Goalball Club Nikšić finished its performance in Group A at the World Club Championship in Espoo, Finland, with two major triumphs, finishing in second place.
The second day of competition was marked by last-second victories against Brazilian Sesio 8:7 and Japanese Ivi 5:4.
At the opening of the championship yesterday, Hanza from Roštok defeated the Montenegrin representative, who was making their debut on the world's biggest stage, 7:5.
Coach Nikola Čurović's team will face the Lithuanian Lions, the third-placed team in Group B, at the start of the knockout phase tomorrow.
The Lions recorded a win, a draw and a loss in the group, and a weaker goal difference cost them second place. That duel is scheduled for tomorrow at 30:XNUMX am.
The victory against Sessi was marked by a major turnaround and a goal by Matej Ledinek three seconds before the end of the game.
The former Slovenian national team player was the creator of the big turnaround, after scoring the equalizer 20 seconds earlier.
Interestingly, the Brazilian attack had an earlier chance to decide the winner, but failed to convert the penalty.
Nikšić, after a weak first half in which they trailed 6:3, played excellently in the second half.
In defense, he did not concede a field goal, and in attack, he achieved a major turnaround and victory through patient play.
The most efficient player in the winning team was Nikola Nikolić with four goals, while Miloš Ranitović and Ledinek scored two goals each.
There was no shortage of drama in the duel with Ivi either, the winner was decided a second and a half before the end, only this time the hero was Nikola Nikolić.
Such an epilogue was not expected after the first half, in which the Montenegrin representative led 4:0.
The first goal was conceded in the 14th minute, after which the Japanese team came back and tied the score at 4:4.
Japan had a chance to turn the game around, but the attack failed to execute, so the younger of the Nikolić brothers got a chance to become a hero. He finished the match with three goals, while Marko Nikolić and Miloš Ranitović scored once each.
Captain Marko Nikolić said that two incredible victories were achieved, in exciting finals, in which the winners were decided in the last seconds.
He pointed out that the Nikšić team celebrated against two extremely high-quality teams, coming from countries that know how to win medals at the most important international competitions.
"We had a lot of luck in both matches, and the brave deserve it. We played bravely, with sacrifice and deserved both victories. Tomorrow is a big day for our club, we are playing in the quarter-finals of the Club World Championship. The Lithuanians are waiting for us and I think we are the favorites in that match," Nikolić told the Mina agency.
He expects a tough duel, but has no doubts about victory.
"It will be uncertain, but if we beat Sesi and Ivi, then we should go for a win against the Lithuanians as well," said Nikolić.
The other quarterfinal matches will feature: Hanza - Butarik, Sesi - Old Powers and Ivi - Instituto Athlon.
The semi-final matches are scheduled for tomorrow, while the final standings will be decided on Sunday.
Bonus video:
