Courtesy: LEN
With a four-goal away win under their belt, Ethnikos players are set to march all the way to the club’s second LEN Trophy triumph after 12 years.
LEN Trophy, Final, 2nd leg
19.00 Ethnikos Piraeus (GRE) v Dunaujvarosi Foiskola (HUN) – first leg: 12-8
Dunaujvaros needs a miracle to overturn this deficit, though the Hungarians demonstrated a couple of times that they never gave in.
A four-goal win, especially when gained on the road in a home-and-away final, is almost a guarantee for lifting the trophy at the end of the return game. And based on the match played in Dunaujvaros last Friday, Ethnikos has all the reasons to be confident before the Wednesday clash.
Apart from a shorter surge from the Hungarians in the second period, the Greeks outplayed their rival in all aspects. The difference in the quality of goaltending was especially spectacular – though it’s not surprising as Ashleigh Johnson is one of the most decorated goalies in history. The US Olympic and world champion was a key in Ethnikos’ dominating performance and if only the Greek defence keeps its composure for four more quarters, there will be no way back to Dunaujvaros.
Though the Magyar side caused some upsets in the past – it was definitely the underdog when faced Olympiacos in the 2018 LEN Trophy final, still managed to upend the fellow Piraeus side and later caused a huge surprise when they added the Super Cup by downing Euro League winner Kinef in Kirishi. They also were close to something big earlier in that year in the EL quarters – after losing by three goals to 8-time champion Orizzonte at home, they hit back with a three-goal win in Italy (led by five in the game a couple of times) only to bow out in the penalty-shootout.
These memories show that Dunaujvaros cannot be written off – though one still can have a feeling that only Ethnikos can blow this victory. This would be the second title for the Greeks in this competition, they won their first in 2010, when they beat Russia’s Yugra in the final.
Courtesy of the host club, LEN provides a free stream and livescoring from the final, please visit www.len.eu for more.