Solaris and Mladost Zagreb won the top spots in their respective groups of the Croatian Cup Qualifications and advanced to the Final Four.
Jadran Split and Jug AO, the finalists in the previous season, are directly qualified for the F4.
Mladost cruised to 1st place in the group in Zagreb, while the battle for the top spot in Group A in Sibenik was more interesting. Solaris and Primorje were equaled in points at the end of the tournament, and the goal difference was decisive. Solaris was better in this criterion and finished atop the group.
The Serbian Cup started this weekend, too, but without the best teams.
2022/23 Croatian Cup, Qualifications
Group A (Sibenik)
Day 1
Solaris – POSK 18:6 (3:1, 4:1, 4:1, 7:3)
Solaris: Condic Kadmenovic 4, Rak 3, Butic 2, Burburan 2, T.Sparada 2, Jakovcevic 2, Penava 1, Siovec 1, Bajkovic 1.
POSK: Jankovic 2, Gadza 1, Elez 1, TOnkovic 1, Prizmic 1.
Primorje – KPK Korcula 19:6 (4:0, 5:1, 5:3, 5:2)
Primorje: Cubranic 4, Muslim 3, Crippa 3, Te Riele 3, Brubnjak 3, Da.Brguljan 1, K.Babic 1, L.Babic 1.
KPK Korcula:Joudrie 2, Tedeschi 1, Caktas 1, Bjelopjera 1, Radovanovic 1.
Day 2
Solaris – Primorje 12:12 (3:4, 0:2, 5:3, 4:3)
Solaris: Burburan 4, Sirovec 2, Jakovcevic 1, Erak 1, Rak 1, Kadmenovic 1, Butic 1, Penava 1.
Primorje EB: Da. Brguljan 4, Muslim 2, Vukovic 2, Te Riele 2, Brubnjak 1, Cubranic 1.
POSK – KPK Korcula 13:9 (4:3, 4:4, 3:2, 2:0)
POSK:Vukic3, Tonkovic 3, Prizmic 2, Jankovic 2, Borovcic Kurir 2, Elez 1.
KPK Korcula: Joudrie 3, Begovic 3, Vang 1, Antonijevic 1, Tedeschi 1.
Day 3
Primorje – POSK 18:9 (3:1,6:1, 6:4, 3:3)
Primorje: Da.Brguljan 7, Kadivec 2, N.Cubranic 2, Brubnjak 2,Te RIele 1, Babic 1, Muslim 1, Crippa 1, Toncinic 1.
POSK: Prizmic 5, Jankovic 3, Peric 1,
KPK Korcula – Solaris 3:16 (0:5, 2:4, 0:4, 1:3)
KPK Korcula: Bjelopjera 2, Caktas 1.
Solaris: Burburan 5, Krekovic 4, Butic 3, Jakovcevic 1, Rak 1, Sirovec 1, Sparada 1.
Primorje and Solaris recorded easy wins on Day 1. Their encounter in the second round was a real thriller. Primorje started better. The Rijeka-based team took a 4:1 lead, had a 3-goal advantage at the middle break (6:3) and again in the third quarter (8:5). Then, Solaris started climbing back. The hosts leveled at 9:9 early in the fourth and went ahead shortly after (10:9). Still, Primorje was closer to a victory. Fifty seconds before the end, the team from Rijeka regained a lead (12:11). But, Solaris scored an equalizer with 15 seconds to go and saved a point.
After that game, Primorje’s goal difference was +13, and Solaris’ was +12.
Primorje defeated POSK 18:9 in the first match of the last day, which meant that Solaris needed an 11-goal victory over KPK Korcula to climb to 1st place. Solaris left no chance to KPK Korcula (and to Primorje at the same time). The Sibenik-based team reached a desired 11-goal lead in the 23rd minute (13:2). During the fourth period, Solaris extended the margin to 13 (16:3).
Standings: 1. Solaris 7 (+25), 2. Primorje EB 7 (+22), 3. POSK 3, 4. KPK Korcula 0.
Group B (Zagreb)
Day 1
Zadar 1952 – Medvescak 4:16 (1:3, 2:3, 0:5, 1:5)
Zadar 1952:Zelic 1, Jovancevic 1,Cacic 1, Martinovic 1.
Medvescak: Car 3, Tkalcec 3, Markovic 2, Busic 2, Gavranic 1, Ljepava 1, Simunovic 1, Miljak 1, Brajkovic 1, Brcic 1.
Mladost – Mornar 18:8 (5:3, 5:2, 4:1, 4:2)
Mladost:Vrbnjak 3, Adeishvili 3, Rakovac 3, Gluhaic 2, Fabris 2, Dadvani 1, Elez 1, Obuljen 1.
Mornar: D.Akrap 3, Buselic 2, Cumbelic 1, Penava 1, Buzdovancic 1
Day2
Mornar -Medvescak 12:8 (3:3, 1:0, 4:1, 4:4)
Mornar:Akrap 4, Buselic 3, Guduric 2, Hrvatic 1, Buzdovancic 1, Knezevic 1.
Medvescak: Markovic 3, Miljak 2, Brcic 1, Busic 1, Simunovic 1.
Mladost – Zadar 22:3 (4:0, 5:0, 6:1, 7:2)
Mladost: Vrbnjak 3, Rakovac 3, Fabris 3, Gluhsic 2, Adeishvili 2, Elez 2, Busic 2, Herceg 2, Obuljen 2, Jelaca 1.
Zadar 1952: Jurisic 2, Jovancevic 1.
Day 3
Zadar – Mornar 9:14 (2:4, 3:3, 3:3, 1:4)
Zadar 1952: Jovancevic 2, Jurisic 2,Martinovic 2, Colak 1, Cacic 1, Cicero 1.
Mornar: Buselic 3, D.Akrap 3, Buselic 3, Buzdovancic 2, Hrvatic 1, Penava 1, Kovacevic 1.
Medvescak – Mladost 6:16 (0:4, 1:7, 2:3, 3:2)
Medvescak:Busic 1, Gavranic 1, Ljepava 1, Levnaic 1, Miljak 1, Tkalcec 1.
Mladost: Mihaljevic 3, Herceg 3, Fabris 3, Gluhaic 2, Jelaca 2, Vrbnjak 1, Busic 1, Rakovac 1.
There was no suspense in the group in Zagreb. Mladost was too strong for all rivals and secured 1st place with three convincing victories.
Standings: 1. Mladost 9, 2. Mornar 6, 3. Medvescak 3, 4. Zadar 0.
2022/23 Serbian Cup, Round 1
The Serbian Cup started with the first qualification round in which six teams took part. NBG Vukovi, Stari Grad, and Proleter advanced to the eighth finals.
The quarterfinalists of the 2022 Serbian Cup – Sabac, Vojvodina, Nais, Banjica and Valis are directly qualified for the Round of 16.
The top four teams from the previous season (Radnicki, Novi Beograd, Partizan and Crvena Zvezda) will start in the quarterfinals.
Round 1
Tas – Vukovi 9:17 (1:3, 2:5, 2:3, 4:6)
Tas: Suberic 3, Petrovic 1, Andrejevic 2, Banovic 1, Suberic 1.
NBG Vukovi: Sofranac 5, Bucan 2, Urosevic 2, Manojlovic 2, Andrin 2, Tonkovic 2, Nesic 1.
Stari Grad – Spartak 12:8 (3:4, 2:1,4:0, 3:3)
Stari Grad: Chikvani 5, Radic 2,Pavlovic 2, Mitrovic 2,Ackovic 1.
Spartak: Stojanovic 5, Sormaz 2, Varkulja 1.
Sava – Proleter 10:14 (2:4, 2:3, 3:3, 3:4)
Sava: Novakovic 3, Micic 2, Lukic 2, Lazic 1, Pantelic 1, Jezdimirovic 1, Vojnovic 1.
Proleter: Ljubenovic 4, Tomicevic 4, Cabrilo 2, Mitrovic 1, Coric 1, Matkovic 1, Lalic 1.
Eighth-finals (November 16): Sabac – Stari Grad, Vojvodina – Nais, Proleter – Banjica, Valis – Vukovi.
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