it 6-6 at halftime.
Novi Beograd took the lead for the first time early in the second half with a centre-shot from Miroslav Perkovic. Prlainovic responded with a penalty, but Martinovic’s wing shot and Vlachopoulos’ perimeter goal made it 9-7.
Prlainovic scored a penalty, but Milos Cuk netted two extra goals for the home side, making it 11-8. Marseille’s offence struggled, missing two extra-man opportunities, while Prlainovic missed a rare penalty.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Perkovic’s centre-shot gave Novi Beograd a 12-8 lead, but Marseille wasn’t finished. Ugo Crousillat scored twice in quick succession, and with 4:46 left, Alessandro Velotto converted a six-on-five to make it 12-11.
Vlachopoulos added another extra, but Bouet replied for Marseille. After some intense back-and-forth, Prlainovic had two chances in the same extra, but only one was saved. With 1:58 left, it was 13-13, but Cuk stepped up again, scoring 15 seconds later to put Novi Beograd ahead.
Bouet’s shot was saved, and with less than a minute left, Novi Beograd earned a man-up and a penalty. Vlachopoulos converted with 23 seconds left to secure the win. Marseille’s Thomas Vernoux scored late, but it wasn’t enough, and Novi Beograd held on for the victory.
In their match, Olympiacos dominated early, with captain Konstantinos Genidounias opening the scoring from a counter and adding another from a six-on-five. Despite blocking Olympiacos on two other extra-man chances, Jadran struggled in the first eight minutes.
Alexandros Papanastasiou made it 0-3 before Jadran got on the scoreboard with Marino Cagalj’s man-up goal. Olympiacos responded with two goals in quick succession, and the Croatians called a timeout.
After the break, Jadran started to close the gap with a penalty and an action goal from Cagalj, making it 4-6 at halftime. In the third quarter, they scored twice more to level the match.
But Olympiacos responded quickly, with Genidounias and Papanastasiou regaining a two-goal lead. Jadran’s goalkeeper, Marko Bijac, made a key save, but Olympiacos continued their dominance with a 0-4 run to extend the lead to 10-7 at the final break.
In the fourth quarter, Jadran fought back, with Duzevic and Zovic scoring, but Olympiacos answered every challenge. Genidounias added another, and Papanastasiou’s penalty made it 12-9 with just under three minutes remaining.
Zvonimir Butic pulled one back for Jadran, and they had a man-up, but Olympiacos’ goalkeeper Emmanouil Zerdevas denied Cagalj’s shot, securing the win. Despite Butic’s late goal, Olympiacos held on for a 12-11 victory.
