Crvena Zvezda won the 2020/21 Serbian Cup. The Belgrade-based team defeated Radnicki, the winner in the previous season, after a dramatic final that ended after the penalty shootout – 13:12.
Radnicki was a strong favorite in the match played at the pool “Milan Gale Muskatirovic”. After Radnicki beat Novi Beograd in the derby yesterday, many thought that the Kragujeavac based team would retain the trophy. But, Crvena Zvezda managed to upset the big rival. The Belgrade-based team proved its quality and deserved the win.
2020/21 Serbian Cup, final
Crvena Zvezda – Radnicki 13:12 (2:3, 0:0, 5:3,1:2, PSO 5:4)
Crvena Zvezda: Vukicevic 2, Basara 2, Markovic 1, Vickovic 1, Sulc 1, Kasum 1.
KVK Radnicki: Ukropina 4, Stanojevic 1, Jankovic 1, Brankovic 1, Lukic.
Penalty shootout: Radulovic (Rad) hit the post, 1:0 Vukicevic, 1:1 Rasovic, 2:1 Basara, 2:2 Lukic, 3:2 Subotic, 3:3 Ukropina, 4:3 Sulc, 4:4 Jankovic, 5:4 Tankosic
Radnicki opened the match with an early 2:0 lead. Crvena Zvezda equalized (2:2). But, Radnicki regained a lead before the first break, since a left-handed Aleksa Ukropina found the net for 3:2.
There were no goals in the hard-fought battle in the second quarter. Crvena Zvezda had a few chances more to score than the Kragujevac-based side, but Radnicki’s goalie Lazar Dobozanov was excellent in this period of the game. Crvena Zvezda’s goalkeeper Vladimir Misovic also did a good job.
After a goalless second period, there were many twists and turns in the third quarter of the game. In the 20th minute, Crvena Zvezda grabbed a lead for the first time (4:3). The team with the white caps had a 5:4 advantage. Ukropina put Radnicki in front with two consecutive goals (6:5), but in the last two minutes of the third period of the game, Zvezda produced a new turn and entered the last period with a 7:6 advantage.
An experienced Ivan Basara gave the Belgrade team an 8:6 lead in the third minute of the final period. Radnicki struggled and managed to equalize a minute and a half before the final buzzer. There were no goals in the remaining time, so the penalty drama decided this thriller.
In the first series of the penalties, Radnicki’s Marko Radulovic hit the post. That miss proved to be decisive. All other players made no mistake in the shootout and Crvena Zvezda won the trophy.
Both teams managed to stop the best scorers of the opposite side. Strahinja Rasovic (Radnicki) scored seven goals in the semifinal against Novi Beograd, while Gavril Subotic (Crvena Zvezda) netted six against Partizan. But, today the two didn’t score in the regular time.
Crvena Zvezda, the 2013 European champion, has three national Cups in its treasury (2012/13, 2013/14, 2020/21)
“My players played excellently against a powerful team of Radnicki. They controlled everything in the pool for most of the time, and we could even win in the regular time” Crvena Zvezda coach Aleksandar Filipovic said.
Gavril Subotic had already won the Serbian Cup, playing for Partizan five years ago. This is his first trophy with Crvena Zvezda. After the match, he said:
I am proud of my team. We had a lot of troubles during the first half of the season, many of the players were injured. Because of that, we had ups and downs. But, we proved our quality and potential at the Final Four of the Serbian Cup. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this group
Uros Stevanovic, KVK Radnicki coach, commented:
“Congratulations to Crvena Zvezda. They deserved the win today.”
Serbian Cup for ladies
Palilula – Vojvodina 7:9 (1:2,1:2,3:3,2:3)
The final of the Serbian Cup for ladies was also played in Belgrade today . Vojvodina Novi Sad defeated Palilula and and won the first trophy in the club’s history.
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