Astralpool CN Sabadell returns to reign in Europe, four years later. In a dream final, between the two giants of Spanish women’s water polo, the team from Valles clung to the Can Llong fort, where they have won all the final four they have played (5), and to the saves of an impressive Laura Ester (9 ) to defeat a brave Assolim CN Mataró 8-9.
David Palma’s players, who celebrated their success with a conga around the pool, regain the crown they last won in 2019, after Olympiacos’ two-year Greek dominance and the covid hiatus.
The CN Sabadell water polo players, with an unmatched competitive gene, are the great dominators of continental women’s water polo in the second decade of the 21st century: they have won six of the last 12 editions, with a reliability of six titles in 10 final four contested.
With a luxurious atmosphere in Can Llong, 1,000 followers in a thunderous pool like a Greek pool with the boisterous fans of CN Mataró and CN Sabadell, the first final in history between two teams from the same country began in the Women’s Champions League. A milestone in the 35 years of the competition. The service sprint went to Van der Sloot, from Sabadell.
High tension of good start with exchange of blows. Bea Ortiz hit the post and Anni Espar made it 1-0 before the minute with a cross shot. Two more shots from the Maresme team followed, a miraculous handball from Laura Ester and a great missile goal from Steffens to make it 1-1. All this in two and a half minutes.
Without lowering the intensity one iota, the final was followed by a few minutes of equality in error in the form of balls crashing to the post. Avegno sent the third for Mataró and Van der Sloot missed a penalty on the crossbar. This is how you reached the end of the first quarter, very even.
In the second quarter, CN Sabadell increased the defensive intensity with high pressure to make it difficult for Mataró to move the ball. David Palma’s men defended like lionesses, which meant constant recoveries. Mati Ortiz, pulling from seniority and knowledge of his rival goalkeeper, made it 1-2 with a precise Vaseline.
Valles’s advantage lasted only a few seconds, the time it took for Kesthelyi to complete a book counter (2-2). The tie was a spur for Sabadell, who hit three shots in a row to make it 3, first with a left-footed shot from Judith Forca to the corner, on the next play with a powerful shot from Van der Sloot, and in the third attack with another Forca’s launch adjusted to the stick. A tsunami swept away Mataró, which collided with the wall that a gigantic Laura Ester raised with five saves.
After the break, Sabadell put the finishing touches on Mataró. A spectacular Laura Ester with two saves and the goals from Forca, the third, and from Nona Pérez on the counter – after Pajarito’s seventh intervention – shot the Vallesanas at 4-7 to face the last sleeve with a comfortable safety cushion . Which could have been 4 if Steffens hadn’t crashed the ball into the crossbar at the buzzer.
In the last eight minutes, CN Mataró clung to the miracle with goals from Kesthelyi and Cambray and Avegno that reduced the deficit to one goal (7-8) with 5m25s to go. A furious partial of 1-3 gave life to the Maresme, but Elena Ruiz broke the magic with the 7-9 with 5 minutes to go.
But Mataró did not give up. With 3 minutes to go, Van der Kraats with a powerful long shot brought his team closer to one goal (8-9) and made the comeback possible. MarÃa Elena Sánchez joined the possible feat with her seventh stop.
With 47 seconds to go, the last attack for Mataró. Ball to the buoy, Sevenich turned around and Laura Ester, with 27 seconds left, pulls out a prodigious hand that gives Sabadell the sixth Champions League. The most suffered in their talismanic feud of Can Llong: five finals at home, five titles in the pocket.
Assolim CN Mataró: M. Elena Sánchez, SÃlvia Morell, Van de Kraats (2), Anna Gual, Sevenich, Kesthelyi (2), Clara Cambray (2), Cristina Nogué, Avegno (1), Queralt Bertran, Anni Espar (1) ), Martina Claveria, Carmona.
Astralpool CN Sabadell: Laura Ester, Mati Ortiz (1), Paula Leiton, Van der Sloot (1), Serrano, Steffens (1), Elena Ruiz (1), Maica GarcÃa (1), Forca (3), Bea Ortiz, Nona Pérez (1), Irene González, Mar Carrasco.
Umpires: Margeta (SLO) and Dutihl-Dumas (PB). Without deleted.
Partials: 1-1, 1-4, 2-2, 4-2.
Pool: Can Llong (Sabadell), full, about 1,000 spectators.
