RK Partizan - Spartak Vojput 34:28 (Serbian SuperLiga, Winners' Stage, Round 8)

What a shame. I forgot about the handball team during the great upheaval around football and basketball in the past few days. Though on their latest match our handball players had a fantastic victory against Spartak Vojput.
We needed this victory as the starving needs a piece of bread. And this victory was also special because before this clash Partizan had been at the lower ranks of the league table, while Spartak was second behind Vojvodina.
As much as I could gain from reports, the first half was a nip and tuck game. What is more, around the end Spartak took advantage of our mistakes and switched the standing to their benefit for the half-time to have a one-goal advantage (12:13).
Then Partizan sped up for the second half. Everything was at the right place, everything started to work and roll. After a while the opponent gave up speeding up to our pace. 6-7 minutes before the end our advantage was 8 goals (30:22, then 31:23). For the end the Subotica-based team reduced a bit their difference, but nobody could take away this victory from us.
On Sunday Partizan will clash with Metaloplastika, and you will raise your butt and go to the Banjica sports hall to scream your throat out. This will be the last round of the Winners' Stage, and if we win and can finish on the 2nd place of the league table, we can qualify to SEHA Liga for the next season.

Ćućuz, the golden-handed goalkeeper

"Gimme that ball, bro" - Radovanović tackles the opponent’s player

A Spartak defender hanging on Igor Mršulja

Lazar Kukić

Someone is trying to score a goal to Mihailo Ilić

Air Vanja

Group hug

(photos: rkpartizan.rs)

Curent standing of the Winners' Stage:
1. Vojvodina 16 points
2. Spartak Vojput 9 points
3. Partizan 7 points
4. Jugović 6 points
5. Radnički 5 points
6. Metaloplastika 5 points

RK Partizan - RK Radnički 33:31 (Superliga play-off, Round 5)

The handball team achieved their first victory in the play-off of the championship. In the beginning we were on the lead (9:7), but then Radnički took it over in the 20th minute of the first half (11:12). They managed to keep it up even in the 27th minute (14:16), but we could equalize for the half-time (16:16).
In the second half we kept things under control. Our advantage was always 2-3 goals (25:23, then 28:25, two minutes before the end 31:30).
The best player of the game was Vanja Ilić with his 14 goals, but the real hero of the day was goalkeeper Mihailo Ilić, who saved the enormous shot of Radnički’s Aleksandar Bosić in the very last second of the match, before the end buzz.
The Save of the Year:

You can watch the first half here, the second half here.

Current play-off standings:
1. Vojvodina 8 points
2. Spartak Vojput 5 points
3. Jugović 4 points
4. Metaloplastika 3 points
5. Radnički 3 points
6. Partizan 3 points