Mladost took a 1:0 lead in the final of the Croatian League playoffs, beating Jadran in Zagreb 19:14.
The visitors from Split were in front of Mladost for most of the first three periods and controlled the result. But, Mladost produced a stunning comeback. In the last ten and a half minutes, Mladost went on a 10:3 run.
Jadran, the defending champion, earned a 3-goal advantage in the first quarter (5:2). The visitors’ goalkeeper, Marko Bijac, posted a few nice saves, while the attackers were up to the task. Late into the second quarter, Mladost caught up with Jadran (7:7). In the following minutes, the teams traded goals, with Mladost leveling at 8:8 and 9:9. Midway through the third period, Jadran scored two back-to-back goals and successfully defended against Mladost’s 6-on-4 attack. Berehulak gave Jadran an 11:9 lead in the 20th minute, but after that, the game took a different turn.
Mladost scored three unanswered goals in the last two and a half minutes of the third period. The hosts went ahead for the first time only two seconds before the final break, when Radulovic converted a man-up, making it 12:11. The same player opened the fourth quarter with his 5th goal in the game, doubling Mladost’s advantage to 13:11. After Mladost’s 4:0 series, Loren Fatovic kept Jadran’s hopes alive with an extra player (12:13). However, Mladost built a 3-goal advantage (15:12) shortly after and dictated the pace until the end.
Jadran, the runner-up in the recently concluded Euro Cup, will host the second game of the Croatian final in seven days.
2026 Croatian League, playoffs
Final (best of five), Game 1
Mladost – Jadran 19:14 (2:5, 5:3, 5:3, 5:3)
Mladost: Radulovic 5, Kharkov 4, Bukic 2, Nagaev 2, Basic 2, Vukicevic 2, Biljaka 1, Lazic 1.
Jadran Split: Butic 3, fatovic 3, Marinic Kraagic 2, Matkovic 1, Pejkovic 1, Curkovic 1, Berehulak 1, Duzevic 1.
3rd–place playoffs (best of three)
The first game between Primorje and Jug will be played on Saturday.
5th-place playoffs (best of two), Games 1 and 2
Solaris won 5th place ahead of Zadar 1952. Both teams qualified for the Conference Cup
Zadar 1952 – Solaris 14:12 (3:2, 3:4, 4:4, 4:2)
Solaris – Zadar 1952 15:9 (4:3, 1:1, 6:3, 4:2)
7th-place playoffs (best of two), Games 1 and 2
Mornar secured 7th place, and everything was decided after the first match in Split.
Mornar – Medvescak 24:9 (6:5, 5:1, 4:2, 9:1)
Medvescak – Mornar 10:11 (3:2, 2:2, 1:1, 4:6)
More articles about the Croatian League
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