Budva comfortably defeated Primorac 18:13 in the derby of the Premier VRL League Round 1.
One of the most interesting matches of the opening round was the clash between Novi Beograd and Partizan. Novi Beograd needed a lot of time to break Partizan’s ressistance and eventually won 11:8.
Primorac, the hosts of the Montenegrin derby, welcomed Budva eager to avenge the defeat in the semifinals of last season’s Montenegrin Championship. However, the visitors showed that they had recovered from their unsuccessful Champions League qualifying campaign and the long journey from Georgia. They also confirmed their high ambitions for the season.
Primorac took the lead twice in the opening two minutes (1:0, 2:1), but Budva then began to dominate. Experienced goalkeeper Lazovic gave the visitors confidence with several saves . The visitors’ strong defense provided the foundation for an effective attack, and between the third and ninth minutes, Budva produced a 5:0 run to build a solid 6:2 advantage. Five goals followed on each side, with the visitors maintaining their four-goal lead until halftime at 11:7.
Bogdan Djurdjic (Budva) Photo by Filip Roganovic/VK Primorac
Early in the second half, experienced Marko Petkovic reduced the deficit to 8:11 for Primorac, but Budva scored three unanswered goals late in the third quarter to take a commanding 14:8 lead heading into the final eight minutes. Midway through the fourth quarter, Budva extended their advantage to 18:10, before Primorac managed to reduce the gap in the closing stages.
Dragovic, Stanojevic and Cagalj each scored four goals to contribute to Budva’s 18:13 victory, while goalkeeper Lazović recorded 12 saves. For the Kotor side, Vučković and Radović stood out with four goals apiece.
Novi Beograd overcame Partizan 11:8 after a hard-fought match, securing victory only in the final quarter.
Novi Beograd was perhaps exhausted after last weekend’s Champions League qualifiers, but that does not diminish the positive assessment of Partizan’s performance, as the Black and Whites showed significant improvement compared with last season.
Partizan led 3:1 after the opening eight minutes. The visitors’ defense worked extremely well, with newcomer Stefan Todorovski, a long-time Radnicki goalkeeper, delivering an excellent performance. Novi Beograd failed to convert any of its four man-up opportunities in the first quarter.
The hosts opened the second period with three 6-on-5 goals and took a 4:3 lead midway through the quarter. However, Partizan soon tightened up defensively and went into halftime with a 5:4 advantage.
Photo by Miloš Milivojević/VK Novi Beograd
Late in the third quarter, Novi Beograd regained the lead at 7:6 with two consecutive goals from captain Cuk, but Conkic quickly equalized. In the final period, Novi Beograd strengthened the defense and produced a 4:0 run to secure all three points.
The leading scorer for the winners was Nikola Kojic, one of the most talented players “graduated” from Partizan’s water polo academy, who returned to Serbia from German club Spandau this summer and joined Novi Beograd. He scored four goals.
Interestingly, four penalty shots were awarded—one to Novi Beograd and three to Partizan—but none of them was converted.
The exciting and entertaining match was marred by a confrontation between the players in the pool after the final buzzer, with several other members from the benches getting involved. The coaches of both sides managed to calm the tensions and prevent a more serious incident.
Defending champions Radnicki, playing without several most experienced players, defeated Nais 23:7, with Valiko Dadvani scoring five goals. Sabac beat Valis 16:6 at home, with Moracanin the match’s leading scorer with four goals.
In the first Montenegrin derby of the league, Jadran defeated Budućnost 13:9. After taking a 5:1 lead in the 10th minute, the Herceg Novi side controlled the match until halftime. However, Buducnost dictated the pace in the third quarter and early in the fourth, reducing the deficit to 9:10 at the beginning of the final period. Jadran, led by five-goal scorer Strahinja Gojković, regained its rhythm at the right moment and responded with a decisive run to secure a 13:9 victory.
Vojvodina earned its first points in the Premier League after an entertaining match against Zemun.
2027 Premier VRL League, Round 1
(quarters 2:5, 5:6, 1:3, 5:4)
(quarters 1:3, 3:2, 3:2, 4:1)
(quarters 4:1, 4:2, 2:5, 3:1)
(quarters 4:1, 7:4, 6:1, 6:1)
(quarters 4:1, 5:2, 3:2, 4:1)
(quarters 5:3, 0:3, 5:1, 3:4)
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
