Premier VRL League title holder Radnicki defeated Jadran m:tel in the fourth-round derby in Kragujevac. The Serbian champion beat the Montenegrin champion 15:11.
The visitors from Herceg Novi kept up with the favorites for a long time. At halftime, nothing separated the rivals (7:7), and they were still tied midway through the third quarter (9:9). Radnicki then took control and secured the victory.
The first quarter of the derby in Kragujevac was an even contest. Jadran took a 1:0 lead, Radnicki responded with two goals, and Jadran equalized. With 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Vapenski gave the hosts another lead, 3:2. Early in the second period, Radnicki extended its advantage to three goals (6:3), but by the middle of the quarter, Jadran had reduced the deficit to one (5:6). That score remained on the board until the 16th minute, when Gojkovic caught the Radnički defense off guard. Duško Pijetlovic then converted a man-up opportunity in the next attack to make it 7:6. The scoring continued late in the half, and just seven seconds before the break, Trtovic equalized with a man-up goal (7:7).
Radnički started the second half with goals from Prlainović and Strahinja Rašovic to make it 9:7, but the hosts had still not broken Jadran’s resistance. Midway through the third period, the visitors converted two consecutive man-up opportunities through Merkulov and Trtovic to level the score at 9:9. Jadran goalkeeper Lazar Andric also made a significant contribution to keeping the visitors in the game.
However, immediately after Jadran’s ninth goal, Viktor Rasovic and Nikola Jaksic scored two quick goals to give the hosts another two-goal lead, 11:9.
Early in the fourth period, Dusko Pijetlovic converted a man-up to extend the lead to three, 12:9. Radnički goalkeeper Ivan Marcelić displayed a solid performance in the last eight minutes. The outcome began to look increasingly clear, and any remaining doubts were settled by two Radnicki’s goals—Vlahopulos on a counterattack and Strahinja Rasovic—within 40 seconds of each other. They put the hosts 15:10 ahead with just over two minutes remaining.
Andrija Prlainovic and Strahinja Rasovic were Radnicki’s leading scorers with three goals each, while Dušan Trtovic scored four for Jadran. Jadran goalkeeper Lazar Andric also deserves to be mentioned for 13 saves..
In addition to the match in Kragujevac, one other fourth-round game was played tonight.
As expected, Buducnost One defeated Nais in Nis, 21:15. Buducnost led throghout the match, but the hosts showed once again that they will be a tough opponent for many Premier League clubs this season. Darko Brguljan led Buducnost with six goals, while Nais’s Uros Vasic was the game’s top scorer with seven.
The Premier League continues on Friday.
2027 Premier VRL League, Round 4
(Quarters 3:2, 4:5, 4:2, 4:2)
(Quarters 3:5, 4:6, 4:4, 4:6)
Visit Total Waterpolo Arena for the results, statistics, schedule and standings
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