Jadran Secures Victory in Šabac, Primorac Draws in Goal Match to Advance Closer to Quarterfinals
The water polo players of Jadram M:tela have made significant progress, potentially crucial, toward reaching the Eurocup quarterfinals.
The Novi Sad team has clearly outperformed Šabac, securing a convincing win for the second time in just four days, with a score of 13:8 on the road. This makes the second leg of the round of 16 seem like a mere formality.
Under Vladimir Gojković’s leadership, the team asserted control from the beginning, leading 4:1 after the first quarter; by the 12th minute, the score was 6:1.
The Jadran team once held an eight-goal advantage at 12:4, while the hosts scrambled to reduce the deficit. Now, the only hope left is to believe in a miracle for the upcoming match in Herceg Novi.
Dmitrij Holod excelled for the Montenegrin vice-champions with four goals. Danilo Radović and Đorđe Lazić each scored three times, while Jovan Vujović contributed two and Vuk Milojević added one.
“Šabac tends to perform better at home than away, but we maintained full control for three quarters. We experienced some nerves in the final quarter; it could have been a bigger margin, but I believe we are on the right path to the quarterfinals,” stated Holod.
Primorac also delivered a commendable result ahead of their rematch, drawing 16:16 against BVSC in Hungary.
Our champions trailed by three points on multiple occasions, including a challenging 13:10 with just over five minutes left. However, they rallied to finish strong, with Dušan Matković scoring to level in the last minute with an extra player advantage.
Matković, Savo Ćetković, and Nika Šušijašvili each netted four goals, while Marko Mrsić added three, and captain Draško Brguljan scored once.
“It was a fantastic match with a lot of scoring. We were always chasing the deficit, and in the end, we managed to catch up through great determination and patience. We have set ourselves up well ahead of the match in Kotor,” noted Mršić.
The second legs in Kotor and Herceg Novi are slated for February 6th.
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