The women’s Euro Cup final will be an all-Italian affair, after Trieste and Padova both triumphed in their respective semi-finals on Saturday. Padova cruised past Hungarians BVSC, dominating their encounter from the start, while Trieste staged a remarkable late fightback against De Zaan to book their place in Sunday’s gold medal game.
Euro Cup Women Final Four – Semi-Finals Results
Saturday, 13th April 2024
Pallanuoto Trieste (ITA) 10-8 ZV De Zaan (NED)
Antenore Plebiscito PD (ITA) 15-10 BVSC-Zuglo (HUN)
Sunday, 14th April 2024 – Final Fixtures
(local times shown)
15:30 Bronze Medal Game – De Zaan (NED) v BVSC-Zuglo (HUN)
17:30 Gold Medal Game – Pallanuoto Trieste (ITA) v Antenore Plebiscito PD (ITA)
Trieste secured their place in Sunday’s showpiece final in dramatic fashion, after a stunning 5-0 fourth quarter performance saw them come from behind to defeat De Zaan, who had led the contest since the very first minute.
Before this semi-final showdown, Trieste coach Paolo Zizza had spoken about the dangers his side would face against De Zaan, whose line-up boasts top talents such as the Rogge sisters, Lieke and Bente.
Those words proved somewhat prophetic, as the Dutch side got off to the perfect start, with Nerida Drewes and Maartje Van Rijn both firing in within the first two minutes to put De Zaan 0-2 up.
Trieste’s Isabella Riccioli pulled one back shortly before the first break for 1-2, but then Lieke Rogge scored a sensational skipshot from 6m at the start of the second to restore De Zaan’s two-goal lead.
Anything Lieke can do, her sister Bente can do too, as the fellow European champion made it 1-4 with a smart drive on extra to find space and execute a powerful shot that flew into the bottom right corner.
The hosts looked shocked, but there was still a long way to go, and goals from Arianna Gragnolati and Lucrezia Cergol kept them in touching distance (3-5) at the turnaround.
In the third, De Zaan opened up a three-goal advantage twice, once at 3-6, then crucially at 5-8 with just 41 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Trieste, who had won all six of their group games (mostly) with relative ease, looked in serious danger of fluffing their lines when it really mattered – with the final at stake and in front of their own fans.
But, in a sensational fourth period, everything changed, as Trieste produced a huge attacking tidal wave that De Zaan were powerless to stop.
First, Trieste won the swim-off for the first time, which didn’t lead to anything in that initial possession, but it maybe hinted a little at what was to come.
Serbian international Jelena Vukovic scored first on extra for 6-8 with 5:15 remaining, then with 3:42 left, Gragnolati made it 7-8 with some quick-thinking, pushing in a rebound after the ball fell kindly in front of her after Francesca Colletta’s shot was saved.
The Italians now looked focused and steely as they seized the initiative, while the Dutch didn’t seem to know whether to stick or twist.
Colletta soon had the home fans roaring once more when she shot from deep on extra for 8-8 with just under three minutes remaining.
The momentum was with Trieste at precisely the right time, and when Vukovic edged forward and slammed in for 9-8, the roof of the Bruno Bianchi complex was ready to come off, as the noise was deafening.
It was the first time the hosts had led, but at 1:41, De Zaan had the perfect opportunity to level, as Colletta gave away a penalty and Lieke Rogge swam up to take it.
However, it seems it wasn’t meant to be for the Dutch side, as her shot smashed against the right-hand post and rebounded to safety.
Gragnolati – who else – then capped off a fine individual performance by slipping past her marker and hammering in her fifth of the night to make it 10-8 and add more gloss to Trieste’s sensational comeback.
Following the drama of the Saturday’s first semi-final, Padova went head-to-head with Hungarian side BVSC.
While the opening game was a close and entertaining affair, Padova – who were inspired by an outstanding performance by Maxine Schaap – managed to gain the upper hand over BVSC early in their clash.
Schaap, Alessia Millo and Beatrice Cassara all scored in the opening quarter to edge Padova ahead (3-2), then four further goals in the second – two more for Schaap, and one more for Millo and Cassara made it 7-3.
The game was beginning to slip away from the Hungarians and in the third, Padova comfortably kept their rivals at arm’s length, mainly thanks to four more goals from Schaap.
The Dutch star had taken her tally to seven as Padova went into the final quarter 12-7 up, and unlike Trieste’s heroics earlier, BVSC weren’t able to mount any sort of comeback.
In fact, the gap remained exactly the same, as Padova – who had been excellent in defence all game – eased through the final stages to close the game out worthy 15-10 winners.
Schaap also took the chance to take her evening’s goals total to a remarkable eight.
So, the stage is now set for an epic last day of Final Four action, when everything will be on the line and an Italian team will be crowned champions – Trieste or Padova.
The two sides also met recently in the semi-final of the Italian cup, with Padova triumphing 8-6, so this game will be a chance for Trieste to gain some revenge in their own pool.
It will also be the first time an Italian team has claimed the title since 2019, when Orizzonte Catania beat UVSE 10-9 in a gripping final.
You can watch all of Sunday’s Final Four games live on the European Aquatics YouTube channel to see who will lift the 2024 trophy.
You can also follow all the scores by clicking here.
