This Saturday, December 9, 2023, will remain an incredible date for Carouge Natation. Some will say that the Lions are eliminated from the European Cup at the quarter-final stage, but those who were at Les Vernets will leave with stars in their eyes. Indeed, Carouge went on to snatch a deserved victory against the Slovenian champion in a sold-out swimming pool. For more than an hour, Carouge supporters pushed their team to come back and eventually take the lead, thanks to an exceptional Romain Blary, author of 7 goals. The standing ovation from the audience says a lot about the performance and the emotions generated.
Players of Carouge and Kranj lining up before the match. Photo: Pascal Bitz
After the sudden slap in the first game in Slovenia (7-17), Kiriakos Pontikeas, still recovering from his shoulder surgery, asked his disciplined players to take action after action and give everything. Carouge took the start of the match on their own, and goalkeeper Yannick Schmuki did his job to allow Carouge to take the lead in the first quarter. However, the Slovenes changed gear to get back in front and even inflict a short 4-0 between the end of the 2nd quarter and halfway through the 3rd periods. At that moment, everyone was thinking about the same outcome as in the first match in Slovenia.
The players of the “Sardinian city” found themselves three lengths behind at the start of the fourth quarter and pushed by a fiery public and the right words of Kiriakos Pontikeas, gradually returning to the score. In addition, the extra player situations were exploited, and three minutes from the end, the two teams found themselves tied. In this particular moment, captain Romain Blary chose to score and conclude the collective effort for a deserved victory in front of the 450 Carougeois supporters.
Carouge Natation
Fans of Carouge in a soldout Vernets. Photo: Pascal Bitz
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CarougeAVK Triglav Kranj 
Sat 09.12.2023
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