Jadran Split clinched its third consecutive title in the Croatian championship. In the third match of the final, Jadran beat Mladost in front of its fans by a single goal – 11:10. The Split-based team’s captain, Jerko Marinic Kragic beat the buzzer. He scored a winner with just three seconds left on the clock.
Jadran finally won the trophy after losing three finals in the season (the Croatian Cup, the Croatian Super Cup, and the Regional League).
Both teams’ defenses were strong in the first two matches of the final. However, the opening of the third game suggested that the scorers would take center stage today. Jadran quickly took a 2:0 lead within the first two minutes of play. By the middle of the first quarter, Mladost managed to equalize at 2:2. Jadran then regained a two-goal advantage, leading 4:2. Mladost finished the first quarter trailing by one goal.
Photo Jadran Split
At the start of the second period, Radan scored to give Jadran a 5:3 lead. Midway through the second period, Mladost leveled the score with two goals in just 33 seconds: Basic scored during a man-up situation, and Kharkov converted a penalty shot, bringing the score to 5:5. Throughout the remainder of the first half, the two teams traded goals, and at halftime, they were tied at 7:7.
Both teams tightened their defenses in the third period, so each side scored a goal in the third quarter. Three minutes after the middle break, Mladost went ahead for the first time. Centre-forward Josip Vrlic forced an exclusion and then scored with a man-up. Zovic leveled at 8:8 with two minutes left in this quarter.
Photo by Jadran Split
At the beginning of the fourth period, Mladost’s goalkeeper Ivan Marcelic saved a shot from Marinic Kragic. Still a few minutes later, Butic put Jadran in front 9:8. Vukicevic leveled at 9:9 immediately. Jerko Marinic Kragic scored for 10:9 with three and a half minutes left in the game. The teams were in a big battle, which was reaching a culmination. Mladost’s goalkeeper Ivan Marcelic surprised Jadran’s No.1 Marko Bijac and equalized at 10:10 with 54 seconds remaining. However, Jerko Marinic Kragic didn’t let the match enter the shootout (like the first game). Ten seconds before the end, he had a chance to decide the game, but Marcelic saved his shot. Still, after a rebound, Jadran had a new attack. Kragic made it 11:10 just three seconds before the final buzzer.
2025 Croatian League, final (best of five), third match
Jadran Split – Mladost 11:10 (4:3, 3:4, 1:2, 3:2) – score in the series 3:0
Jadran Split: Marinic Kragic 3, Butic 2, Berehulak 2, Radan 1, Zovic 1, Fatovic 1, Buselic 1.
Mladost: Basic 2, Vrlic 2, Vukicevic 2, Kharkov 2, Bukic 1, Marcelic 1
