Men’s Euro Cup: decisive match for qualification, Szolnok awaits at the “Bruno Bianchi” pool

On Thursday, December 4, for the fifth round of the Men’s Euro Cup group stage (Group B), Pallanuoto Trieste will host Szolnok. The match will be played at the “Bruno Bianchi” pool, starting at 8:00 PM, with free entry. The referees will be Ivan Rakovic (Serbia) and Levan Berishvili (Georgia). A paid live stream will be available on European Aquatics TV, and real-time play-by-play will be provided by Microplustiming.

The journey of the team sponsored by Samer & Co. Shipping in the Group Stage has reached a decisive crossroads. In the standings, CN Barcelona shares the top spot with the Hungarians at 9 points, while Trieste follows with 6. A win on Thursday is therefore essential to stay in the race for qualification to the round of 16. “Our goal,” explains coach Maurizio Mirarchi, “remains to advance to the next round, so we only have one result available. It will be a battle for every ball, and we’ve prepared as best as possible. We’ll get in the water to play our game and set our rhythm.” In the previous head-to-head on October 30, the Hungarians won by a 2-goal margin (16–14) after an extremely balanced match.

Zoltan Hangay’s Szolnok is in excellent form, currently sitting fifth in the top Hungarian league and coming off a clear 18–11 away win against Debreceni. In the Euro Cup, their only misstep dates back to November 13 against CN Barcelona (14–10 for the Catalans), a loss they immediately redeemed with a 16–9 victory over Dinamo Bucharest. Among the many talented players in the blue-and-white squad, special attention should be paid to veteran Gergo Kovacs, who has also worn the Hungarian national team cap.