Budva continued to dream of the final four

Budva M:tel caught perhaps the last train to get involved in the fight for placement in the final four, while Jadran only had a theoretical chance - the epilogue after the Montenegrin derby in the 2nd round of the quarter-final stage of the Euroleague in which Budva won with 6: 5.

Veselin Krivokapić's team thus registered their first victory (after the initial defeat in Dubrovnik), and Novljani registered their second defeat, after the one in Igalo against Partizan.

This derby did not capture any special quality, but two goalkeepers worked wonders - Denis Šefik led Budva to victory, Miloš Šćepanović did the same during the match, but he was too little for the team from Škver to achieve triumph in the metropolis of Montenegrin tourism.

That, in fact, made the difference. In addition to Šefik, Budva also had Vjekoslav Pasković and Ivan Žanetić (scored two goals each), while the visitors only had Vladimir Gojković, which was not enough to win such an important match.

Thus, the match in which Šćepanović reminded of the glorious days from Malaga (collected 14 saves) slipped out of Novljan's hands.

- We obviously lacked something, and that is what makes the difference between the teams that will go to the final four and those that will not. We played well, we fought, we had the advantage, but we didn't feel like it. It remains to congratulate Budva, as well as my teammates - said Šćepanović.

Jadran started violently (with two goals from Gojković and Premuš, they reached 3:1) and then, it seems, they missed the opportunity to beat the sleeping Budva. Because, at 3:1, the visitors hit the crossbar twice, then at 3:2, Šefik saved a five-pointer from Nikola Janović. And when Budva got to 3:3 (scored by Milan Tičić after the ball caught someone in the block) the match seemed to start again, it started from scratch...

After that, it was goal for goal, and the deciding goal, as it turned out in the end, was scored by Žanetić after only a minute and a half of play in the last quarter.

Jadran had an attack to equalize, but first Janović was blocked, and then Đorđe Filipović tried to lob Sefik out of desperation.

- The important thing is that we won, we stayed in the game. But if we want to make something more, we definitely shouldn't show this kind of game. We certainly cannot match Jug or Partizan like this, that is clear to us. They are better teams than us and we can only match them with maximum play. We have to raise the level of the game - said Šefik.

And after two rounds, Partizan is in the best position - the Belgraders defeated Jug at home with 11:10 and registered their second triumph.

Gavril Subotic - what a pearl!

Montenegrin water polo easily missed one pearl, Dušan Mandić, who is now in Partizan, but I guess they won't repeat the same mistake with Gavril Subotic, a 15-year-old from the Adriatic and the son of the legendary Vas Subotic, who shows from match to match that the assessments are not wrong, that he really is child prodigy and perhaps the greatest potential in Europe.

Tonight, at the end of the day, Subotic showed everything, coach Ivica Tucak gave him enviable minutes, and he returned it with a goal to make it 5:5, eight seconds before the end of the third quarter. However, it was a goal that he gave to Denis Šefik that brought the audience in Budva to their feet, so the spectators (regardless of who they support), rewarded Gavrilo with applause.

Namely, Subotić floated a counterattack, then feinted Sefik diagonally and in the end spiced everything up with a beautiful lob shot when the ball went into the goal from the post. How many players on the planet can boast of having lobbied Sefik? Certainly not much, and Subotic did it at the age of 15 in a Euroleague match.

Budva M:tel - Jadran 6:5 (1:3, 2:0, 2:2, 1:0)

Budva - Swimming pool "Dragan Trifunović". Spectators: 450. Judges: Radu (Romania), Voevodin (Russia). Player more: Budva M:tel 8 (1), Jadran 5 (1). Peterci: Jadran 1 (-).

Budva M:tel: Šefik (10 saves and five), Petković, Bašić, Danilović 1, Ljubanović, Tičić 1, Pejaković, Pasković 2, Vukčević, Žanetić 2, Trbojević, Jokić, Bojd.

Jadran: Šćepanović (14 saves), Sekulić, Crepulja, Janović, Đ. Filipović, Latinović, Kalinić, Gojković 3, Premuš 1, Subotic 1, P. Filipović, Kovačić, Sarić.