Her Primorye Rijeka will face the Drowning in the double quarter-finals of the men’s Euro Cup in water polo, as determined by the draw made today. The first match to qualify for the Final 4 will take place on April 6 in Athens and the second leg on April 27 in Croatia, while the team that will pass will face the winner of the pair between Italian Savona and German Spandau in the semi-finals.
Vouliagmeni have already met Rijeka this year, in the qualifying phase of the Champions League, where they defeated them 14-12 on the way to qualifying for the group stage. The Croatians finished third in that group and went on to the Euro Cup, where they won three matches in the qualifiers (in a group they hosted) and then finished first in Group C with four wins (3/3 at home ) and two defeats. In the round of 16 they faced Dynamo Tbilisi and achieved two victories, 8-7 in Rijeka and 20-15 in Georgia.
Primorye Rijeka was one of the strongest European sides in the first half of the 2010s, during which time they won the Adriatic League three times, two championships and three Croatian cups (they have one before, as well as one cup in the united Yugoslavia). , while reaching the final of the Champions League twice, but knowing the same number of defeats from Pro Reco (2012 and 2015). In the following years it regressed quite a bit and is now trying to return to a leading role, however relying to a large extent on young players. The coach of the team is former international Croatian Igor Hinić (“gold” Olympic medalist in 2012 in London) and on its roster there is an old acquaintance of Vouliagmeni, the kicker Lovro Paparic. Experienced Montenegrin Darko Brgulian, Dutch international Cas Te Riley and Slovenian Jasa Kantivec are Primorye’s foreigners, while Tin Brumbniak and goalkeeper Mario Ivan Čubranić stand out among the many youngsters.
Men’s Euro Cup quarter-final pairings (April 6 & 27)
1. Savona (Italy)-Spandau (Germany)
2. Steaua (Romania)-Sabadel (Spain)
3. Jug Dubrovnik (Croatia)-Red Star (Serbia)
4. Bouliagmeni-Primorije Rijeka (Croatia)
The semi-final pairs:
Winner 4-Winner 1
Winner 2-Winner 3
The Final 4 is scheduled for the two days of May 17-18.
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