The Croatian derby was the highlight of the second evening in the 2027 Champions League.
Jadran Split defeated Mladost in Zagreb in Group C Round 1. It was a very close contest. Mladost was the favorite, but it had to settle for one point after Jadran won 18:17 after a penalty shootout.
Reigning champion Barceloneta beat Novi Beograd 15:12 in the same group. The win was far from easy for the title-holder. The Serbs started excellently, with a 3:0 lead. Barceloneta trailed for more than two quarters. In the second half, they imposed their rhythm. In the middle of the third period, the Spaniards went ahead for the first time and took control of the match.
Marseille edged debutant Panathinaikos 12:11 in Group D, where Ferencvaros showed no mercy to Steaua.
2027 Champions League, Round 1
Group C
(quarters 1:3, 5:3, 5:2, 4:4)
Barceloneta: Di Fulvio 4, Vigvari 3, Valls 2, Sanahuja 2, Munarriz 1, Tahull 2, Bustos 1.
Novi Beograd: Martinovic 5, Kojic 3, Cuk 2, Pljevancic 1, Hofmeijer 1.
Novi Beograd played excellently in the first quarter, particularly in defense. The visitors rushed to a 3:0 lead in the first three and a half minutes. The visitors kept the European champions scoreless almost until the end of the first half. Just 14 seconds before the first break, Marc Valls put Barceloneta on the scoreboard.
The hosts managed to equalize in the 11th minute, but Milos Cuk ended Novi Beograd’s goalless phase that lasted for almost eight minutes to put the visitors ahead – 4:3. The hosts leveled at 4:4 and 5:5. Nikola Kojic converted a double-man up with 16 seconds left in the first half. But Barceloneta managed to catch up 12 seconds later. Vince Vigvari converted a penalty shot, forced by Alberto Munarriz, making it 6:6.
Bernat Sanahuja Photo by CNA BArceloneta
A defensive battle continued in the second half. Barceloneta was more aggressive than the Serbs in the opening minutes, but NBG’s goalkeeper Milan Glusac posted several nice saves. Martinovic scored from a penalty shot, giving Novi Beograd a 7:6 lead. Midway through the third quarter, Barceloneta began to break through the opponent’s defense in a manner reminiscent of its performance in many games last season. The hosts scored three goals in just 1 minute and 12 seconds, taking a 9:7 lead by the 21st minute. Novi Beograd tried to make a comeback, but Barceloneta built a solid 11:8 lead before the start of the fourth quarter and kept control of the game.
(quarters 3:3, 4:4, 3:4, 4:3, PSO 3:4)
Mladost:Bukic 5, Tonicic 2, Nagaev 2, Radulovic 2, Vukicevic 1, Lozina 1, Brubnjak 1.
Jadran Split: Butic 3, Seman 2, Zovic 2, Matkovic 2, Pozaric 2, Skejic 1, Pejkovic 1, Curkovic 1.
Last Friday, Mladost defeated Jadran by seven goals in the Croatian Super Cup. The first Croatian derby in he 2027 Champions League was completely different.
The first half saw several turns, but neither side took a two-goal lead. Both goalkeepers, Popadic (Jadran) and Cubraanic (Mladost), were up to their tasks, and the teams were tied at 7:7 after the first 16 minutes.
The second half followed the same pattern. Jadran took the lead twice (8:7 and 9:8). Mladost went ahead (10:9), but Jadran responded with two goals to take a slim 11:10 lead before the decisive eight minutes.
Mislav Curkovic found the net in Jadran’s first possession in the final period – 12:10 – and two goals separated the rivals for the first time. However, Jadran didn’t keep momentum. Mladost equalized at 12:12 in the 24th minute. Seman put the visitors back in front immediately, but the Zagreb-based side started dictating the pace. Mladost was very close to winning all three points, as Luka Bukic scored for 14:13 with 68 seconds to go. He had a chance to seal his team’s win and become a hero of the match on Mladost’s last possession, but failed when Popadic saved a powerplay shot from Bukic. At the other end of the pool, young Nerdo Skejic scored an equalizer with eight seconds to go – 14:14.
Toni Popadic (Jadran S) Photo: VK Jadran Split
Toni Popadic emerged as a hero. After 11 saves in regular time, he added one more at the start of the penalty shootout. His teammates made no mistake, and the game ended when Vukicevic hit the post in thr 4th round.
Round 1
(quarters 5:5, 3:1, 1:2, 3:3)
Marseille: Crousillat 4, Nagy 3, Vernoux 3, Bouet 1, Radovic 1.
Panathinaikos: Gkiouvetsis 3, Kalogeropoulos 3, Chalyvopoulos 2, Kopelaidis 2, Nikolaidis 1.
Panathinaikos never took the lead in the first half, but it successfully chased Marseille, leveling the score several times – until 6:6. The Greeks scored their sixth ggoal in the 11th minute, but couldn’t add another before the mid-break, while Marseille scored twice, heading into the third period with an 8:6 lead.
Photo by CN Marseille
Nagy gave Marseille a 9:6 lead. Panathinaikos was without a goal for almost 12 minutes, but at the finish of the third period, the Greeks netted two, cutting the deficit to 8:9. Vernoux doubled the hosts’ advantage shortly after the last break – 10:8. In the rest of the game, the teams traded the goals. Gkiouvetsis set the final score – 11:12 with a minute and a half to go. Marseille played patiently in the remaining time, keeping all three points.
(quarters: 7:2, 5:3, 6:0, 5:2)
Ferencvaros: Argyropoulos 4, Manhercz 3, Vamos 3, Vigvari 3, Jansik 2, Kakaris 2, Nagy 2, Di somma 1, Fekete 1, Lugosi 1, Jambor 1.
Steaua: Georgescu 2, Neamtu 2,Parainu 1, Tepelus 1, Jaukovic 1.
The teams traded goals until 2:2, and in the middle of the first period, the game already turned into a one-sided contest. Ferencvaros ruled the field. After just two minutes of play in the third quarter, Ferencvaros reached a double-digit difference (15:5). The Hungarians didn’t stop there and achieved a very convincing win, thanks to a strong defense, which allowed Ferencvaros to score six goals from counterattacks.
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