Radnički from "minus 3" to the final of the Europa Cup!
Kragujevac Radnički has qualified for the final of the Europa Cup, after defeating Zagreb Mladost in the return leg of the semifinals in a fantastic atmosphere at the packed Kragujevac swimming pool with a score of 15:8 (5:4, 2:1, 4:3, 4:0) thus making up for a three-goal deficit from the first match (13:10).
Radnički will play against Pro Reko in the final.
The match tonight between Mladost and Radnički was the fifth clash between these two great teams with a large number of domestic national team players in their ranks this season, and the team from Kragujevac won for the fourth time, a win much more significant than the previous three victories. They played at a very high level.
Zagreb took a 2-0 lead, but the hosts then imposed their rhythm, quickly turned the match around and maintained the lead throughout. They ended the first quarter, full of goals, with a one-goal advantage (5:4), and then improved their defense and only conceded as many goals until the end of the match.
Radnički gradually broke the resistance of Zagreb. They went into halftime with a two-goal lead (7:5). In the third quarter, the team from Šumadija significantly improved their efficiency in power plays, which reflected on the score. In the third quarter, they converted three out of four opportunities against Mladost playing with one player less, and a minute before the end of the third quarter, Dadvani scored on the counter-attack, giving Radnički a four-goal lead for the first time - 11:7.
Mladost then closed the gap to three goals, which brought them some penalty shots (11:8), but there they were stopped.
The team from Kragujevac dominated in the last quarter. After goals from Jakšić and Vasić in power plays, in the middle of the quarter, Drašović scored a long-distance shot for 14:8 and it was clear who was going to the final. Dadvani, again the most efficient player with four goals, sealed the victory towards the end. Goalkeeper Radoslav Filipović executed at a high level, especially in the second quarter when Radnički struggled in attack.
Effective power play execution played a significant role. Radnički converted ten out of their 18 power play opportunities, while Mladost only managed to convert 30% of their man-advantage attacks (5/15).
RADNIČKI - Mladost 15:8 (5:4, 2:1, 4:3, 4:0)
RADNIČKI: Filipović, Rašović 1, Stanojević 1, F. Janković, Dadvani 4, Pijetlović, Drašović 2, N. Jakšić 2, Vasić 2, Vapenski 1, P. Jakšić, Murišić 2, Todorovski. Coach: Uroš Stevanović.
MLADOST: Marcelić, Bašić 1, Miloš 1, Buljubašić, M. Vrlić, Biljaka, Bukić 1, Lazić 1, Bušić, J. Vrlić 1, Vukićević, Harkov 2, Sunara. Coach: Igor Milanović.
New Serbian coaching duel in the final
In the second semifinal match, Pro Reko drew with Sabadell away (10:10), but the outcome of this duel was decided in the first match in Italy, which Pro Reko won 16:6.
The final will feature another Serbian coaching duel. The head coach of Radnički in the semifinals faced the coach of Mladost, Igor Milanović. The assistant coach of Pro Reko is Stefan Ćirić.
Kragujevac will play in the final of the Europa Cup for the second time. In their debut in 2013, they won the trophy, which was also the first trophy in the club's history. Pro Reko, the most decorated club in senior international competitions, has not yet won the Europa Cup.
