With the focus on the Women’s Champions League qualifiers and the Men’s Super Cup in Budapest (won by FTC), the second matchday of the Regional League slipped somewhat under the radar on Saturday. However, four incredibly entertaining matches unfolded across cities in the Balkans.
Serbian champions Novi Beograd needed penalties to overcome their Croatian counterparts, Jadran Split, after an 11-11 draw (17-16). The final minutes were intense, with Zvonimir Butić scoring his fourth goal of the game to give Jadran a narrow 11-10 lead with just 15 seconds remaining. In a last-ditch effort, Vasilij Martinović equalized for Novi Beograd with only two seconds left, sending the game to penalties.
Away from the Serbian capital, Mladost defeated Crvena Zvezda 12-8 in the Croatian capital, with Franko Lazić leading the scoring for the ‘Frogs’ with three goals. The victory gave Mladost their first three points of the season, while Red Star remained winless.
Šabac stunned Jadran Herceg Novi with a 6-5 victory. The real drama unfolded with just 35 seconds left on the clock when Mihajlo Repanović scored with a man-up advantage, securing a dramatic win for Šabac and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Radnički secured their first win of the season with a thrilling 19-15 victory over Solaris in Šibenik. A staggering 34 goals were scored across the four quarters, with Radomir Drašković netting six times for Uroš Stevanović’s side.
Regional Premier League – Standings
- Jug Adriatic osiguranje – 2 – 6 pts
- Novi Beograd – 2 – 5 pts
- Jadran Split – 2 – 4 pts
- Radnički – 2 – 4 pts
- HAVK Mladost – 2 – 3 pts
- PVK Jadran mHN – 2 – 3 pts
- Primorac – 2 – 3 pts
- Solaris – 2 – 3 pts
- VK Šabac Elixir – 2 – 3 pts
- Primorje EB – 2 – 2 pts
- BVK Crvena zvezda – 2 – 0 pts
- Valis Vega – 2 – 0 pts