Jadran Herceg Novi defeated Radnicki in Kragujevac after a penalty shootout – 14:12 (10:10) in the first big derby of the VRL Premier League, played in 2nd round.
Jadran had the lead only once during the regular time (1:0), but it had stronger nerves when it mattered the most.
The Montenegrins opened the scoring with a long-distance goal from their super talented Strahinja Gojkovic in the 4th minute. Radnicki took a 2:1 lead before the first break. Viktor Rasovic made it 3:1 in Radnicki’s first possession in the second period. In the rest of the first half, the teams traded the goals. The hosts maintained a 2-goal lead. The hosts’ captain Andrija Prlainovic converted a penalty for 6:4 in Radnicki’s last posseison in the first half.
But, Jadran opened the second half in an excellent way. Kholod and Valera leveled at 6:6. Radnicki was without a goal for five minutes. Angelos Vlachopoulos ended the hosts’ goalless phase. The Greek added his third goal in the match to double the lead to 8:6 with 34 seconds left in the quarter. Still, Stupar narrowed the gap to 7:8 just eight seconds before the last break. Radnicki rebuilt a 2-goal lead twice in the early stage of the fourth period – 9:7 and 10:8. Both times, Prlainovic was the scorer. However, the Montenegrin champion had the last word in the regular time. Jadran scored two back-to-back goals midway through the fourth period and leveled at 10:10. Nobody found the net in the remaining time, and the match entered a penalty shootout.
Jadran’s goalkeeper Lazar Andric emerged as a hero of a shootout, saving shots from Strahinja Rasovic and Angelos Vlachopoulos, which was enough for a victory, as all Jadran’s players hit the target.
Matija Sladovic was the best scorer in the winning team, with four goal. Captain Andrija Prlainovic scored four for Radnicki.
Novi Beograd and Primorac recorded away wins, like Jadran.
Novi Beograd defeated Partizan at the Banjica pool thanks to a dominant first quarter. Novi Beograd scored four quick goals before the home team found the net for the first time, but the visitors responded with a new 4:0 run and entered the second period with a huge 8:1 advantage. However, the visitors didn’t keep their momentum; they slowed down, and Partizan managed to recover. The “Black-Whites” scored the only goal in the second period. After a balanced 4:4 third quarter, the hosts were a better rival in the final eight minutes, but they didn’t come close to Novi Beograd, which recorded a 13:10 victory. Marko Dimitrijevic contributed five goals to the win, while Maltese Jayden Cutajar scored three for Partizan
Primorac, led by Savo Cetkovic, who scored five goals, defeated Buducnost by ten goals in Podgorica, 21:11. The Kotor-based side imposed its rhythm from the beginning, earning an early 5:1 lead. The following several minutes saw a balance battle, but Primorac maintained a big advantage. At halftime, the visitors had a 10:6 advantage, and they increased the margin of their win 21:11 in the second half.
Radnicki – Jadran Herceg Novi 12:14 (2:1, 4:3, 2:3, 2:3, 2:4)
Partizan – Novi Beograd 10:13 (1:8, 1:0, 4:4, 4:1)
Buducnost – Primorac 11:21 (2:5, 4:5, 2:5, 3:6)
Crvena Zvezda – Sabac Elixir on Friday (13:30)
Visit the Premier League’s page on Total Waterpolo Arena for the live scores, schedule and standings.
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