After Zagreb, Pro Recco also beats Savona with 7-12. He does it at the end of a bullfight, with Savona putting the game on hold and going 3-0 after the first five minutes of the game. The Italian champions, led by Condemi and Hallock, turned on the lights after the initial blackout and made a comeback halfway through the third half: the hosts lost their heads, Rocchi and Rizzo hit Iocchi Gratta and Haverkampf twice in the face, thus making up for two expulsions for violent play; Two minutes from the end of the third half, Angelini is left with just 7 players available and Pro Recco can take off, taking home three fundamental points in the race for first place.
Mister Sukno makes Durik debut at two meters paired with Hallock, the Biancocelesti waste the first two superiorities and it is Savona who takes the lead after 130 seconds of play with a restart by Figlioli who beats Del Lungo above the head. Nicosia outdoes Haverkanpf and Fondelli, the home team doubles their lead at half-time with Rocchi quick to turn at two metres. The Italian champions struggled with the extra man (0/5 at the end of the half) and Figlioli made it 3-0 with a shot that went under the crossbar. A penalty is needed, scored by Cannella and converted by Condemi at 140 from the siren, to unblock Sukno’s boys. Pro Recco shortens again with an acceleration concluded by Younger’s winning diagonal: it’s 3-2 after eight minutes.
We start again, spirits heated in the pool: Fulvio and Figlioli pay the price, definitively expelled for mutual misconduct after 50 seconds. Merkulov’s lift and shot makes it 4-2. Sukno changes between the posts by inserting Negri, Condemi capitalizes on the superiority of number 7 from position 4. From the same tile, with Haverkampf in the well, he hits Erdelyi (5-3). The Hallock-Durik duo earns a flurry of expulsions at two meters and Condemi scores his personal hat trick with a beautiful wrist play that deceives Nicosia for the 5-4 at half-time. 100 seconds after the change of pitch, Pro Recco finds an equalizer for the first time: Cannella scores it, on a counterattack, and it is the last goal of the quarter.
Balance that lasts just 25 seconds because Patchaliev brings Savona back ahead. Pro Recco equalizes with Hallock’s dunk on the post, in superiority, well served by Fondelli (6-6), then the American midfielder gets the penalty for the possible advantage but Fondelli gets blocked by Nicosia. Hallock then decides to start his own business and with a splendid Bedouin he scores 6-7. Tension that doesn’t subside in the water, Rocchi pays the price, expelled for violent play against Iocchi Gratta: final P exit, four minutes of inferiority and a penalty that Nicosia saves from Condemi. Savona loses their head, Rizzo punches Haverkampf, another violent play and a penalty that Younger doesn’t miss (6-8). At the “Zanelli” it’s the Condemi show, the number 11 punishes Nicosia twice more (once from 25 meters with a lob) for the 6-10 at the end of the third half.
Savona also loses Patchaliev at half-time, Younger scores a hat-trick and Presciutti from position 1 beats Nicosia with Pro Recco doubling the red and whites (6-12) two minutes from the end.
“At the beginning we were a little tense but then the team came out and showed good things, we have to carry on like this and continue working – the words of Condemi, scorer of five goals -. In the water we are ready for anything, these challenges are always tough because in Italy the races are different from those in Europe, I don’t feel like commenting on what happened, we continue on our path. Zagreb and Savona were two fundamental challenges and we did well to be ready.”
RN SAVONA-PRO RECCO WATERPOLO 7-12
RN SAVONA: G. Nicosia, N. Rocchi 1, L. Damonte, P. Figlioli 2, D. Occhione, V. Rizzo, D. Merkulov 1, L. Bruni, B. Erdelyi 1, M. Guidi, A. Patchaliev 1, A. Gullotta, N. Da Rold, T. Cora 1. All. Angelini
PRO RECCO WATERPOLO: M. Del Lungo, F. Di Fulvio, Durik, G. Cannella 1, A. Younger 3, A. Fondelli, N. Presciutti 1, G. Echenique, M. Iocchi Gratta, S. Scarmi, F. Condemi 5, B. Hallock 2, T. Negri, Haverkampf. All. Sukno
Referees: Severo and Petronilli
Partials: 3-2, 2-3, 1-5, 1-2.
Bruni (S) and Erdelyi (S) left due to foul limits in the third half and Cannella (R), and Iocchi Gratta (R) Patchaliev (S) in the fourth half. Numerical superiorities: Savona 1/5 and Recco 5/13 + 4 penalties. Figlioli (S) and Di Fulvio (R) were sent off for mutual misconduct at 0’53 of the second half and for violent play Rocchi (S) at 4’06 and Rizzo (S) at 7’56 of the third half. In goal Nicosia (S) and Del Lungo (R). Negri (R) takes over from Del Lungo at 1’01 of the second half. Nicosia (S) saves a penalty from Fondelli at 2’50 of the third half and one from Condemi at 4’50 of the third half. In the stands the president of the Italian Swimming Federation Paolo Barelli
Pro Recco Waterpolo Press Office
Photo Credit Schenone
