Mladost achieved its second consecutive victory in Croatian derbies. After defeating Jadran in the 14th round, the 7-time European champion secured two points in an away match against Jug, winning 14:12 after a 9:9 tie in regular time. This victory allowed Mladost to climb to the top of the table.
However, Jadran Split, which did not play a domestic match this weekend, as it had the Euro Cup game against BVSC (winning 13:12), may benefit from the outcome of the derby in Dubrovnik.
With only one round to go, Mladost is in 1st place with 35 points, Jug has collected 34, and Jadran has 33 points. But the Split-based side has played one match fewer than its rivals from Zagreb and Dubrovnik. If Jadran s beats Primorje in its demanding away match of the 15th round and then Medvescak in the final round, it will finish the regular season in 1st place. Mladost will play Mornar in Split, and Jug will face Primorje in Rijeka in the 16th and last round.
As for the game in Dubrovnik, the home side started better, taking a 2:0 and 3:1 lead. Mladost produced a 4:1 run, and late in the second quarter, Mladost went ahead for the first time after Luka Loncar made it 5:4 on a counterattack. Jug equalized, but Mladost had a slim 6:5 advantage at the middle break. Jug retook control in the third quarter and entered the final eight minutes leading 8:7. The hosts held that lead for a long time in a low-scoring fourth quarter. Still, at the finish Mladost leveled at 8:8, and Luka Bukic put the visitors in front, scoring a powerplay goal with 55 seconds to go. Susic leveled at 9:9 in the next possession. Mladost had the last attack in the regular time, but failed to score, and the match entered a shootout. There were no misses in the shootout until the fourth round when Mozara missed, and Vrlic sealed Mladost’s win in the next shot.
Konstantin Kharkov contributed three goals to Mladost’s win, and Marko Radulovic added two. The best scorer of the game was Jug’s Maro Susic with three goals, and Vlaho Pavlic scored three.
The other match in the upper group this weekend ended in a penalty shootout, too, with the Zagreb-based side earning two points, as in Dubrovnik. Medvescak defeated Mornar 16:15 and kept 5th place before the playoffs.
2026 Croatian League, Round 15
Group 1st – 6th place
Jug – Mladost 12:14 (2:1, 3:5, 3:1, 1:2, PSO 3:5)
Mornar – Medvescak 15:16 (2:3, 3:2, 2:3, 5:4, PSO 3:4)
Primorje – Jadran S postopned to April 29
- Mladost 14 – 35
- Jug 14 – 34
- Jadran Split 13 – 33
- Primorje 12 – 27
- Medvescak 14 – 20
- Mornar 13 – 16
Group 7th – 11th place
Solaris – KPK Korcula 24:12 (8:3, 5:3, 2:4, 9:2)
Zadar 1952 – POSK 1937 15:11 (5:2, 2:1, 6:5, 2:3)
OVK Split bye
- Solaris 13 – 18
- Zadar 1952 13 – 18
- KPK Korcula 13 – 9
- POSK 1937 14 – 9
- OVK Split 13 – 0
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