Courtesy: LEN
With four qualifying spots on offer in this round, big falls weren’t expected and the favourite sides all made the second round. All three Serbian, Hungarian, Italian and French clubs managed to reach the next phase.
Among the leading nations with three clubs in the draw, Serbia, Hungary, Italy and France achieved a perfect 3/3 in the battlefield – all their entrants went through. Greece and Spain had less to celebrate, both nations ‘lost’ two of its clubs in this round (at least for the Euro Cup – as all 5th and 6th ranked sides can continue in the newly launched LEN Challenger Cup).
Dutch side De Zaan produced one of the finest runs, as well as a surprising one, and finished second in its tough group in Thessaloniki, behind Solaris Sibenik, Croatia’s only representative in this competition.
Here the draw will also be conducted on Monday – the 16 qualifying clubs and the 11 sides dropped from the Champions League second qualifiying round will be drawn into six groups. The seven teams ‘rerouted’ to the Challenger Cup will be drawn into four groups together with the eight sides coming from the Champions League first qualification round.
For more details on the Euro Cup QR I, visit https://len-ws.microplustimingservices.com/leneurocup
Euro Cup, Qualification Round I
Group A (Saloniki)
1. VK Solaris (CRO) 13, 2. ZV De Zaan (NED) 10, 3. PAOK Saloniki (GRE) 10, 4. Montpellier WP (FRA) 7, 5. Ludwigsburg 08 (GER) 3, 6. CN Echyade (ESP) 0
Group B (Siracusa)
1. CC Ortigia (ITA) 12, 2. Partizan Beograd (SRB) 9, 3. Szolnoki Dozsa (HUN) 6, 4. Paix D’aix (FRA) 3, 5. Ydraikos NC (GRE) 0
Group C (Kranj)
1. Team Strasbourg (FRA) 15, 2. Budapesti Honved (HUN) 12, 3. Telimar Palermo (ITA) 9, 4. VK Valis (SRB) 6, 5. CN Terrassa (ESP) 3, 6. Triglav Kranj (SLO) 0
Group D (Barcelona)
1. Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 15, 2. Trieste Pallanuoto (ITA) 12, 3. BVSC-Zuglo (HUN) 9, 4. CN Mediterrani (ESP) 6, 5. Apollon Smyrnis (GRE) 3, 6. SKP Kosice (SVK) 0
