Goalkeeper Kralj Scores Five, Propelling Primorac Within Reach of the Title
Primorac is on the verge of victory, and it looks like the title will be celebrated in Kotor for the first time since 2008.
Vjekoslav Pasković’s squad triumphed over Jadran in the second match of the final series, this time winning 15:13 in their home pool. They now require just one more win to secure their third championship title in Montenegro’s history.
This achievement was largely thanks to goalkeeper Aleksandro Kralj, who netted a goal to make it 10:11 with just 11 seconds remaining, securing the vital five-pointer. Shortly after, he became a hero by saving penalty shots from Lazar Vukićević and Jovan Vujović…
Primorac will have their first opportunity to clinch the title on Saturday at Škver.
Novljan got off to a strong start in the Bokelje derby at the “Zoran-Džimi Gopčević” pool, leading 2:0 and 3:1. Nonetheless, Primorac, spurred on by young Srđan Janović, quickly caught up and took the lead just before the end of the first quarter with a goal from Đorđije Stanojević.
Jadran made a comeback in the second period, turning the tables with a 5:4 mini-series and then waited almost 11 minutes for another goal, which came at the end of the third quarter from Strahinja Gojković, narrowing the score to 8:6.
In the final moments, Marko Mršić restored the home team’s three-goal lead, but the drama continued. With two minutes and three seconds left, Vasilij Radović tied the score at 10:10 for Petr Radanović’s side during a counterattack, and then Dmitrij The cold put them ahead 11:10.
Primorac failed to capitalize on an attack with two extra players, while Jadran took their time, and with 25 seconds remaining, Kralj made a move towards the opponent’s goal.
In a surprising turn, he opted not to pass and instead launched a shot from about six meters, stunning Darko Đurović to equalize—a rare sight in water polo.
Kralj understood that the job wasn’t done, stopping both Vukićević and Vujović in the shootout, paving the way for a major celebration in Kotor.
Janović scored three goals for the winning team and was also successful in the penalty shootout, along with Nikola Brkić, Marko Mršić, and Nikola Marković.
On the other hand, Holod and Danilo Radović found the net, but it wasn’t enough for Jadran to make a significant comeback and tie the series. They now stand just one match away from relinquishing the crown to their fiercest rivals.
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