Two dramatic penalty shootout victories headline the latest round of the Croatian Championship, with Mladost and Medvescak both claiming tense away wins after fiercely contested battles.
In the standout clash of Round 15, Mladost defeated Jug after penalties in Dubrovnik following a 9-9 draw in regular time. In Split, Medvescak also needed spot throws to edge Mornar 16-15 after the match ended level at 12-12.
Mladost win Croatian classic in Dubrovnik
The heavyweight meeting between Jug and Mladost delivered everything expected from a Croatian derby. The intensity was high throughout, with strong defensive play, physical battles and momentum swings from start to finish.
Jug made the brighter start, leading 2-0 in the first quarter and 3-1 early in the second. Mladost fought back to level at 3-3 before taking control late in the half through goals from Luka Loncar and Konstantin Kharkov to move 6-5 ahead at the break.
Jug responded immediately after half-time. Toni Mozara and Mare Susic helped the home side regain the lead at 7-6, but from there the match settled into a pattern: Jug would go in front, Mladost would equalise.
That continued deep into the fourth quarter until Luka Bukic appeared to win it for the visitors, scoring with 55 seconds left for an 9-8 advantage. But Jug had one final answer, with Susic equalising 30 seconds from time to send the match to penalties.
In the shootout, Mladost held their nerve. Mozara missed in the fourth round for Jug, leaving Josip Vrlic with the chance to seal it. The experienced centre forward converted to hand the Zagreb side a famous away victory.
Mladost take two points from the shootout success, while Jug earn one point for the draw.
Medvescak repeat the script in Split
Just hours later, another Zagreb side celebrated on the road after Medvescak edged Mornar on penalties in Split.
The contest at Poljud was equally balanced, with standout attacking displays on both sides. Duje Zivkovic scored five times for Mornar, while Duje Akrap added four. For Medvescak, Jan Busic netted four and Dominik Obuljen scored three.
Medvescak looked set to win in normal time when they led 12-10 with around 40 seconds remaining. But Mornar mounted a late comeback, with Luka Penava converting a penalty before Akrap struck with seven seconds left to force penalties.
The shootout turned on the opening attempt when Mornar’s Roko Akrap lost control of the ball before shooting. Medvescak then gained the advantage, which was confirmed when backup goalkeeper Jakov Kren was sent in specifically for the fifth Mornar penalty and produced a save from Penava.
That stop secured a memorable 16-15 win for the visitors.
Zadar too strong in lower group
Elsewhere, in the classification group for 7th to 11th place, Zadar comfortably defeated POSK 15-11. Sime Zilic led the way with five goals as Zadar moved level on points at the top of the standings with Solaris.
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