Handball superliga, round 13: RK Partizan - Mokra Gora 27:21

This match was back on last Saturday, but over here I had/still have Christmas - have a merry one everyone whom it may concern - that’s why I’m coming with this post just now.

Don’t expect basketball posts from me in the near future. I’m done watching this bunch of talentless, useless players who have no idea about the game. Life is too short to waste it on shitty matches and mediocre players.

On the other hand there is the handball team, a group of talented, skilled and dedicated youngsters, most of them coming from our own youth academy. They get far less attention than they would deserve. Well, handball itself doesn’t get enough attention...

We had an overwhelming start. When the standing is 11:4 fir us 10 minutes before the end of the first half, you can say we started it strong… Hats off to Mokra Gora, because they did come back for the middle of the second half to 16:15, they even took the lead. We equalized in the 45th minute (17:17) then took back the lead with Butulija’s goal. From then on we kept things under control until the final buzz.

Here’s a scene from the game and a photo of young Aleksa Maksić, the MVP of the game. (photos: super.rss.org.rs)

End result of the autumn season:

1. Železničar 1949 25 points

2. Partizan 17 points

3. Crvena Zvezda 17 points

4. Obilić 16 points

5. Rudar 15 points

6. Sloga 15 points

7. Spartak Vojput 13 points

8. Metaloplastika 10 points

9. Šamot 65 9 points

10 Mokra Gora 9 points

11. Požarevac 6 points

12. Jugović 4 points

Handball: 1 blogpost, 3 games (superliga, round 4 and 5 + postponed game from round 1)

Mea maxima culpa. I’m lagging behind with the handball games too much. Round 4 was back on 24th September. Jugović was our guest in the Banjica sports hall. We won against htem to 32:30, even though it seemed the result will be better on the guests’ side based on the first half. They were leading for the whole time, the half-time result proved it (15:16). In the second half we were better, though Jugović could still took the lead for a short while. But we equalized in the 43rd minute with Kukić’s goal (22:22), then Ivanović took us back the lead. From then on we kept the game under control leading always with 1-2 goals.
The hero of the day was Nemanja Živković with 10 goals. He is followed by Lazar Kukić (6), Nikola Ivanović and Aleksa Maksić (4-4), Vuk Milenković and Igor Mršulja (3-3) as well as Matija Pižurica (2).

Photos from the game

(photos: srls.rs)

***

The postponed derby against Metaloplastika was played on 28th. It was a very tough game to say the least. Metaloplastika was leading to 0:5 in the beginning, we scored our first goal in the 8th (!) minute by Nemanja Živković (1:5). After 15 minutes it was 4:9... but we didn’t give it up. We jumped to 9:10 in the 20th minute, and 3 minutes before the end we took the lead (13:12). Kukić scored the leading goal, he had a fantastic performance for the entire match. We were leading in the half-time as well (14:13).

The second half brought a nip-and-tuck game. One goal for Partizan, one for Metaloplastika... Sometimes Partizan could have a small 2-goal advantage, but Metaloplastika always equalized. The final result was also a draw, 30:30.

Lazar Kukić was the best scorer (9), followed by Nemanja Živković (6), as well as Vuk Milenković, Nikola Ivanović, Aleksa Maksić and Igor Mršulja (4-4).

Photos from the game

(photos: srls.rs)

***

Finally the last game from round 5. Partizan visited Dinamo in Pančevo. It was... well it was brutal. We had no chance. At the beginning we tried to keep the pace (3:4), then Dinamo equalized and from then on they were leading until the end buzz. They didn’t just keep the lead, they kept on humiliating us... 14:9, 16:11, and that was just the first half. The second was worse. 20:11, 23:15, too big difference for the whole game. Finally the home team won to 31:26.

The two heroes of this battle are Darko Stevanović and Lazar Kukić, both with 6 goals. They are followed by Igor Mršulja (4), Nemanja Živković, Vuk Milenković and Nikola Ivanović (3-3) as well as Stefan Jokić (1). 

(photos: Facebook/Super Rukometna Liga Srbije)

Current championship standings after 5 rounds:
1. CZ 9 points
2. Dinamo 8 points
3. Vojvodina 7 points
4. Spartak Vojput 6 points
5. Sloga 6 points
6. Partizan 5 points
7. Šamot 65 5 points
8. Morava 4 points
9. Metaloplastika 4 points
10. Požarevac 3 points
11. Rudar 3 points
12. Jugović 0 point

RK Partizan - Vojvodina 27:26 (superliga, round 3)

Mea culpa. I almost forgot about this game. It was back on Wednesday, yes, on the same day as the Serbian Cup qualifying. I don’t know whose idea it was, but I send them my warmest (NOT) greetings, because it could be a great game, I assume it was one of the best, if not the best of the season.
Sportuzivo.tv broadcasted it though, I could watch approx. the first 30 minutes. It was not an easy game. Not at all. At least at that point it wasn’t. Looking at the statistics the rest of the game wasn’t any easier. Vojvodina was leading for the whole time. In the beginning it was 3:2 for a short while though, but Team Novi Sad switched it to 3:5.
Then it was 4:10.
Our boys were fighting hard. They put their heart and soul out to the court, but Vojvodina’s goalkeeper saved everything. I swear he even had an evil little smile on his face as well. But even that didn’t keep our team back.
10:12. Then 12:13. The team was on full speed so much, that 2 minutes before the end of the first half it was 13:15, then we equalized for the half-time (15:15).
In the first part of the second half Vojvodina kept their advantage, but this time we allowed them to be ahead with 2-3 goals only. Then in the 49th minute we equalized with Stevanović’s goal (22:22), then Živković took the lead for us!!! (23:22). There was no mercy. Stevanović scored again (24:22)
The last 7-8 minutes surely brought a game on the edge. 53rd minute. Vojvodina reduces the difference to 24:23. Živković has an instant reply (25:23). Vojvodina equalizes with clenched teeth (25:25). What is more, they take back the lead in the 57th minute (25:26). 59th minute. Kukić, who was playing in top form during the whole game, equalizes (26:26). And afterwards, almost immediately, in the same minute the Captain scores the winning goal. 27:26, time for the end buzz, WE WON!!! Well done, boys!
The hero of the day is Lazar Kukić with six goals. He is followed by 3 players, all scoring 5-5: Nemanja Živković, Darko Stevanović and Igor Mršulja. Vuk Milenković and Andrija Đuričić both scored 2-2 goals, while Nikola Ivanović and Aleksa Maksić added 1-1 to the victory.
PS: I hope sportuzivo.tv. will upload this game to Youtube. It will be worth to watch it (again). (If it’s uploaded, I’ll put the link here.)

Darko Stevanović smashing

Partizan bench on their feet

Captain Mršulja and one of his cannon shots

No Vojvodina-player can get any further, Pižurica (13) and Perunčić are watching

Milenković scores, even from the floor

Well-deserved celebration

Current championship standings:
1. CZ 5 points
2. Šamot 65 5 points
3. Dinamo 4 points
4. Spartak Vojput 4 points
5. Sloga 4 points
6. Vojvodina 3 points
7. Požarevac 2 points
8. Partizan 2 points
9. Morava 2 points
10. Metaloplastika 2 points
11. Rudar 1 point
12. Jugović 0 point

(photos: Facebook/Super Rukometna Liga Srbije)

Šamot 65 - RK Partizan 25:19 (superliga, round 2)

Yes, we started this season with round 2. No joke. We would have clashed with Metaloplastika in round 1, but that game was postponed/cancelled, so far there’s no info about the background reasons.
As a start we got defeated by the newbie Aranđelovac team Šamot 65.
It was a very painful defeat, we didn’t really have any chance. At the very beginning of the game there was one point when we were leading to 1:2 for a moment (with Milenković’s goal), then the home team quickly equalized and in the 16th minute it was already 7:4 for them. The first half ended with 12:8, then the second continued with 14:8, then 16:10. We even got 8 penalties (scored from 6), while Šamot got not more than two. We still couldn’t work it out. The match ended with 25:19, Stevanović scored one goal in the last minute for us.
Three of our players scored 4-4 goals (Nemanja Živković, Vuk Milenković, Lazar Kukić), Aleksa Maksić added 3 to the end result, while Darko Stevanović and Nikola Ivanović both earned 1-1 goal.
This video is the only audiovisual material I could find all over the internet about the match - big thanks to RTV Šumadija for uploading it to Youtube.

RK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 30:26 (play-off, round 8)

VICTORY!!!!
What a victory! With such a great game!
Our defense line was like concrete. Živković, Radojković, Ćućuz (and everyone else) did a fantastic job.
I brought you LOTS of screenshots.

The teams line up for introducing the players

National anthem with flag

Radojković (17) and Popović (33) during the Serbian anthem

Youth players holding the team logo

The beginning was a nip-and-tuck game (at one point Zvezda took the lead as well), but afterwards we were leading until the end. The opponent couldn’t even equalize. We didn’t allow them to take over control.

Živković is about to score from penalty (he did so, we were leading to 2:1)

Then Zvezda equalized and they took the lead at this point (2:3). It was only the 6th minute of the game, but referees already sent off Popović for 2 minutes.

Popović had a great game today. He was the bastillon of the defense, Zvezda could approach the goal area only through his dead body.

Maksić rushing back after he equalized (3:3)

Kukić is about to throw a penalty (from which he’ll score and Partizan will lead to 4:3)

Referees didn’t really like us. In the first 10 minutes they sent off two Partizan-players for 2 minutes (one of them was Popović mentioned above, the other was Sretenović), other than this they generously handed out yellow cards. At the beginning they gave out at least 3 (okay, they were for Zvezda, too). Then at 5:5 Partizan got fed up with this nip-and-tuck fumbling and we put ourselves into action.

The moment when Sretenović got his 2-minute penalty. Kukić took back the lead for us just before that

Kukić then sped up and scored two more goals for us. We jumped to 8:6.

Lazar Kukić

And we continued it like this, always with an advantage of at least 2-3 goals.

Milan Ćućuz, one of the heroes of the derby. He had fantastic saves for the whole game

Like this one

This was one of the best moments of the match. Zvezda attacked, but Partizan’s defense line tackled them. Radojković grabbed the ball, ran up, made an amazing counter-attack, then raised up to the air and smashed a HUGE goal into the net. (12:9)

Nemanja Živković from behind, as he’s wiping his face

Then our captain Mršulja also signed himself on the list of goal scorers a few times. We finished the first half with 16:13.

Oppa Zvezda-style - the head coach angrily explains something to Mandić, who claims (seemingly annoyed) that whatever it is about, it was not his fault

Živković scored the last goal of the first half, after that he laid on the court in pain

Ivan "Grozni" Popović

The second half started immediately with Popović being sent off for the second time. Zvezda took advantage of the power play and reduced the difference to 16:15, meanwhile we missed out a number of chances.

Pešić can’t believe his eyes after one of these missed-out attempts

Finally Radojković broke the silence and in the 34th minute he made us jump to 17:15 (he is hurrying back on this screenshot after his goal)

Then we didn’t stop until 19:16, but even then it was just for Ćućuz and his great penalty-saving.
Afterwards we continued with the goal-factory. At this screenshot Živković is celebrating the team’s 20th goal scored by him of course.

This was that point, around the 44th minute that the referees got totally fed up with Popović and they sent him off for the third (and last) time.

Popović got standing ovation and walked off the court like a hero

But even the referees couldn’t stop us marching towards victory. Zvezda had some bitter, struggling attempts, but our defense line was harder than the walls of Kalemegdan.

Meanwhile Popović walked up to the tribune and sat down among fans

Unfortunately I couldn’t catch that frenetic moment, when Živković scored the world’s greatest troll goal at 25:22. He ran up, broke through the defense, raised up to the skies, then lobbed the ball above the goalkeeper’s head with a refined movement. Instead I caught that, when Kukić speeds up (then at the end of the attack, when the goalkeeper is about to pass the ball to the teammate for another Zvezda-attack, Sretenović appears out of the blue and throws the ball into the net among the shocked red players).

Here he is, Stevan Sretenović, celebrating his goal

A few more screenshots from the match:

Mršulja celebrating his goal he scored while Zvezda (!) was in power play

Head coach Nenad Maksić

Pešić scored our last goal

End of the match, Sretenović goes to shake hands with the opponent

End result and a victorious Živan Pešić

Group hug

The hero of the game is Mihajlo Radojković with 7 goals. He is followed by Nemanja Živković (6), Živan Pešić (5), Lazar Kukić and Igor Mršulja (4-4), Stevan Sretenović (3) as well as Aleksa Maksić (1).

This game and the upcoming two will determine whether we can enter SEHA League next season. We won this match, in the next round we’ll play against Sloga (away), then in the last round we’ll be the hosts against Metaloplastika. Metaloplastika is definitely one of the toughest opponents, yet we must not shrug off Sloga either.
Still it’s not impossible.
COME ON, BOYS, TAKE ’EM ALL!!!

Current standing of the play-off:
1. Vojvodina 13 points
2. Metaloplastika 13 points
3. Partizan 10 points
4. Spartak Vojput 7 points
5. Sloga 3 points
6. CZ 2 points