Mladost, Jadran, Primorje and Jug qualified for the semifinals of the Croatian League. This outcome was expected, as these four teams finished in the top 4 in the regular season.
Mladost, Jadran and Jug defeated their opponents convincingly in the quarterfinals (best of two series), while Primorje had to work hard to reach the semifinals.
Primorje played against Mornar. The first encounter between the two teams in Split ended in a 16:16 draw. The Rijeka-based side recorded a narrow 10:9 win at home.
Mornar scored the first goal in the return match in Rijeka, and that happened only in the fourth minute. However, following that goal, Primorje started ruling the field and went on a 6:0 run, building a 6:1 lead in the 16th minute. Mornar scored its 2nd goal only a second before the middle break. The visitors reduced the gap to 3:6 early in the third quarter, but Primorje maintained a three-goal lead (8:5) until the last break. However, Mornar found its rhythm and came very close to the hosts with two early goals in the fourth period (7:8). The rest of the game saw the teams trade goals. Duje Zivkovic scored the ninth goal for Mornar (9:10) with 02:10 minutes left on the clock. For the remainder of the game, both teams missed their opportunities, and Primorje kept a slim lead and the ticket for the semifinals.
Tin Brubnjak (Primorje), Duje Zivkovic and Duje Akrap (both Mornar) scored three goals each.
The start of the series is scheduled for May 23, but the game Jadran-Primorje will be postponed due to Jadran’s participation in the Euro Cup final.
The remaining 2nd-leg games were one-sided contests.
Vlaho Pavlic scored six goals to help Jug beat Medvescak 20:8.
Mladost, the 1st-placed team in the regular season, beat Zadar 24:10, with four goals from Ivan Nagaev.
Title-holder Jadran Split defeated Solaris 17:11, led by Marcus Berehulak (5 goals).
2026 Croatian League, playoffs, Quarterfinals, return matches
Mladost – Zadar 1952 24:10 (10:3, 3:2, 4:1, 7:4) – 1st leg 19:12
Jadran – Solaris 17:11 (5:3, 4:1, 4:3, 4:4) – 1st leg 17:8
Primorje EB – Mornar 10:9 (3:1, 3:1, 2:3, 2:4) – 1st leg 16:16
Jug AO – Medvescak 20:8 (3:3, 3:1, 7:4, 7:0) – 1st leg 22:11
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
