Novi Beograd Vice-Champion of Europe
Novi Beograd was defeated by Ferencvaros 11:13 in the Champions League final tonight.
The team from Budapest became the first Hungarian club to defend the European title and the first to become champions of the continent for the third time.
On the other hand, Novi Beograd should not be too disappointed. The young squad of the Novi Beograd club had a very good European season, and in the final, they held their own against the big favorite. The teams were evenly matched until late in the third quarter.
Novi Beograd led 7:6 in the middle of the third quarter. Ferencvaros then made a 4-0 run, took a 10:7 lead, and did not allow the Serbian team to equalize.
The Serbian team provided a mature performance and knew how to respond to the Hungarian style of play, but in the final stages of the third quarter, their defense faltered. Early in the second quarter, Miloš Ćuk received his second personal foul, so coach Živko Gocić had to protect him for the rest of the match. The biggest responsibility in the attack was taken by Nikola Lukić, who scored six goals. The same number of goals was scored by Kristijan Manherc for Ferencvaros, who was also named the MVP of the Final Four.
2024-25 Champions League, Final
Novi Beograd – Ferencvaros 11:13 (3:3, 2:2, 3:5, 3:3)
Referees: Stavridis (Greece), Kolombo (Italy). Exclusions: Novi Beograd 14 (6), Ferencvaros 11 (7).
Novi Beograd: Glušac, Gbadamasi, Skumpakis 1, Martinović 2, Ćuk, Gladović, Vučinić, Dimitrijević, Perković 1, Vlahopulos 1, Lukić 6, Trtović, De Mikelis.
Ferencvaros: Sakonji, Mandić 1, Manherc 6, Nađ, Vamoš 1, Di Soma 1, Fekete 2, Argiropulos 1, Nemet, Vigvari, Jančik 1, De Toro, Vogel
Novi Beograd played in the final with the same lineup that defeated Barcelona in the semifinals. In Ferencvaros, Toni Nemet, who missed the match against Marseille, replaced Erik Molnar.
The opening minutes of the match suggested that defense and patience would play a key role. There were no goals until the 5th minute when Manherc scored on a power play, giving the Hungarians a 1-0 lead. From that moment on, almost every attack until the end of the quarter resulted in a goal. Nikola Lukić quickly responded to Manherc's goal with a power-play goal, and shortly after, he added another goal after a turnover by Ferencvaros, giving Novi Beograd the lead. Fekete equalized, and Lukić then scored his third for 3-2. Mandić tied the game with a power play goal.
The second quarter started similarly to the first. Manherc scored the first goal, while Nikola Lukić converted another power-play chance to level at 4-4. Di Soma then put Ferencvaros ahead 5-4 with two extra men. Novi Beograd responded with a power-play goal, and Skumpakis scored to tie. After a quick series of four goals in just two and a half minutes, both teams tightened their defense, and the score remained unchanged until halftime – 5-5.
Nikola Lukić was in excellent form tonight. In the 18th minute, he added a fifth goal. Novi Beograd took the lead again, but not for long, as the top scorer of the 2025 Champions League, Stilijanos Argiropoulos, scored to make it 6-6. However, Ferencvaros could not find a way to stop Lukić, who scored another goal from six meters to give Novi Beograd a new lead. Novi Beograd had Nikola Lukić, but Ferencvaros had Kristijan Manherc. The experienced Hungarian scored two consecutive goals on a power play, and Ferencvaros took the lead for the first time in the second half, 8-7 (22nd minute). Novi Beograd then missed a power-play shot and paid the penalty. Gergo Fekete scored on the counterattack, and two goals separated the rivals for the first time – 9-7. That was the key moment. After that goal, Novi Beograd missed another power play, and Silard Janšik increased the lead to three – 10-7. Miroslav Perković closed the quarter with a goal from close range.
Novi Beograd fought bravely to the end, but Ferencvaros controlled the game and justified their role as favorites.
In any case, the young squad of Novi Beograd must be proud of everything achieved in Europe this season, where they won 12 out of 14 Champions League matches.
