The highlight of the 14th round of the Premier Regional League took place in Zagreb.
Radnicki secured an away victory over Mladost after a thrilling penalty shootout – 23:22 (regular time – 14:14). This win almost certainly guarantees Radnicki a place at the Final Four tournament. The Kragujevac-based team holds fourth place, with a seven-point advantage over Mladost.
Mladost led 9:6 at halftime, but Radnicki made a strong comeback after the break. The visitors went on a 4:0 run to take a 10:9 advantage. Mladost regained the lead (11:10, 12:11). In the middle of the final quarter, Radnicki was in front again (14:13), but Kharkov equalized, scoring from a penalty shot. Neither team scored in the remaining two minutes, prolonging the game to a penalty shootout. The winner was determined only after the 20th penalty when Luka Bukic hit the crossbar. Bukic’s miss decided, but he was the best scorer of the game with five goals. Leftie Konstantin Kharkov found Radnicki’s net four times. Vapenski, Radnicki’s newest reinforcement, and Vasic scored three each for the winning team.
Sabac and Crvena Zvezda were tied at 9:9 before the final quarter of the Serbian derby in Sabac. Ognjen Stojanovic scored twice in the early stage of the fourth period, giving Sabac an 11:9 advantage. Midway through the quarter, Novaković added two more goals, extending Sabac’s lead to 13:9. However, Zvezda fought back. Two goals from Radanovic and another from Kasum set up a dramatic final minute. Still, Novakovic sealed the victory for the hosts with a power-play goal 25 seconds before the end, finishing the match at 14:12. Stojanovic led Sabac’s attack with three goals. Kasum scored four for Crvena Zvezda, and Sulc three. Sabac caught Crvena Zvezda in the standings, with both teams having 15 points. Though neither has a chance to reach the Final Four, they continue to fight for a better starting position ahead of the Serbian Championship playoffs.
As expected, the league leader, Novi Beograd, defeated Jug (18:12) to continue its winning streak. Vlachopoulos scored four goals for Novi Beograd. He was followed by Lukic (3 goals). Zvono and Buric scored three each for Jug.
Jadran Herceg Novi trashed Valis in Valjevo (24:10), with six goals from Sladovic and four from Gojkovic.
Croatian champion Jadran Split earned an away victory over Primorac 15:8, primarily thanks to a stunning 5:0 start.
Premier Regional League, Round 14
Mladost – Radnicki 22:23 (4:3, 5:3, 3:6, 2:2, 8:9)
Sabac Elixir – Crvena Zvezda 14:12 (5:4, 1:3, 3:2, 5:3)
Novi Beograd – Jug AO 18:12 (3:3, 7:1, 4:2, 4:6)
Valis Vega – Jadran m:tel HN 10:24 (2:8, 1:8, 3:1, 4:7)
Primorac – Jadran S 8:15 (0:4, 2:3, 3:3, 3:5)
Solaris – Primorje EB 12:16 (1:4, 2:3, 5:7, 4:2)
Standings: Novi Beograd 39, Jadran S 35, Jadran HN 33, Radnicki 33, Mladost 26, Jug 16, Sabac 15, Crvena Zvezda 15, Primorac 14, Primorje 14, Solaris 11, Valis 1.
