Reigning champions Sant Andreu survived another scare against CN Vouliagmeni, battling back to win a thrilling shootout and earn the right to defend their trophy in Malta. Elsewhere, FTC-Telekom, Olympiacos Piraeus and Assolim CN Mataro all comfortably booked their places in the Final Four, building on their first-leg advantages and progressing in style.
2025/26 Champions League Women
Quarterfinals, Leg 2
Saturday 16 May 2026
(Aggregate scores shown)
CN Vouliagmeni (GRE) 11-11 (3-4P) Sant Andreu (ESP) (Agg: 24-25)
UVSE-Helia D (HUN) 16-18 FTC-Telekom (HUN) (Agg: 25-34)
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 10-8 Astralpool CN Sabadell (ESP) (Agg: 27-20)
SIS Roma (ITA) 10-12 Assolim CN Mataro (ESP) (Agg: 19-25)
CN Vouliagmeni (GRE) 11-11 (3-4P) Sant Andreu (ESP) (4-2, 3-3, 3-4, 1-2, 3-4P) (Agg: 24-25)
Vouliagmeni led by five goals in the away game, then by four at home deep into the third period – still, Sant Andreu fought their way back and, after both matches finished 11-11, the Spaniards won a thrilling shootout to book a place in the Final Four and retain their chance to defend the title.
St Andreu have no time to die. Last year they came back from two goals down to lift the trophy – and once more they proved they refuse to give up, even when everything seems lost. After recovering from a 2-7 deficit at home to force an 11-11 draw against Vouliagmeni, the return leg followed a very similar script.
The Greeks made a flying start, converting four of their five extras in the first period and, although the Spaniards also produced a couple of fine plays, the hosts held a 4-2 lead after eight minutes.
Lola Moolhuijzen converted a penalty 14 seconds into the second quarter, then Vouliagmeni killed a woman-down and, after a hard-fought three-minute battle, Eleftheria Fountotou blasted one in from the perimeter midway through the period to make it 6-2.
St Andreu were struggling in attack before Maria Palacio ended their almost nine-minute scoring drought with a fine action goal.
At least the visitors managed to tighten their defence as the Greeks also found it difficult to add more.
With 1:37 before half-time, Gisella Farre scored brilliantly from the centre and the Spaniards then had a six-on-five to narrow the gap to one, but missed it.
Fountotou punished them from Vouliagmeni’s first extra of the quarter, 24 seconds from the buzzer, for 7-4.
Still, Aussie ace Alice Williams netted a brilliant one-timer 10 seconds before the turnaround to give the title-holders a timely boost.
Ariadna Ruiz fired one in after just 25 seconds of the third to make it 7-6, but Moolhuijzen replied immediately from action.
That sparked an outstanding spell from the home side, including two killed woman-downs and back-to-back action goals from Kyra Christmas – perhaps only a mistletoe was missing from this festive phase as Vouliagmeni stormed to a 10-6 lead.
Against almost any other opponents, that damage would probably have been decisive – but St Andreu produced another astonishing response.
Without calling a time-out, they simply raised their levels. Elena Ruiz struck from distance and, although the Spaniards missed a six-on-five, they killed the Greeks’ extra before a quick transition created space for Nona Perez to add another fine action goal.
Then, just 34 seconds after another good defensive stand, Paula Camus battled her way into position in the centre to bring her side back to 10-9 with 0:48 remaining in the quarter.
The fourth began with more positional play before, after two minutes, the hosts earned an extra and Fountotou converted for 11-9.
Another lengthy battle followed. St Andreu’s attacking rhythm dipped again, but their defence held firm and denied the hosts any clear shooting opportunities, even after Vouliagmeni called a time-out before their next six-on-five.
A minute later, the Greeks were handed an even better chance after Nona Perez failed to notice the exclusion signal from the referees, gifting the hosts a penalty.
With 3:35 remaining and a two-goal lead in hand, it looked like a ‘Final Four ball’, but Moolhuijzen sent the shot wide.
The punishment came immediately as Elena Ruiz scored at the other end, so instead of 12-9, it was suddenly 11-10 with 3:18 left to play.
Soon after, St Andreu had an extra to level but missed it, while the Greeks began to look increasingly tense under the pressure.
The Spaniards earned another six-on-five and this time Ariadna Ruiz’s left hand made no mistake, delivering a magnificent pinpoint finish from the right wing for 11-11 with 44 seconds remaining.
The Ruiz sisters had saved the day for St Andreu, while the Greeks failed to score in the final six minutes, sending the tie to a shootout.
Fountotou, after producing a series of brilliant finishes, hit the bar in the opening round, while Ariadna Ruiz later struck the post in the fourth.
Moolhuijzen, making amends for her crucial penalty miss, brought Vouliagmeni level again before Queralt Anton converted the fifth attempt for the Spaniards.
Aspasia Fouraki stepped up last, but Martina Terre perfectly read the direction of the shot and produced a two-handed save to send St Andreu into the Final Four.
UVSE-Helia D (HUN) 16-18 FTC-Telekom (HUN) (6-3, 3-6, 4-5, 3-4) (Agg: 25-34)
Despite an early surge from UVSE, Ferencvaros never truly looked troubled as they secured another victory in the second leg, which eventually turned into a 34-goal scoring festival.
UVSE picked up where they had left off in the first encounter, when they had trailed by 11 goals after three periods before producing a 0-5 run in the fourth quarter.
Even though they eventually lost by seven, it still left little – or rather no – realistic chance for the return leg.
Nevertheless, the young hosts made a flying start and stormed to a 6-3 lead after eight minutes, powered by five action goals.
Fradi responded with greater determination and Greta Gurisatti and Bea Ortiz struck with two quick action goals in the space of 35 seconds.
UVSE, chasing their first win of the season against their domestic arch-rivals, managed to preserve their two-goal advantage for a while, but Gurisatti’s late double brought FTC level at 9-9 by half-time.
The momentum shifted in the third period as Fradi moved ahead for the first time and, after 10-10, produced a 0-3 run which appeared to create some distance between the two teams.
Still, UVSE kept fighting and this time managed to score twice late in the quarter to reduce the deficit to a single goal before the final break at 13-14.
In the fourth, Kata Hajdu converted her fifth goal from a penalty to level the score and UVSE equalised twice more, the last time at 16-16 with 3:50 remaining.
In the end, however, experience prevailed.
Gurisatti scored her ninth goal of the match from a six-on-five, then UVSE missed their own extra before Ortiz fired in from the perimeter for 16-18 with 1:52 to play.
The hosts were unable to score again, allowing FTC to secure their Final Four berth with a double victory and join the men’s team for the Malta bonanza.
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 10-8 Astralpool CN Sabadell (ESP) (4-1, 2-2, 2-4, 2-1) (Agg: 27-20)
A little more than a year ago, Sabadell defeated Olympiacos 15-13 in this very same pool in Piraeus, in one of the most thrilling semifinals ever played in the Women’s Champions League Final Four.
This May, the two sides met again, but under very different circumstances. In the second leg of the quarterfinals, the Spaniards arrived in Greece with little hope after suffering a five-goal defeat at home.
It was also a completely different Sabadell side, without the household names who had reached last year’s final – though they were stunningly beaten by Sant Andreu.
Olympiacos, meanwhile, retained the same strength, if not even greater quality, and needed only one and a half quarters to reproduce the five-goal margin they had built in Sabadell.
Everything looked easy for the hosts as they raced to a 6-1 lead before experienced coach David Palma called a time-out to prevent the match from turning into a disaster.
The move worked immediately as Sabadell struck twice in 50 seconds and continued their recovery after the middle break, adding two more goals to close the gap to 6-5.
Indeed, Olympiacos had taken their foot off the gas and went scoreless for eight minutes, but Sabadell’s fifth goal sounded the alarm.
The Greeks killed a crucial woman-down that could have brought the visitors level, then Eirini Ninou broke the silence with a superb shot before Vasiliki Plevritou added another from a six-on-five a minute later for 8-5.
Sabadell kept fighting and two late goals gave them hope of at least signing off with a strong finish.
They even threatened to avoid another defeat as, despite an early woman-up goal from Sofia Tornarou in the fourth, Ona Jurado pulled one back again at the four-minute mark for 9-8.
The visitors still had a couple of opportunities to equalise in the closing minutes, including a six-on-five, but failed to convert.
Dionysia Koureta then settled the contest with a fine finish from the centre 29 seconds from time, sealing another victory for Olympiacos as the Greeks booked their sixth Final Four appearance in the last seven editions.
SIS Roma (ITA) 10-12 Assolim CN Mataro (ESP) (1-2, 2-2, 3-7, 4-1) (Agg: 19-25)
Mataro produced another flawless performance and, powered by a dominant attacking display in the third period in which they scored seven times, also defeated Roma away from home.
The Spaniards will return to the Final Four for the third time in their history after back-to-back appearances in 2023 and 2024, having missed out last season.
Holding a four-goal advantage from the first leg, Mataro still approached the match with full focus and, after a three-minute settling phase, moved into a 0-2 lead despite missing three extras.
The final minute of the opening period saw a missed penalty at both ends before a fine action goal from Maxine Schaap finally put Roma on the scoreboard, 13 seconds before the buzzer.
Martina Claveria restored the two-goal gap early in the second quarter and Mataro still appeared in control despite missing three further extras, while Olimpia Sesena – voted best goalkeeper at the World Cup tournament 10 days ago – also saved a penalty from Jewell Roemer.
At the other end, however, the Italians once again finished off a counter-style attack to stay close at 3-4.
After another action goal from Claveria – following up on a saved penalty rebound – Roma produced a quick double to draw level at 5-5, only to concede twice from the next two possessions within 35 seconds.
The hosts then missed a six-on-five and the Spaniards added two more goals to complete a devastating 0-4 run in just 1:41 minutes.
That sequence proved decisive as the Italians never recovered from the blow.
In fact, Mataro’s surge continued as they added another quick double, this time in 69 seconds, before Elizaveta Zaplatina pulled one back for Roma.
Still, Chiara Ranalli missed a penalty soon after, allowing Mataro to cruise towards the final quarter with a 6-11 lead and a nine-goal aggregate advantage.
The Spaniards then killed three consecutive extras before Roemer finally converted a six-on-five midway through the fourth for 6-12.
After that, Mataro eased off slightly, giving the hosts some room to reward their fans with a strong finish.
Roma managed exactly that, scoring four times, with the last three goals coming from Ranalli, ensuring the Italians also took positive memories from their Champions League campaign.
On the other bench, there were equally joyful celebrations as Mataro maintained their perfect record and will travel to Malta as the only team among the eight participants – including the men’s competition – still unbeaten in this season’s Champions League.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
