Radnički won the Champions League after a big drama; Sabac in the European Cup
Serbian vice-champion Radnički qualified for the group stage of the Champions League.
After a series of exciting matches, the people of Kragujevac won first place in Group B of the qualifiers, played in Kragujevac, and passed among the 16 best teams, where they joined New Belgrade, which as the champion of Serbia has guaranteed participation.
Sabac also took part in the qualifiers, taking second place in the group in Sabadell, so they will continue the European season in the European Cup.
2024/25 Champions League Qualification
Group B (Kragujevac)
In Kragujevac, Radnički welcomed Hungarian BVSC, Greek Vuljagmeni and Zagreb's Mladost in a very strong group, without a distinct outsider. Uroš Stevanović's team won first place with three "narrow" victories, making two great reversals. In the match with BVSC, she made up for and overtook the deficit of three goals, and against Mladost she was at "minus 5".
In the first round, Kragujevac overcame BVSC 10:9. The home team had a minimal advantage for most of the first half, but at halftime it was 4:4. In the third quarter, BVSC dominated and entered the last eight minutes with a three-goal advantage - 9:6. Radnički managed to get back into the match, scoring four goals in the last eight minutes and not conceding a single one for a 10:9 triumph. Duško Pijetlović scored the winning goal just five seconds before the end.
Even the match between Radnički and Vuljagmenij, led by Vladimir Vujasinović, did not pass without uncertainty and twists. Vuljagmeni started well, leading with 4:1, but the home team quickly caught up and later took the lead with 10:5. Nevertheless, the Greek team managed to reduce the gap and a minute and a half before the end it came to 13:14, but Radnički preserved the minimal advantage and the victory.
Before the last round, Radnički had six points, and BVSC and Mladost three each (BVSC beat Zagreb 14:13 in the second round). Only the last-placed Vuljagmeni had no chance to advance.
In the last round, in the match with Mladošća, Kragujevac needed a point to save first place. Mladost, similarly to Radnički, did a great job in the transition period, bringing in ten players, mostly from the Croatian national team.
The beginning did not announce that Radnički would rejoice at the end. Mladost led 4:0 in the middle of the second quarter. The first goal for Radnički was scored by Murišić in the 13th minute (1:4), but Mladost immediately restored the four-goal advantage (5:1). Encouraged by a good game in defense, which was brilliantly led by goalkeeper Ivan Marcelić, the Mladost water polo players gained a five-goal lead in the third quarter (7:2, 8:3). With the goals of Nikola Jakšić and Strahinja Rašović, the home team got closer to "-3", so before the last quarter they were in the same situation as in the match against BVSC. She was losing 5:8. And the people of Kragujevac achieved the same as they did on the first day. Three minutes and 56 seconds before the end, Vasić equalized, and a minute later Nikola Jakšić, the best player of the match, gave the home team a 9:8 lead. In the last three minutes of the great drama, the networks were silent. Radnički came from a seemingly harmless situation with a series of 6:0 in the last 12 minutes to win and keep the first place.
The team from Kragujevac will play in the group stage in Group B, against European champions Ferencvaros, Jadran Split and Dinamo Tbilisi.
First round: Radnički – BVSC 10:9 (2:1, 2:3, 2:5, 4:0), Vuljagmeni – Mladost 6:11.
Second round: Radnički – Vuljagmeni 14:13 (4:4, 4:1, 3:4, 3:4), Mladost – BVSC 13:14.
Third round: BVSC – Vuljagmeni 17:9 Radnički – Mladost 9:8 (0:2, 1:3, 4:3, 4:0).
Placing: 1. Radnički (Serbia) 9, 2. BVSC (Hungary) 6, 3. Mladost (Croatia) 3, 4. Vuljagmeni (Greece) 0.
Group D (Sabadelj)
Šabac opened the Group D tournament in Sabadell very well. Nemanja Ličanin's team defeated the Italian team Ortiđa 14:13 in the first round. Šapčani had a five-goal advantage (12:7), and Ortiđa softened the defeat in the final. The people of Šapčan lost their chance to advance in the second round, losing to the favorite Sabadell (9:14). Šapčani bid farewell to the Champions League for this season with a 16:8 victory over French Pei d'Aix and will continue the season in the European Cup, in which, judging by the matches at the tournament in Sabadell, they will have a good chance.
First round: Sabadell - Pei d'Aix 17:5, Šabac - Ortiđa 14:13 (4:2, 6:4, 2:2, 2:5).
Second round: Sabadell - Šabac 14:9 (4:3, 3:3, 5:1, 2:2), Ortiđa - Pei d'Aix 15:12,
Third round: Pei d'Aix - Šabac 8:16 (3:4, 2:5, 2:4, 1:3), Sabadelj - Ortiđa 17:11.
Placing: 1. Sabadell (Spain) 9, 2. Sabac (Serbia) 6, 3. Ortigia (Italy) 3, 4. Pei d'Aix (France) 0.
Groups A and C
In addition to Uroš Stevanović, Nemanja Ličanin and Vladimir Vujasinović, Vladimir Marković, who led Špandau in the Group C tournament in Oradea, also participated in the LŠ qualifications. . He took second place. In this group, the candidates for first place were Breša, Špandau and home team Oradea, coached by Petar Kovačević. In the first derby of the tournament, Spandau lost to Oradea (7:8), and then beat the first favorite Brescia (9:7). Oradea and Brescia met in the last round. Spandau would have advanced if Brescia had won by three goals. Brescia needed a four-goal win for first place, while Oradea needed one point. After four quarters, the score was 7:7, the Romanians secured the necessary point and first place, and then they were more successful in making five-pointers.
Oradea, which has two Serbian players in the team, goalkeepers Dobožanov and Velkić, will go to Group A of the main stage, where they will play Novi Belgrade. The champion of Serbia will thus have two Romanian clubs as rivals, because in the draw held in August, in addition to Novi Belgrade and the winner of the tournament in Oradea, the champion of Romania, Steaua, and the German champion Vaspo 98 Hanover were placed in this group.
From Group A, played in Dubrovnik, Jadran from Herceg Novi went on. The Montenegrin team, which is being coached by Vladimir Gojković, until recently the coach of Montenegro, strengthened significantly during the summer. In the most important match of the tournament, Jadran defeated the home team Jug (14:12), and recorded convincing victories in the other matches.
Group A (Dubrovnik): 1. Jadran Herceg Novi (Montenegro) 12, 2. South Dubrovnik (Croatia) 9, 3. Barcelona (Spain) 6, 4. Dinamo Bucharest (Romania ) 3, 5. Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 0.
Group C (Oradea): 1. Oradea (Romania) 11, 2. Spandau 04 (Germany) 9, 3. Brescia (Italy) 7, 4. PAOK (Greece) 3, 5 .Enka (Turkey) 0.
Champions League 2024/25 group composition
Group A: Novi Beograd (Serbia), Vaspo Hannover (Germany), Steaua Bucharest (Romania), Oradea (Romania)
Group B: Ferencvaros (Hungary), Jadran Split (Croatia), Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia), Radnički (Serbia)
Group C: Barceloneta (Spain), Marseille (France), Vašas (Hungary), Jadran Herceg Novi (Montenegro)
Group D: Olympiakos (Greece), Savona (Italy), Primorac Kotor (Montenegro), Sabadell (Spain).
