Bad Croatian Day in the Euro Cup
A Thursday that we would rather forget. Indeed, on the same evening in the Euro Cup, both of our representatives were defeated. Both with the same scoreline of 16-13 in favor of the opponents.
Suknov Recco Better Than Mladost
In Zagreb, in front of almost fully packed stands by the Sava River, which is commendable, the home fans unfortunately did not witness the victory of their favorites. The lineup of the Italian champions, Pro Recco managed by our coach Sandro Sukno, rightfully celebrated in a game where they were mostly in the lead. In fact, the Frogs only had three brief leads in the first quarter (3:2, 4:3, and 5:4).
Once again, Zagreb's defensive vulnerability this season was evident as they conceded a high number of goals. Many were even scored after significant mistakes, although credit must also be given to Pro Recco for their dynamic and well-organized gameplay. It is important to note that practically the first lineup of the Italian national team, the reigning world runners-up, was in action.
In the second quarter, Pro Recco took the lead for the first time and had a two-goal lead on several occasions, while in the middle of the third quarter they also had a three-goal lead for the visitors (12:9 and 13:10). When Ben Hallock scored for 15:11 with five minutes left, it was clear that all three points were going to the other side of the Adriatic. Among the defeated, young Jan Bušić stood out with 5 goals, as well as center Josip Vrlić, who scored four times.
Mladost will play their next Euro Cup match away in Duisburg on October 31st. In the other match of Group C, as expected, Szolnok triumphed in Germany against Duisburg, winning 17:9.
Strasbourg Surprises Jug
In Group A, there was a surprise in the 2nd round. The team of the French top-tier club, Strasbourg, triumphed against our Jug Adriatic Insurance in their home pool.
Vlado Popadić, one of the four Montenegrins in the home team, significantly impacted the net of the Dubrovnik players, scoring 8 goals. The other three Montenegrins added 4 more goals (Gardašević 2, Mišić and Petković 1 each).
Our team lacked concentration and composure in the final seconds of the quarters. Strasbourg scored goals like 5:5 just 2 seconds before the end of the first quarter, and 7:8 only 1 second before the end of the second quarter, with the final score of 16:13 coming from a counter-attack, just 2 seconds before the end.
The winner was practically decided in the third quarter when Strasbourg scored 5 straight goals, taking the lead from Jug at 9:7 at the beginning of this period to 12:9.
In the final quarter, Jug managed to reduce the deficit to 12:11, but Vlado Popadić, with two consecutive goals (one from a penalty throw), increased the lead by 3 for the hosts. However, the determined Marko Žuvela scored two goals in about 50 seconds, bringing it to 14:13, with only 48 seconds left. Yet, during that time, the hosts scored two more goals, both by Vlado Popadić (one from a penalty throw and a counter-attack).
In the other match of Group A, Brescia won against Greek Apollon 11:9. Brescia will be Jug's next opponent in the 3rd round on October 31st.
