2 in 1 - handball and water polo

I almost forgot about these two matches played in the previous week-end. Apologies from everyone. You get the two in one blogpost.

In the 16th round of the handball superliga Partizan welcomed Radnički in the Banjica sports hall. The game was very easy, despite the guests took the lead in the beginning with two goals (0:2), we equalized for the 5th minute, and two minutes later Maksić took us the lead (3:2). From then on we kept our advantage for the very end of the game. We were leading always with 4-5-6 goals, what is more, in the half time we were ahead with 10 (!!!) goals (24:14). We kept this pace in the second half as well, our advantage was 10 goals a couple of times, finally we won "only" with a 9-goal-advantage (41:30).
The hero of the day was Aleksa Maksić, scoring 7 goals. He is followed by Nemanja Živković (6), Lazar Kukić (5), Stevan Sretenović, Mihajlo Radojković and Živan Pešić (4-4), Igor Mršulja (3), Matija Pižurica, Darko Stevanović and Ivan Popović (2-2) as well as Mihajlo Stošljević (1).
Photos from the match:

Ivan "The Terrible" Popović

Lazar Kukić

Kukić rising up into the skies

Matija Pižurica

The unstoppable Captain

(photos: srls.rs)

Current championship standings:
1. CZ 26 points
2. Metaloplastika 24 points
3. Sloga 22 points
4. Partizan 21 points
5. Požarevac 18 points
6. Jugović 17 points
7. Morava 14 points
8. Rudar 9 points
9. Radnički 8 points
10. Železničar 1 point

***

In the last (20th) round of Triglav Liga Croatian team POŠK was Partizan’s guests. The game was important for us

yes, yes, I know, every game is important for us, but this one was especially important

because if we can win over POŠK, and at the same time Mladost gets beaten by Radnički, then we can qualify to the Final Four of the league.
In short: we couldn’t.
Even though we tore POŠK to small pieces (it ended with 15:4 for us), the Zagreb-based Mladost also won against Radnički

honestly, the chance for Radnički to win was less than minimal

therefore Triglav Liga has ended for us for this season.
The game itself meant no difficulties for us. Vladimir Vujašinović tried out a few young players at certain places, e.g. our goalkeeper was the young talent Lazar Brakočević instead of Dimitrije Rističević. In the first quarter the Croatians just kindly assisted for us while we kept on scoring (we threw 6 goals in the first part). They made it then to our goalmouth (it wasn’t that easy for them) only 2 seconds before the end buzz, and they took advantage of their chance and scored (6:1).
We slowed down in the second quarter, because it’s not nice to be a rude host, not even letting the guests breathe. POŠK scored two goals, but still, we had to make sure who rules the roost - we also scored two goals, the half time ended with 8:3.
After the break it was time to take control of the events. We ran through the Croatians like a steam roller and scored 3 goals. We were leading to 11:3, then came the final part.
The last quarter was in fact a formality. Croatians scored one more goal, we did four, then at the very end junior national team member Marko Kruška debuted as our goalkeeper.
The hero of the day was Filip Radojević with 3 goals, followed by Gavril Subotić, Radomir Drašović and Danilo Adžić (2-2) as well as Lukas Gilen, Draško Gogov, Marko Janković, Đorđe Vučinić and Mateja Asanović (1-1).

Triglav Liga regular season end result:
1. Jug Dubrovnik 51 points
2. Primorje 51 points
3. Jadran HN 42 points
4. Mladost 29 points
5. Partizan 27 points
6. Mornar 22 points
7. Radnički 13 points
8. Vojvodina 12 points
9. POŠK 11 points

VK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 15:3 (Triglav Liga)

WE WON WITH 12 GOALS!

WITH 12 GOALS!!!

Amazing, unbelievable.
We should make a bronze plaquett and hang it at the entrance of the Banjica swimming pool, with date, players’s name, highlighting the goal scorers. We defeated them with 12 goals, we didn’t just humiliate them, we tore them to pieces, buried them to 3 metres deep and even danced on their graves.
You get what I mean. When it’s about an eternal derby, one excepts the two teams to clash like roaring lions. The water boils up, underwater wrestling, one-to-one fighting, one sending-off after the other, with one or maybe two goals during an entire quarter, tension, drama and everything else.
Instead it was like a training match against a well-meaning, amateur team.
We walked out to the pool, the boys jumped into the water, we grabbed the ball at the kick-off and soon Radojević scored our first goal (1:0). Greek player Tigkas was the next (2:0), then Subotić scored from penalty (3:0). Partizan’s defense line worked perfectly, and if Zvezda could ever break our wall, then there was our Rističević, who saved their attempts. Jakšić also scored in the meantime, the result of the first quarter was 4:0.
We just started the second quarter, Zvezda’s players were still jumping into the water, when Subotić scored our 5th goal. Adžić also said ’hi’ (6:0), while at the other side Rističević saved all the attempts of the opponent with the elegance of an English lord. Radojević scored another (7:0), while Rističević was doing his job in an exemplary way.
Zvezda could do nothing with us. Our players tackled them smoothly, without struggle, while their attacks were desperate and extremely weak. The difference between the two teams was at least 3 leagues, but maybe more.
Subotić scored again (8:0). Red team can thank only their goalkeeper, that we were leading with 8 goals instead of 14, at least he had some try to keep us away from the goal line. (Not much though.) They pressed their very first goal into our net, sweating blood, right before the end buzz of the first half. The half-time result was 8:1.
Then we walked out to the second half. Manojlović settled back World Order in red heads right at the beginning, to make them clear who’s the boss in the house (9:1). Here the opponent could score another goal (9:2), but it meant no problem for us, because so could Drašović (10:2).
What is more.
In the second half of the quarter the referees gave a penalty to Zvezda.
And Rističević saved it!!!
Radojević quickly scored our 11th goal, we could start the final quarter with 11:2.
The guest team tried to pick themselves together for the last quarter, they had attempts, shots from distance and from near, but in fact on this match anybody could shoot from anywhere to Dimitrije Rističević. Dimitrije Rističević rolled down the shutters, let himself cradle with the waves, maybe even made a cocktail for himself while his teammates kept on scoring at the other side of the pool. Manojlović increased our difference to 10 goals (!!!), the standing was 12:2. Zvezda scored a third goal after a lot of struggles, but we settled back the two-digit advantage with Radojević’s goal (13:3). And as it’s always better to be safe than sorry, Drašović and Gogov scored two more for the end, demolishing the opponent into tiny pieces.
Dear Grave Diggers, fellow fans, I think this is definitely a match to remember!

(photos: hotsport.rs)

(photo: Facebook/Partizan is life)

Current standing of the Liga:
1. Dubrovnik 15 points
2. Primorje 12 points
3. Jadran HN 12 points
4. Partizan 10 points
5. Mornar 6 points
6. CZ 6 points
7. Mladost 4 points
8. Radnički 1 point
9. POŠK 1 point
10. Vojvodina 0 point