- Buzzer Beater & Champions League Final for Olympiacos -

LEN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - SEMI-FINALS

  
    Szolniki
    7 - 8
    Olympiacos
  
    (4 - 2)
(5 - 3)
(6 - 5)
(7 - 8)

Olympiacos came back in the 4th period to defeat Hungarian side Szolniki 8-7 and advanced to the LEN Champions League Final! Vlachopoulos scored the winning goal at the buzzer to give Olympiacos the thrilling victory. The Final will be held tomorrow at 3:00 PM (EST).

Olympiacos and Szolniki played in Budapest for the LEN Champions League (European Championship) Semi-Finals. The Hungarian side got off to a great start, going ahead 4-2 in the first period, and took their two goal lead into halftime. It seemed that Olympaicos’ undefeated season was coming to an end when Szolniki took a 6-3 lead at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. However, Vlachopoulos responded with two goals, cutting the lead to one. Fountουlis failed to bring the scores level at the end of the third quarter when his penalty was brilliantly saved by Szolniki’s keeper. In the fourth quarter, Olympiacos tied the game 6-6 and with less than 5 minutes remaining Mourikis gave the Erythrolefki the lead (6-7). In the final minute, Vamos tied the game for the Hungarians 7-7. Olympiacos coach, Vlachos, called a time-out with 9 seconds remaining to regroup his team for one final play. Vlachopoulos got on the end of a long ranged pass and tapped it past Szolniki’s goalie, sending Olympiacos to their first LEN Champions League Final since 2002.

In 2002, at the same location as this year’s Final, Olympiacos lifted the LEN Champions League Title. Tomorrow at 3:00 PM (EST) undefeated Olympiacos will play the winner of the other semi-final between Dubrovnik and Pro Recco.