Jadran faced its second defeat in the Champions League. This time, unlike the previous match against Ferencvaros, they had opportunities to avoid the loss in the final moments.

In Trebinje, the Novljan team fell to Jadran from Split with a score of 11:10 in a match filled with dramatic ups and downs.

The Split team jumped to an early 5:2 lead and had a chance to extend their advantage to four goals. However, the Montenegrin champions eventually settled into the “neutral” pool play.

A 3:0 run by the Škver team brought the score to a tie at 5:5 before halftime.

As the game progressed, it was a back-and-forth affair, with Petr Radanović’s squad taking the lead for the first time just three minutes before the end of the third quarter, thanks to Dmitrij Holod’s goal making it 9:8.

In the next possession, Jadran missed a penalty shot, and from that moment onwards, it seemed their opponents gained a new burst of energy, seizing a lead they would not relinquish.

The final goal occurred four and a half minutes before the end when Luka Bukić capitalized on an extra-man opportunity.

Jadran had several chances to turn the game around but failed to convert twice in the last minute when they had a numerical advantage, leading to yet another defeat.

“I believe we started the match quite nervously. The new pool and environment slightly unsettled our young team. We managed to return with energy and keep pace, tying the score, but at the beginning of the last quarter, we made two costly mistakes in player engagements. We didn’t capitalize on our chances, which was pivotal,” Radanović commented.

Novljani will have another opportunity to secure their first win on October 18 when they host Crveni Zvezda in Trebinje.

Holod was the standout player for Jadran, netting three goals. Vasilije Radović and Lazar Vukićević each added two goals, while Jovan Vujović, Matija Sladović, and Danilo Radović contributed one goal each.

For the Split squad, Jerko Marinić Kragić also scored three times, marking their second victory at the season’s start, while Montenegrin representative Đuro Radović did not score.

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