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)

Radnički Kragujevac - RK Partizan 26:27 (Serbian SuperLiga Winners Stage, Round 10)

After all it can be taken as a great thing that Sportski Žurnal released something about this game. The most important is that we kept the 3-4 goal difference for the whole match, then the home team equalized just one minute before the end. Vanja Ilić

God bless both his goal shooting hands

scored the winner goal in the last minute.
The handball season has ended. Partizan finished it on the 3rd place of the Winners Stage. We could not qualify to SEHA Liga.

Žurnal said something about handball Serbian Cup, as something to be played, and if we win that, we can qualify to EHF Cup. I searched through the internet, but found nothing about the handball cup. If you know anything about it, put the link to the comment box.

The final result of the 2014/15 handball championship:
Winners Stage:
1. Vojvodina 20 points
2. Spartak Vojput 10 points
3. Partizan 9 points
4. Metaloplastika 9 points
5. Radnički 6 points
7. Jugović 6 points

Losers Stage:
1. CZ 24 points
2. Požarevac 24 points
3. Železničar 24 points
4. Rudar Kostolac 24 points
5. Planinka 24 points
6. Kolubara 0 point

RK Partizan - Metaloplastika 23:28 (Serbian SuperLiga, Winners Stage, Round 9)

May a thunderbolt crash into all goddamned sports sites that none of them was willing to report about Partizan’s handball match. Only Sportski Žurnal was soooo generous to mention in a half-sentence that "Partizan lost against Metaloplastika", but the battle between Spartak and Radnički seemed to be more important for them. I have had more than one and two rants about sports/news sites barely or never mentioning RK Partizan or handball in general. For God’s sake, there is the superliga, players, teams, fans, please, respect them by writing match reports.

The fact is still a fact though, we lost against Metaloplastika. I must sadly admit, Metaloplastika was better. The truth is, we missed out too many chances and goal attempts for the entire match, and Metaloplastika used it for their own benefit.
In the first half both teams built a concrete wall around their penalty area. There was a big battle on the court, with very few goals, about 10 minutes before the end the standing was 4:6. Teams started to score in the last minutes of the half. 5 minutes before the end it was 8:10. At a point we could equalize (10:10), that was the only moment we could catch up with the guests. The result of the first half was 11:13.
In the beginning of the second half Metaloplastika was leading to 13:16. It soon became 13:18. We still missed out our attempts... Vanja Ilić scored two, reducing the difference (15:18), but the guests were still leading. Around the 48th minute we made it to 21:22, but at this point the game was fragmented, there were a lot of fouls. A Partizan-player (I’m not sure which, it was impossible to see his shirt number from the distance) got so injured he couldn’t continue the match. (Mršulja substituted him.) Metaloplastika made a 4-goal series (21:26). There were maybe 2 minutes left from the game when both teams started to score in large scale. The problem was that Metaloplastika scored more than us.
The hero of the game was Vanja Ilić, scoring 8 goals. He is followed by Sretenović (4 goals), Marsenić (3), Radojković, Kukić and Popović (2-2) as well as Mršulja and Pavić (1-1). You can watch the first half here, the second here.

Current standing of the Winners Stage:
1. Vojvodina 18 points
2. Spartak Vojput 10 points
3. Partizan 7 points
4. Metaloplastika 7 points
5. Radnički 6 points
6. Jugović 6 points

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

RK Vojvodina - RK Partizan 29:29 (SuperLiga play-off, Round 1)

Thank you soooooo very much to everyone in charge that I get to know NOW about a match that was played on SATURDAY. This is the lowest point of communication, including every lousy sports site.

So, Partizan was defeated on the first match of the play-off by Vojvodina. The two teams had a neck and neck race in the first 20 minutes. Then the home team made a 5-goal series, from then on they kept up their advantage until the end of the game.
Nothing is lost yet, the entire play-off is ahead of us. The next match is coming on Wednesday from 17:30 against Jugović

(photo: rkpartizan.rs)

Play-off standings after the 1st round:
1. Vojvodina 2 points
2. Metaloplastika 2 points
3. Jugović 1 point
4. Spartak Vojput 1 point
5. Radnički 0 point
6. Partizan 0 point

RK Partizan - Rudar Kostolac 27:28 (SuperLiga, Round 18)

It wasn’t funny.
Let’s make it clear: being defeated is never funny. Especially not with just one goal. And such a defeat that comes from the team on the 8th place of the league table is the "Are you kidding?"-category.
Kostolac was on the lead practically for the whole time.

Well, okay. That’s not true. We took the lead for approx. one and a half minutes, to 2:0. Then it was gone.

Once we could almost equalize, but then guest team player Nedeljković sped up, about a minute before the end.
The hero of the day is goalkeeper Ćućuz with 16 saves, plus once he even saved a penalty. The most goals (7) were scored by Vanja Ilić.
Yet we are still on the 4th place of the league table, our position is not in danger. Thank God.

(photo: zurnal.rs)

Current championship standings:
1. Spartak Vojput 25 points*
2. Jugović 24 points*
3. Metaloplastika 23 points*
4. Partizan 22 points
5. Crvena Zvezda 19 points*
6. Železničar 18 points
7. Požarevac 15 points*
8. Rudar Kostolac 14 points
9. Planinka 14 points*
10. Kolubara 0 point

Teams marked with * will play on Saturday.

RK Požarevac - RK Partizan 21:21

We played a draw against Požarevac, but it is not a problem at all, because we still more or less surely arrive at the play-off of the championship. The home team was on the lead in the half-time (13:9), but in the second half they could thank most of all their goalkeeper that the end result was a draw and they didn’t end up with a huge defeat.
Goalkeeper Arsić had 19 (nineteen) saves during this match. We put his goal line under fire in the second half.
Soon before the end it looked very much that Požarevac would be the winner of the day. They were on the lead to 21:20 with Tica’s goal. Mršulja wanted to equalize quickly, but he missed it, and the home team immediately made a counter-attack. We stole the ball and ran back up to their goal line. The defense line of Požarevac was too nervous, being very close to the end buzz, we got a penalty. Vanja Ilić stood on the 7-metre line. He shot, he scored, we equalized and we could celebrate.

(photo: zurnal.rs)

Championship standings after 17 rounds:
1. Spartak Vojput 25 points
2. Jugović 24 points
3. Metaloplastika 23 points
4. Partizan 22 points
5. Crvena Zvezda 19 points
6. Železničar 16 points
7. Požarevac 15 points
8. Planinka 14 points
9. Rudar Kostolac 12 points
10. Kolubara 0 point

RK Partizan - RK Jugović 28:25 (Serbian men’s SuperLiga, Round 11)

It is definitely a big deal to beat the championship leader, isn’t it? Fans took it seriously, too, 800 people visited the Banjica sports hall. Captain Vanja Ilić was the demigod of the evening scoring 7 goals, followed by Mihajlo Radojković (6). Five goals were shot by Stevan Sretenović. Ljubomir Jovanović, Nemanja Živković, Lazar Kukić and Ivan Popović all threw 2-2 goals, while Darko Stevanović and Igor Mršulja added 1-1 scores to the final result. As we were trolls enough to beat the leader, RK Jugović lost their position and landed on 2nd, while Metaloplastika took the advantage and occupied the first place of the championship.

Current standings:
1. Metaloplastika 17 points
2. Jugović 16 points
3. Spartak Vojput 15 points
4. Crvena Zvezda 13 points
5. Partizan 13 points
6. Železničar 13 points
7. Rudar Kostolac 7 points
8. Požarevac 7 points*
9. Planinka 7 points
10. Kolubara 0 point*

Teams marked with * play on Sunday.

Coming up: all in bulk

Saturday will be a tough day, three matches will be played by three different divisions of Partizan. The handball team starts the day, being the hosts for Kolubara from 18:45. If all goes well, everyone can follow the match here via live stream.
By the way, handball, a few days ago some of the boys took part at Ušće Fashion Night. Vanja Ilić, Stevan Sretenović, Nemanja Živković and Mihajlo Radojković all appeared on the catwalk (while probably trying hard not to burst into laugh).

(photos: rkpartizan.rs)

They are followed by the basketball team. They haven’t decided yet though whether they want to continue their career as male models

I just couldn’t help

they meet Metalac at 19:00 in Adriatic League.
- Our loss against Krka was unforeseen, the rest was more or less expected - summarized Duško Vujošević. - All of them put us into a kind of delicate position, but we still mustn’t panic and get tensed. I hope we can find a position where we can psychologically relax.
- Metalac is a very good team, they played quite open matches against Budućnost and Cedevita. They are highly motivated against us.
The basketball match will be broadcasted live by SportKlub 3.

The last fighters of the day are the waterpolo team. They play against Mladost in Triglav League. They start at 21:15 in Zagreb.
Mladost - VK Partizan will be broadcasted live by ArenaSport 1.