The first round of the Regional League this weekend delivered excitement and surprises, with some of Europe’s biggest and best teams in action.
In Herceg Novi, Montenegro, on Friday, Jadran defeated Mladost 11-9, setting the stage for Saturday’s matches.
Radnicki, who last week qualified for the main round of the Champions League, were stunned by Primorje EB in a penalty shootout, with the side from Rijeka winning 14-13, despite Radnicki leading by four goals going into the final quarter.
Another slightly surprising result saw Croatian side Solaris from Šibenik edge Crvena Zvezda 11-10 in Belgrade.
What is the Regional League?
The Regional Water Polo League is a competition involving top water polo clubs from former Yugoslav countries, including Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Slovenia, among others. The league was established in 2008 to foster competitive play between elite teams in the region and elevate the level of water polo, one of the region’s most successful sports.
Teams play a round-robin format during the season, with the top clubs advancing to playoff rounds to determine the champion. It is split into several tiers depending on the club’s performance in previous seasons.
It was a comfortable start for Jadran Split at Poljud, as Jure Marelja’s side thrashed Valis 16-4, with a blistering 9-1 third quarter. Jug AO crushed Šabac 21-14 in a high-scoring match, while Novi Beograd narrowly beat Primorac 11-9 to round off the action.
The next round of fixtures in the Regional League takes place on October 5th, headlined by the Champions of Serbia, Novi Beograd, taking on the Champions of Croatia, Jadran Split.
Matchday 1 Results – 20th/21st September
Jadran Herceg Novi 11 – 9 Mladost
Jadran Split 18 – 6 Valis Vega
Jug Adriatic Osiguranje 19 – 15 VK Šabac Elixir
Novi Beograd 14 – 12 Primorac
Crvena Zvezda 10 – 11 Solaris
Radnički 13 – 14 Primorje EB
Matchday 2 Schedule – 5th October
Primorac v Primorje EB
Novi Beograd v Jadran Split
VK Šabac Elixir v PVK Jadran mHN
Solaris v Radnički
Valis Vega v Jug Adriatic Osiguranje
HAVK Mladost v Crvena Zvezda
Standings
- Jadran Split – 1 – 3pts (+12)
- Jug Adriatic Osiguranje – 1 – 3pts (+4)
- Novi Beograd – 1 – 3pts (+2)
- PVK Jadran mHN – 1 – 3pts (+2)
- Solaris – 1 – 3pts (+1)
- Primorje EB – 1 – 2pts (0)
- Radnički – 1 – 1pt (0)
- Crvena Zvezda – 1 – 0pts (-1)
- Primorac – 1 – 0pts (-2)
- Mladost – 1 – 0pts (-2)
- VK Šabac Elixir – 1 – 0pts (-4)
- Valis Vega – 1 – 0pts (-12)