As things stand now, Jadran Herceg Novi will host the Regional League Final Four. If the last round goes as expected, two Jadrans will meet in the semifinals, and the other semifinal pair will be a Serbian derby.
Following a penultimate round in the regular season, Jadran Herceg Novi is still atop the table but now has one point more than 2nd-placed Novi Beograd. Radnicki climbed to 3rd place, surpassing Jadran Split.
Jadran HN and Radnicki recorded wins in the 21st round, while Novi Beograd lost one, and Jadran Split all three points.
Jadran Herceg Novi started slowly, but beat Primorje convincingly – 17:8. Novi Beograd defeated Sabac, but only after a penalty shootout (16:13). Jadran Split was narrowly defeated by Mladost in Zagreb (8:9). Radnicki was better than Crvena Zvezda (9:6).
The top four teams will be the favorites in their matches in the last round, so the standings will likely stay the same.
Primorje shocked Jadran Herceg Novi with an opening 3:0 lead. The Montenegrins needed a lot of time to catch up with the hosts. They did it in the 12th minute when Kholod converted a man-up for 5:5. Shortly after, Vasilije Radovic put Jadran in front from a counterattack – 6:5. At halftime, it stood 7:7. Dario Rakovac scored for 8:7 in Primorje’s first possession in the third period. However, Primorje ran out of gas for the remainder of the game. Jadran scored 10 and didn’t concede a goal in the last 15 minutes for a 15:8 victory. Dmitri Kholod led Jadran’s attack with three goals, and Tin Brubnjak scored three for Primorje.
The match between Sabac and Novi Beograd was filled with excitement and exclusions, as six players from the home team and three from Novi Beograd were sent out of the water for personal fouls. Novi Beograd led 2:0 after the first quarter, but Sabac turned the tide in the second period, taking the lead at 6:5 just eighteen seconds before halftime. Despite Novi Beograd regaining the advantage in the third period, Sabac went in front again – in the 26th minute (9:8). A new twist unfolded in the following minutes. Novi Beograd entered the final two minutes with a 12:10 advantage. Sabac managed to equalize, but the hosts only scored one goal in a penalty shootout. Novi Beograd won the match 16:13, with four goals from Angelos Vlachopoulos, while Filip Novakovic scored three for Sabac.
Both teams played well defensively in the Croatian derby in Zagreb, with significant contributions from the goalkeepers (Mladost’s Marcelic made 11 saves, while Jadran’s Bijac blocked 13 shots). Jadran chased Mladost throughout the match, taking the lead only twice (2:1 and 6:5). In the first half, Mladost earned a 2-goal lead on two occasions (4:2 and 5:3), but the game remained closely contested until the very end. The match was decided in the last two and a half minutes when Andrija Basic scored two action goals within 84 seconds, bringing Mladost from 7:7 to 9:7 lead. Ten seconds before the final whistle, Pejkovic scored the eighth goal for Jadran. Basic, Bukic (both from Mladost), and Butic (from Jadran) were the top scorers, each netting two goals.
The Olympic champion Nikola Jaksic did not play for Radnicki in the game against Crvena Zvezda, as he was given a day off. Crvena Zvezda fought hard. In the middle of the second period, the score was 2:2. Following that, Radnicki held Crvena Zvezda scoreless for ten minutes while going on a 3:0 run to take a 5:2 lead. Crvena Zvezda refused to give up, narrowing the gap to 6:7 in the 28th minute. However, Gavrilovic and Rasovic sealed Radnicki’s victory with two power-play goals, ending the game at 9:6. Strahinja Rasovic stood out with three goals.
Jug beat Solaris in an exciting game – 14:13. Primorac was better than Valis – 14:9.
2024/25 Regional League, Round 21
Primorje – Jadran HN 8:17 (4:2, 3:5, 1:3, 0:7)
Radnicki – Crvena zvezda 9:6 (1:1, 3:1, 3:3, 2:1)
Sabac – Novi Beograd 13:16 ( 0:2, 6:3, 1:3, 5:4, PSO 1:4)
Mladost – Jadran S 9:8 (3:2, 2:3, 1:1, 3:2)
Solaris – Jug 13:14 (4:2, 3:3, 3:4, 3:5)
Valis – Primorac 9:14 (1:2, 1:5, 4:3, 3:4)
1. Jadran m:tel HN 21 – 54
2. Novi Beograd 21 – 53
3. Radnicki 21 – 49
4. Jadran S 21 – 49
5. Mladost 21 – 41
6. Sabac Elixir 21 – 29
7. Primorac 20 – 25
8. Jug AO 20 – 25
9. Crvena Zvezda 21 – 18
10. Primorje EB 21 – 17
11. Solaris 21 – 14
12. Valis Vega 21 – 1
The head-to-head matches between the tied teams: Radnicki – Jadran S 14:12 and 20:21 (PSO)
