Women's Euro Cup: first leg goes to De Zaan, Trieste narrowly defeated at 'Bianchi' (9-10)

A dramatic ending. The first leg of the Women's Euro Cup final between Pallanuoto Trieste and ZV De Zaan was a hard-fought battle, with the Dutch team securing a 9-10 victory thanks to a last-second goal. In front of a packed and passionate 'Bruno Bianchi' crowd, the Samer & Co. Shipping-sponsored team showed heart and determination, often playing catch-up, nearly falling behind significantly, but ultimately staying well in contention. The second leg is set for Saturday, April 5, in Amsterdam, with De Zaan holding a narrow one-goal advantage—the cup is still up for grabs. "After a rough start," said head coach Paolo Zizza, "the girls did a fantastic job fighting back. That last episode leaves a bitter taste, as it was a borderline situation that might have been interpreted differently. We proved that we are in this fight, and in three weeks, we will give it our all."

Match Summary The visitors had the better start. Hicks opened the scoring from center forward, with Gragnolati leveling at 1-1. Then, Koopman, Sam, and Van Der Veen combined for a 1-4 lead. Klatowski capitalized on a counterattack, drawing the goalkeeper’s exclusion before finishing for 2-4. Lieke Rogge remained ice-cold on a penalty, closing the first period at 2-5 in De Zaan’s favor.

The Dutch side appeared in control. Drewes and Bente Rogge responded to Gragnolati, extending the 'Oranje' lead to 3-7, but Trieste fought back. Guya Zizza struck from the wing, Gragnolati added another, and De March converted on a power play to bring the score to 6-7 at halftime.

The third quarter saw a drop in pace but a rise in tension. De Zaan twice extended their lead to +2 through Drewes and Lieke Rogge, but Vukovic and a penalty by Gragnolati kept Trieste within one at 8-9 heading into the final eight minutes. The fourth quarter was a rollercoaster for the 500+ fans at 'Bruno Bianchi.' Vukovic finally completed the comeback, blasting in the equalizer at 9-9. Trieste even had a chance to take the lead in the last minute but couldn't capitalize. Then, with just 0.8 seconds left, Drewes found the back of the net, sealing the 9-10 result. The first round goes to De Zaan, but the final verdict will be decided on April 5.

PALLANUOTO TRIESTE - ZV DE ZAAN 9-10 (2-5; 4-2; 2-2; 1-1)
PALLANUOTO TRIESTE: Sparano, Citino, De March 1, Cordovani, Gant, Cergol, Klatowski 1, Colletta, Gragnolati 4, Vukovic 2, Koptseva, G. Zizza 1, Apollonio. Coach: P. Zizza
DE ZAAN: Van Leeuwen, L. Rogge 2, De Ouden, Van Der Veen 1, Sam 1, Hicks, Happe 1, Koopman 1, Oosterbaan, Drewes 3, Van Rijn, B. Rogge 1, Van De Dobbelsteen. Coach: Van Den Bree
Referees: Cananas (ESP) & Blanchard (FRA)