Jug Win Super Cup
Dubrovnik's Jug Adriatic insurance has won the third edition of our national Super Cup, and a total of 72nd trophy in the club's history!
In Šibenik, the winner and trophy holder were decided by penalties in the match between Jadran and Jug Adriatic insurance. The decision was made in the sixth series after Jerko Marinić Kragić, the captain of Jadran, hit the post.
All in all, an interesting, exciting, unpredictable, and quality water polo match was played in Šibenik. In the beginning, the players from Jadran had problems in organizing the attacks, both in positional play and in situations with an extra player. It was only from the fifth such situation that they scored, more precisely earning a penalty that they converted into a goal. The players from Jug managed to completely neutralize the most dangerous player from Jadran, Loren Fatović, who didn't score a goal in the first two quarters nor even had a shot on goal. From the beginning of the match, the team from Dubrovnik dictated the result, the pace, and the lead. Several times, the defending champions led by two goals (3:1, 4:2, 6:4). The latter result was also the score at the end of the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the attack of the team from Split came alive, the players from Jug were completely stopped, and Loren Fatović also stepped up. Fatović managed to reduce Jug's lead, Marinić Kragić equalized from the penalty spot two minutes before the end of the third quarter, and then in his own style, Fatović put Jadran in the lead for the first time a second before the end of the third quarter (7:6).
The last 8 minutes were full of twists. Jug overturned the score to 7:8, then Jadran responded equally to make it 9:8, leading to a crucial moment for coach Kobešćak's team. After Žuvela's equalizer, a beautiful goal from outside position, and a goal in the top corner, Rino Burić scored with an extra player 15 seconds before the end to put Dubrovnik ahead (9:10). Jadran then went on the attack with goalkeeper Bijač, and they earned a man-up situation which Butić converted into a goal 2 seconds before the end. A goal for 10:10 and penalties, in which the team from Dubrovnik was calmer and more precise.
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MVP Trophy for Toni Popadić
Just like in the women's Super Cup, the MVP trophy for the men's Super Cup went to the most valuable player of the game, the goalkeeper. That was Toni Popadić, the goalkeeper and captain of Jug Adriatic insurance, who made an impressive 11 saves in Crnica.
