A1 Mens29 October 2025

Men’s Euro Cup: second group stage match, Trieste faces Szolnok in Hungary

The game is scheduled for Thursday, October 30, at 6:00 PM, live streaming on European Aquatics TV. Maurizio Mirarchi: “A solid opponent and a passionate crowd — we’ll have to give our very best.”

A big European showdown awaits. On Thursday, October 30, in the second match of the Men’s Euro Cup group stage (Group B), Pallanuoto Trieste will play away against Szolnok. The match will take place at the Vizilabda Arena in the Hungarian city, with kickoff at 6:00 PM. The referees will be Christos Kourtidis (Greece) and Sinisa Matijasevic (Montenegro). The game will be broadcast live on European Aquatics TV, and real-time play-by-play coverage will be available through Microplustiming.

Fresh off a clear home victory against Telimar Palermo in the national championship, the team sponsored by Samer & Co. Shipping is back on the Group Stage path for a highly challenging clash. The race for qualification (the top two teams in each group will advance to the round of 16) is still wide open, but the trip to Hungary offers three crucial points.

“We’re up against a team that feels very much at home in European competitions,” explained head coach Maurizio Mirarchi. “They’ll also have the support of a traditionally passionate crowd. Szolnok is a solid side — to put them under pressure, we’ll need an outstanding performance. At this level, you always have to give your all. We’re motivated, working well, and we can still improve. We’ll bring determination and plenty of energy into the water.”

The team coached by Zoltan Hangay started Group B on the right foot, narrowly winning (15–16) away against Dinamo Bucharest. In the domestic league, Szolnok currently sits fifth in the standings and just last Saturday defeated Kaposvar in a shootout (20–19).

One of the most prestigious clubs in Hungarian water polo — with a Champions League title (2017), an Euro Cup (2021), and ten national championships to its name — Szolnok has already faced Pallanuoto Trieste three times in the Euro Cup: in the 2022/2023 quarterfinals (with a double win for Trieste), and in the 2023/2024 Qualification Round, when captain Petronio and his teammates triumphed 15–11. Among Szolnok’s main threats are attackers Robert Krasznai and Csongor Zerinvary, both instrumental in the narrow win in Bucharest two weeks ago, with Zerinvary scoring four decisive goals.