Viennese Side Also Qualify for the Final Tournament in Maribor

In the rescheduled match of the Alpe Waterpolo League regular season, Ströck Wien defeated hosts Opatija in Rijeka. With this victory, the Viennese side secured the final spot at the Final Tournament of the top six teams, which will take place from March 6 to 8 in Maribor.

Opatija – Ströck Wien 10:14 (2:3, 2:5, 3:1, 3:5)
Referees: Beltrame, Kavčič.

On Saturday, the Viennese team had already beaten Jadran Kostrena in a penalty shootout, closing to within one point of sixth place — the last position leading to the Final Tournament. To book their place in the season finale, they needed a win against Opatija, while the hosts could have overtaken Mladost Zagreb for third place with a victory.

Opatija made the stronger start, taking a 2:0 lead after just over a minute through goals by Duje Peroš and Lucijan Dujmić. However, the visitors responded quickly and edged ahead by the end of the first quarter. Opatija’s struggles continued in the second period, where Luka Šečerović and Luka Stefanović helped Ströck build a four-goal advantage by halftime.

The hosts cut the deficit in half during the third quarter and came close to turning the tide after Borna Margitić scored to make it 8:9. They narrowed the gap again at 9:10, but Ströck then produced four unanswered goals to pull clear and deservedly celebrate qualification for the Final Tournament.

League leaders Branik Maribor and second-placed Ljubljana Slovan have already advanced directly to the semifinals. On Friday, Mladost Zagreb will face Ströck Wien, while Opatija will take on Triglav Kranj. The winner of the first matchup will meet Ljubljana Slovan in Saturday’s semifinal, while the winner of the second will face Branik Maribor. The third-place match and the final are scheduled for Sunday.