Mladost is only one win away from its 12th title in the Croatian Championships, and the first one after five years.
The Zagreb-based side convincingly defeated Jadran in Split in the second match of the final – 17:12. Once again, Mladost broke the opponent’s ressistance in the final minutes of the game. After three periods, the score was 11:11, and Mladost dominated in the fourth quarter. The game was similar to the previous one in Zagreb, where Mladost trailed 9:11 with 12 minutes to go but came back to win 19:14.
But, unlike the game in Zagreb, Jadran took the lead only in the early stages of the encounter in Split, played in an outdoor pool. In the fourth minute, the hosts had a 3:1 advantage. The visitors leveled at 3:3 by the end of the first quarter. Nagaev and Biljaka opened the second period with powerplay goals, giving Mladost a 5:3 lead. Jadran caught up with Mladost twice before the end of the first half (5:5 and 7:7), but the visitors kept control. Mladost built a 3-goal lead in the third period, 10:7. Jadran was able to level the score twice (10:10 and 11:11). However, the final period was a one-sided contest. Mladost made few mistakes in the final period and went on a 6:0 run, establishing a 17:11 lead with 02:17 minutes left in the game, sealing the win.
The match was a duel between two goalgetters. Jadran’s captain, Zvonimir Butic, who has been in excellent shape in the last few months, scored six goals. But Marko Radulovic, who contributed five goals to Mladost’s win, celebrated in the end. Mladost’s goalkeeper, Mauro Ivan Cubranic was one of the best players, posting 13 saves.
2026 Croatian League, playoffs
Final (best of five), Game 2
Jadran – Mladost 12:17 (3:3, 4:5, 4:3, 1:6) – the score in the series 0:2
Jadran Split: Butic 6, Matkovic 2, Pejkovic 1, Curkovic 1, Berehulak 1, Fatovic 1.
Mladost: Radulovic 5, Nagaev 3, Bukic 2, Lazic 2, Vrlic 2, Basic 1, Biljaka 1, Loncar 1.
3rd-place playoffs (best of three)
Game 1: Primorje EB – Jug AO 16:20 (5:8, 4:4, 2:3, 5:5)
The second game will be played on Saturday.
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