Vanja Ilić has returned to Partizan!

After one year in Macedonia (Rabotnički Skopje) Vanja Ilić is again the player of RK Partizan. Balkan Handball shared the info about the Skopje-based team having a financial meltdown at the end of the season, so Ilić decided to return home.
Meanwhile other players left Partizan: Sretenović signed to Nimes (FRA), Radojković to Besiktas (TUR), goalkeeper Tomić to Krka (SLO), while Popović has been the player of Bidasoa (ESP) since this summer. All of them explained their decision with the same reason: the financial struggles of the team.

It seems though it’s still not as tough as in Macedonia.

Captain Vanja, welcome back home!

(photo: novosti.rs)

Metaloplastika - RK Partizan 30:24 (Serbian Cup, semifinal)

I have a strong suspicion that the reason why Metaloplastika allowed us to win over them with 7 goals was that they knew well they’d beat the hell out of us at this game.
It was awful to watch. I swear those guys ate cement fro breakfast. Their defense line was like concrete and their goalkeeper saved even the impossible.

I tried to make screenshots, but only the flashy advertising boards were visible in the Šabac sports hall instead of the players. It made an interesting shadow-show though; interesting, but not enjoyable at all.

The team is arriving at the court, players were called one after the other

National anthem

Then the game started and that was all you could see. Nothing else. (I have to admit though, those advertising boards were totally cool.)

At first it was a nip-and-tuck game until approx. the 7th minute (4:4), then Metaloplastika probably got fed up with this smooth pace and jumped to 8:5. Their goalkeeper saved all our attempts, their players got into heavy clashes without hesitation. It was visible they’re not just more experienced than our young players but probably they’ve been preparing for this cup semifinal for a while, putting even their shirts to this game.

Well, yea. They surely didn’t want to let down their own spectators.

Their defense line was unbreakable, even for Ivan Popović, our Ivan The Terrible, the Fist of Partizan. In the 15th minute Metaloplastika was ahead with 10:5. What is more. Soon before the half-time it was 16:8 for them. The first half ended with 17:9, and even this standing we provided with a lot of struggle.
The second half continued where the first ended. The two teams played a very tough game - it was sportsmanlike, but rough, with lots of man-to-man fight. Metaloplastika was leading for the whole time, in the 43rd minute it was 22:15 for them. At this point we started to reduce the difference, with sweating, with struggling, with clenched teeth, from goal to goal. For the 50th minute through a heroic fight we came up to 24:20. A ray of hope, that we might still be able to make it...
Unfortunately Metaloplastika woke up still in time and they ground us alive. We tried, we fought hard, but we had a lot of missed-out attempts and/or the nasty grin of Metaloplastika’s goalkeeper as he saved practically everything.
That’s all, folks.
The hero of the day is Lazar Kukić with 7 goals. He is followed by Nemanja Živković and Stevan Sretenović (5-5), Igor Mršulja (4), Mihajlo Radojković (2) and Živan Pešić (1).

This team definitely deserves a big, big CONGRATULATIONS and a salute. Not just for this game, but for their performance in the entire season. For head coach Nenad Maksić, who shaped this very young team so much (keep in mind that team captain Igor Mršulja will be 22 this summer) that they defeated experienced, old players and internationally acclaimed teams. For winning over the eternal opponent in the play-off and finishing the season at the 3rd place of the league table with a fantastic performing. All these while the club was (and probably still is) at the verge of going bankrupt, the president resigned in the middle of the season because he didn’t see the existing financial/material conditions eligible enough and the players didn’t receive salary for months. So now you raise up, stand in attention and salute for them.
Well done, boys!

Grave Diggers in the Šabac sports hall

(photo: Facebook/Restoran stadiona Partizan)

RK Partizan - Metaloplastika 30:23 (play-off, round 10)

This game was interesting not only because it was the last round of the championship, but because these two teams will clash again within 4 days - on 2nd June, to be more precise, at 18:00, in the semi-final of the Serbian Cup. This and the championship title having already been decided brought the two teams trying to hide their tactics for the Serbian Cup Final Four (according to the match report at the handball team’s website).
The first half brought an equal(-looking) game. It was sort of a "ping-pong" game, one goal here, one goal there, with only one goal of difference. We jumped to a two-goal-difference in the 23rd minute first (10:8), then even though Metaloplastika equalized (10:10), we still set back to the two-goal advantage in the 27th minute (13:11) and we kept it up for the half-time as well (16:14).
The second half brought a more stable Partizan-advantage, sometimes with 2-3-4 goals. What is more, two minutes before the end we were leading with 7 goals (28:21). This difference can be seen in the end result, too.
The hero of the day was Nemanja Živković with 11 (!!!) goals. He is followed by Igor Mršulja (4), Mihajlo Radojković and Lazar Kukić (3-3), Stevan Sretenović, Vuk Milenković and Živan Pešić (2-2) as well as Mijat Perunčić, Nikola Ivanović and Mihajlo Stošjević (1-1).
The handball championship have ended. Vojvodina won the championship title with 17 points. Partizan finished on the 3rd place.

CONGRATULATIONS and salute to the players and the coach staff for the fantastic result, for the brave fight and for sticking to the team even in the hardest times!
Well done, boys!!!

(photo: Facebook/Partizan is life)

End result of the play-off:
1. Vojvodina 17 points
2. Metaloplastika 15 points
3. Partizan 12 points
4. Spartak Vojput 9 points
5. Sloga 5 points
6. CZ 2 points

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

RK Vojvodina - RK Partizan 25:23 (play-off, round 7)

The lowest point about this match is not when you got noticed BELATED that there was a TV broadcast.
No, dear fellow fans, the lowest point is when you have to sneak around on the homepage of the opponent to steal photos about the game, because there’s absolutely no available material about it anywhere, neither on sports sites, nor on Facebook. I'm totally fed up with this amateurism.
And we were defeated, too. Though we were leading, for God’s sake in the entire first half... 5:9, 8:11, we went to half-time with 10:13. Vojvodina couldn’t even equalize, not even once.
At the beginning of the second half it looked even better. 11:15, 13:17, 15:19... until the 50th minute. There Vojvodina equalized, from 15:19 they jumped to 19:19 within 7 minutes. God knows what happened... They even took the lead (20:19). Živković equalized (20:20), but in the last 10 minutes the home team was leading for the whole time.

That’s what is called injustice :(

The hero of the day is Nemanja Živković with 7 goals. He is followed by Mihajlo Radojković and Lazar Kukić (4-4). Both Živan Pešić and Aleksa Maksić scored 3-3 goals, while Stevan Sretenović added 2 to the final result.
And now the photos.

Vojvodina’s player shoots on target, Popović just raises up his hands

Sretenović is rising up to the skies to tear the net to pieces

Cannon shoot by Radojković in 3, 2, 1...

We’d attack, if Vučković didn’t want to steal Popović’s shirt (probably to keep it as a souvenir)

Sretenović is about to block Marjanović, but it’s already too late

Radojković won over gravitation

(photos: rkv.rs)

Current standing of the play-off:
1. Vojvodina 11 points
2. Metaloplastika 11 points
3. Partizan 8 points
4. Spartak Vojput 7 points
5. Sloga 3 points
6. CZ 2 points

Metaloplastika - RK Partizan 25:17 (play-off, round 5)

This match was back in the week-end, but there's still no materila (photo, video, anything) about it.

Okay, there is one, that one at the bottom of this post, from the team's home page. But news sites and the superliga's page pretend as if there was no handball championship in Serbia.

The result was expectable (still it's painful...) - Metaloplastika has the biggest chance to win the championship title, their players all have the routine needed, and it seems it was crucial at this match.
In the first half Metaloplastika was leading for almost the whole time. We equalized around the 21st minute (8:8), then we even took the lead with Kukić’s goal (8:9). We kept our one-goal advantage until the 27th minute, when the home team equalized (10:10), and they took back the lead in the last minute (11:10).

Those who allowed this match report to get online should be cursed with a sledge ride in the company of all the devils of hell. 

In the second half Metaloplastika sped up and was leading with 3-4 goals in the first part of the second half. Then they increased the difference to 21:13 and we couldn’t really keep the pace. Around the end of the game the standing was 24:15 (I can’t tell which minute it was, but it was surely over the 50th) and they even scored one goal in the last minute. That’s it, better to forget this game as it is and move on.
Kukić and Živković scored the most goals (5-5), they are followed by Sretenović (3), Maksić (2) as well as Radojković and Pešić (1-1).

Kukić is trying to break through Metaloplastika’s defense line, while Popović is blocking the home team’s No. 4 player

(photo: rkpartizan.rs)

Current standing of the play-off:
1. Metaloplastika 10 points
2. Vojvodina 7 points
3. Partizan 6 points
4. Spartak Vojput 5 points
5. CZ 2 points
6. Sloga 0 point

Crvena Zvezda - RK Partizan 25:26 (play-off, round 3)

VICTORYYYY!!!
What a victory!!!
Oh. My. God!!!
We raised up from the dead. Really.

RTS 2 broadcasted the game, the one and only working link died right at the beginning of the game. I was about to start cursing, when the superliga’s own broadcasting link popped right into my face. A million thanks to them, they saved my life.
Before the RTS-link died, I could still make this only screenshot.

Mršulja, Popović and Radojković before the game

(screenshot/RTS 2)

Until the 20th minute it was all relatively smooth. It was a bit like a ping-pong, the two teams switching the standing. The difference was always 1, maybe 2 goals. Then in the 21st minute, when the standing was 8:8 (we equalized with Radojković’s goal) Zvezda took the lead (9:8).
From then on it was like we were under some kind of spell. We made mistake after mistake. We missed out the chances. Either the attempt was too wide or too high, or if we could target the box, the goalkeeper saved with a nasty grin on his face. We even missed out a penalty in the 23rd minute.

Yet at the same time they got 3 penalties in the first half. And they scored from all of them, may the devils of hell take you for a sledge ride on your birthday, Dragutinović.

Zvezda jumped to 13:8. It was awful to see. Partizan-players fought hard, sweated, but it all seemed to be in vain. The difference was 5 goals. Average Fan started to compose the very sad blogpost about the game. Our dear sons died with their heads high, on the battlefield. We are proud of them. In the very last minute, just before the buzz Kukić scored one goal, to save our reputation. 13:9, end of the first half.

(screenshot/SRLS)

I’ll be honest: I love it when it turns out that I was wrong.
We walked out for the second half. Zvezda didn’t even leave the locker-room when Pešić smashed our 10th goal into the net.
We started to reduce the difference, slowly but surely. We made huge counter-attacks and Živković had a great performance.

(screenshot/SRLS)

There was a fierce battle on the court. Zvezda was always ahead of us with 1-2 goals, but they couldn’t run away anymore. In the 43rd minute Sretenović equalized (19:19), Tomić saved a penalty. Then we took the lead with Maksić’s goal (19:20).
A wacky race started here. Zvezda equalized (20:20), Živković took back the lead after a great counter-attack. (20:21) Zvezda equalized again (21:21), then the referee whistled and gave a penalty to Zvezda in the 50th minute. Kljajić stood to the 7-metre line...
...and Tomić saved this one, too!!!
What is more, we ran up for a counter-attack. And Kukić scored!!! We were leading to 21:22!!!
Zvezda equalized. Then the referee gave them another penalty. Only 6 minutes were left from the game.
Now Dragutinović stood to the penalty line...
...AND TOMIĆ SAVED!!!! It’s impossible, it’s unbelievable, our goalkeeper MUST get a statue right now at the entrance of the Banjica sports hall. Aleksandar Tomić’s performance was superhuman tonight.
Meanwhile Radojković took back the lead (22:23). Zvezda equalized again (23:23). Now the referee gave us a penalty shot. Maksić scored (23:24). Only 4 minutes were left from the match.
Zvezda equalized again (24:24). Živković ran up and took back the lead (24:25), but he stayed on the floor after the goal.
58 minutes, 32 seconds. Head coach Nenad Maksić asks for time-out.
We come back. Zvezda equalizes (25:25). We are in the very last minute, Average Fan desperately thinks that a draw is actually totally fine...
And we get another penalty. Only 11 seconds are left.
Maksić stands to the 7-metre line...
...AND SCORES!!!! 25:26!!!!!
Only 5 seconds are left. Zvezda’s head coach asks for time-out.
We come back. Zvezda attacks.
They miss it out!!!
End buzz!!! We won!!!!!
Celebration time.

(screenshot/SRLS)

The hero of the day is Nemanja Živković with 6 goals. He is followed by the two 5-goal warriors Stevan Sretenović and Mihajlo Radojković. Živan Pešić and Aleksa Maksić both scored 4-4 goals, while Lazar Kukić added 2 to the victory.
Next round will be on Saturday against Sloga.
A few more pictures from the derby:

Teams stand up for the national anthem

Sretenović blocks Todorović

Todorović was stopped by Pešić, too

(photos: Facebook/Super Rukometna Liga Srbije)

Nobody can stop Sretenović

(photo: Facebook/Rukometni klub Partizan)

Current standing of the play-off:
1. Metaloplastika 6 points
2. Partizan 4 points
3. Spartak Vojput 3 points
4. Vojvodina 3 points
5. CZ 2 points
6. Sloga 0 point