Jadran Herceg Novi opened the final of the Montenegrin Championships with a home win over Primorac. The match was decided only after a penalty shootout – 16:14 (12:12 in the regular time). The series will end after one time achieve a third win.
Jadran, led by Aleksandar Ivovic, controlled the result from the beginning. Primorac managed to level the score twice in the first quarter, making it 1:1 and then 2:2. However, by the end of the first quarter, Jadran held a slim lead of 3:2. In the second quarter, the Herceg Novi-based team extended its lead by two goals after Dmitri Kholod scored for 4:2 in the first attack in this period. In the 12th minute, Vasilije Radovic increased the lead to 6:3. Despite their initial momentum, Jadran couldn’t maintain it, as Primorac scored three unanswered goals within three minutes. Dusan Matkovic equalized at 6:6 with a goal from a 6-on-5 situation in the 15th minute.
In the third quarter, Janovic gave Primorac a first lead of the match – 7:6 at 7:6. However, Jadran quickly responded, with Stupar scoring to end their 8-minute goalless stretch and bring the score to 7:7. A few minutes later, Stupar found the back of the net again during a counterattack, putting Jadran back in front. This lead was short-lived, as Nika Shushiashvili converted a penalty shot to level the score at 8:8. Nevertheless, Jadran entered the final break with a narrow advantage, leading 9:8 after Vasilije Radovic scored from an extra player in the 24th minute.
Photo by V.Ilic/PVK JAdran
Shushiashvili opened the fourth period with a new equalizer, but Jadran responded with two goals within 18 seconds. First, Danilo Radovic converted a man-up. Primorac then lost the ball, and Jadran started a counterattack, which ended with a penalty foul. Aleksandar Ivovic made no mistake from the 5m line for 11:9. Primorac halved the distance, but in the 29th minute, Ivovic converted another penalty shot for 12:10. Still, Jadran didn’t keep the advantage. Primorac netted two action goals (Draskovic and Cetkovic) and equalized at 12:12 with 02:23 minutes remaining. There were no goals anymore, so the match entered a penalty shootout.
All Jadran’s players found the net in the four rounds of shots. At the other end of the pool, the hosts’ goalkeeper, Darko Djurovic, saved a shot from Shushiashvili in the 2nd round, while Janovic hit the crossbar in the fourth round, and the contest was over.
2025 Montenegrin League, final (best of five), Game 1
Jadran HN – Primorac 16:14 (3:2, 3:4, 3:2, 3:4, PSO 4:2)
Jadran: Ivovic 4, Kholod 2, , V.Radovic 2, Stupar 2, Da.Radovic 1, Lazic 1.
Primorac:Shushiashvili 4, Draskovic 2, Matkovic 2, Janovic 1, Cetkovic 1,Murisic 1, Stanojevic 1.
Penalty shootout – Jadran: Ivovic, D.Radovic, Kholod,Gojkovic, Primorac: Stanojevic, Matkovic (Jadran’s goalkeeper Djurovic saved a shot from Shushiashvili, while Janovic missed).
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