Pro Recco and Radnicki Kragujevac will face off in the final of the 2025 Euro Cup.
The spotlight was on Kragujevac today, where Radnicki hosted Mladost Zagreb in the 2nd leg of the semifinals. The match between Pro Recco and Sabadell was largely decided after the first leg.
Mladost arrived in Serbia with a 3-goal advantage, having won 13-10 three weeks ago. Radnicki caught up to Mladost in the aggregate score during the third quarter and then dominated the final period (4:0), winning 15:8.
As for Pro Recco, as previously mentioned, the outcome was settled in Italy, where Recco secured a convincing 16:6 victory over Sabadell. This evening, the game in Sabadell ended in a 10:10 draw.
Radnicki will be vying for its second Euro Cup trophy, having won the title previously in 2013, while Pro Recco has yet to secure a win in this competition.
The final will be played on May 10 and 24. Radnicki will be the host in the first game.
2024/25 Euro Cup, Semifinals, Leg 2
Radnicki – Mladost 15:8 (5:4, 2:1, 4:3, 4:0) – first leg 10:13
Radnicki: Dadvani 4, Drasovic 2, N.Jaksic 2, Vasic 2, Murisic 2, Rasovic 1, Stanojevic 1, Vapenski 1.
Mladost: Kharkov 2, Basic 1, Milos 1, Buljubasic 1, Bukic 1, Lazic 1, J.Vrlic 1.
Mladost scored the first two goals of the match, increasing their lead in the aggregate score to five goals. The Serbs responded with three goals, bringing the score to 3:2. However, Mladost lost Matias Biljaka in the 5th minute due to a red card (an exclusion with substitution). Until the end of the first quarter, the teams exchanged goals, and the hosts ended the quarter leading 5:4. Stanojevic extended Radnicki’s advantage to 6:4 with the first possession of the second period. Luka Bukic closed the gap to 5:6 midway through the quarter. Radnicki struggled with their man-up opportunities, failing to convert three chances during this period. Fortunately for the hosts, goalkeeper Radoslav Filipovic was in good form. Just before halftime, left-handed shooter Boris Vapenski finally converted a 6-on-5 situation, and Radnicki regained a 2-goal lead at 7:5.
At the beginning of the second half, Lazic narrowed the gap, but Radnicki improved their performance on extra player shots, responding with two goals. In the 19th minute, center-forward Nikola Murisic scored on an extra-man advantage, making the score 9:6 and tying the teams in aggregate for the first time. Basic then scored, bringing the score to 7:9. However, the hosts quickly countered with two goals, just like at the beginning of the period. In the 24th minute, Dadvani scored from a counterattack, making it 11:7. Immediately afterward, Vrlic scored on an extra-man play, which created a three-goal lead for Radnicki before the final period. In the dying seconds of the quarter, Mladost missed a significant opportunity when Basic failed to score on a counterattack while alone in front of Radnicki’s goalkeeper, Filipovic.
Dusan Vasic Photo KVK Radnicki
In the final quarter, the hosts continued to excel in man-up situations. By the middle of the fourth period, Radnicki scored two power-play goals (Jaksic and Vasic) for 13:8. Mladost wasted numerous chances. Three and a half minutes before the end of the match, Radomir Drasovic took a long shot, giving Radnicki a commanding 14:8 lead. In the following attack, Mladost wasted yet another man-up opportunity, effectively sealing their fate in the match. By the end, the hosts made their win more convincing.
Power-play goals played an important role in this match. Radnicki’s conversion rate was 10/18, while Mladost scored only five out of 15 shots with a man-up advantage.
Sabadell – Pro Recco 10:10 (3;3, 0:3, 3:1, 4:3) – first leg 6:16
Sabadell: Averka 4, Bowen 2, Valera 2, Barroso 1, Perez 1.
Pro Recco: Hallock 3, Cannella 2, Younger 2, Iocchi Gratta 1, Condemi 1.
Both teams played without pressure since nobody believed Sabadell could make a miracle and overcome a 10-goal deficit from the 1st leg. However, this was an interesting game.
After a balanced 3:3 first quarter, Recco controlled the game and was 6:3 up at halftime. Sabadell didn’t give in. Early in the fourth quarter, the hosts leveled at 7:7 (Averka from a man-up). Hallock gave Recco a new lead, but Valera equalized from a penalty shot. Bowen put Sabadell in front, 9:8, in the 24th minute. Hallock leveled, while Condemi gave Recco a 10:9 advantage from a penalty shot less than two minutes before the final buzzer. Bowen replied immediately with an extra player. There were no goals in the rest of the match. Pro Recco had the last chance to win, but Sabadell’s goalkeeper Lorrio saved a shot from Di Fulvio with four seconds to go.
