The "Orchette" have done it again! A brilliant performance from Pallanuoto Trieste secures a place in the Euro Cup Women’s final for the second year in a row. This is the verdict of the semi-final second leg, played at the open-air "Acidalio Lorenzo" pool in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The team, sponsored by Samer & Co. Shipping, claimed a hard-fought 7-8 victory over CN Tenerife Echeyde, comfortably booking their ticket to the final, which was already within reach following the six-goal advantage earned three weeks ago.
“We are absolutely delighted. This result excites us and makes us extremely proud,” said head coach Paolo Zizza. “The team showed great maturity and focus, never relying on the first-leg result. Before turning our attention to the next challenges, we must take a moment to enjoy this achievement.” The Euro Cup Women’s final will be played over two legs, with the first match scheduled for March 15 at the “Bruno Bianchi” and the return leg set for April 5. Trieste will face the winner of the other semi-final between De Zaan and Glyfada, with the Dutch side holding a three-goal lead from the first leg.
Match Report. Ramos opened the scoring (1-0), but Cordovani quickly equalized (1-1). Naya’s fast break put the Spanish side back in front, closing the first period at 2-1. In the second quarter, Trieste shifted gears. Gragnolati and Klatowski turned the match around (2-3), and De March extended the lead to 2-4 by halftime.
The tempo slowed in the third period, with Trieste effectively managing their aggregate +8 lead. Reynoso reduced the gap on a power play (3-4), but Vukovic responded immediately, restoring the two-goal margin (3-5) with eight minutes remaining. The final quarter saw no real threats to Trieste’s dominance. Goals followed from Citino (3-6), Reynoso (4-6), Cordovani (4-7), Naya (5-7), another from Naya (6-7), Gant (6-8), and finally Borg for the definitive 7-8 scoreline.
CN TENERIFE ECHEYDE - PALLANUOTO TRIESTE 7-8 (2-1; 0-3; 1-1; 4-3)
CN TENERIFE ECHEYDE: Bello, Dempsey, Reynoso 2, Martin, Borg 1, Clapperton, Naya 3, Bennasar, Hernandez, Rodriguez, Ramos 1, Alcon, Costa. Head Coach: Cruz Torro
PALLANUOTO TRIESTE: Sparano, Citino 1, De March 1, Cordovani 2, Gant 1, Cergol, Klatowski 1, Colletta, Gragnolati 1, Vukovic 1, Koptseva, G. Zizza, Apollonio. Head Coach: P. Zizza
Referees: Kunikova (Slovakia) and Dvoracek (Czech Republic)