Berlin, May 23 – The Spandau 04 water polo team has achieved a surprising victory in the first final of the German championship. The record-holding water polo champions won 14:11 (4:3, 3:1 – 4:5, 3:2) against defending champions Waspo 98 Hannover in their home swimming hall in Schöneberg.
Spandau’s Strong Start and Resilient Performance
The outsider team, Spandau, entered the game highly motivated and with great commitment, taking an unexpected early lead of 3:0 and then 4:1 in the opening quarter. Despite Hannover, who had clearly won the previous four duels of the season, managing to equalize, Spandau held their ground, countered effectively, and delivered their best performance of the season so far.
Key players for Spandau included goalkeeper Laszlo Baksa and Nikola Kojic, who scored five goals. Their combined efforts were crucial in securing this initial victory in the best-of-five series.
The Road Ahead: Upcoming Matches and Series Format
The next two matches of the series, which requires three wins to claim the title, will take place next Wednesday and Saturday in Hannover. Even if Spandau were to lose these two away games, a potential fourth encounter of the series would be held in Berlin, offering another home advantage.
This unexpected win sets an exciting tone for the remainder of the championship series, as Spandau 04 looks to challenge the dominance of Waspo 98 Hannover.
Source: https://berliner-abendblatt.de/berlin-news/spandauer-wasserballer-gewinnen-finalauftakt-gegen-hannover-id335035
