A phenomenal Boka region derby in Kragujevac and a penalty shootout that brought Primorac - Kotor to the RVL final for the first time

Primorac water polo players beat Jadran M:tel in the semifinals of the Regional League - a great match between great rivals decided by penalty kicks (22:20)

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Jusuke Inaba, along with Marko Mrsic, was the most effective player in the Primorac team, Photo: VRL/Slobodan Sandic
Jusuke Inaba, along with Marko Mrsic, was the most effective player in the Primorac team, Photo: VRL/Slobodan Sandic
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

From the special reporter of Vijesti

A real derby, a goleada, many good moves and uncertainty until the last moment, until the last penalty - the great Montenegrin rivals played a great semi-final of the Regional Water Polo League. It's a shame that all of it was watched by about a hundred Kragujevac residents in the stands of the SRC Radnički.

The drama in Kragujevac was ultimately resolved in penalty shootout, and the guys from Kotor were more cool-headed there, celebrating 22:20 (17:17 after 32 minutes) and advancing to the finals of this competition for the first time.

Primorac was better than its biggest rival in the Regional League for the third time this season and will fight for the cup against the better team from the Radnički - Šabac duel.

Anastasios Kehayas' team was trailing 13:10 at the end of the third quarter, but overcame that and won after a penalty kick. The tragic hero of the semi-final was Francisco Valera - Jadranov Španac was the only one to miss a penalty.

Marko Mrsic was the MVP of the semifinals
Marko Mrsic was the MVP of the semifinalsphoto: VRL/Slobodan Sandić

As if there was no fatigue from the national team's actions, both teams started efficiently - Jadran made maximum use of the extra player (4-4 in the first quarter), and Primorac was led by captain and, at 41, the oldest player of the tournament, Draško Brguljan.

Unlike their rivals, the team from Kotor did not shine when they had a numerical advantage in attack, but they were calm in the penalty area, so the team from Novi were unable to break away.

That didn't happen at the end of the second quarter either, when Jadran, with a somewhat lucky goal from Strahinja Gojković and a goal from Srđan Janović, went up 8:6. But not for long during the third period, when Gojković's team had a plus two several times...

When Danil Merkulov scored at the end of that period for 13:10, it seemed that the team from Novi Sad was on a great path to the final, but three furious minutes followed by Anastasios Kehajas' team, which took a 14:13 lead at the beginning of the last period through Yusuke Inaba, Đuro Radović and two goals by Marko Mrsić.

1 / 10 Photo: VRL/Slobodan Sandić

The game was goal for goal until the end, in the last minute at 17:17 Merkulov hit the crossbar, and on the other side Brguljan was not precise. It didn't end there either, because Gojković managed to draw up an action that his boys executed in just three and a half seconds, but the referees judged that Jovan Vujović's shot stopped on the imaginary goal line.

Inaba, Radović, Mrsić, Brkić and Savo Ćetković were flawless from five meters, while on the other side the scorer was Fran Valera.

PRIMORAC - JADRAN M:TEL 22:20 (4:5, 3:3, 5:5, 5:4 - 5:3)

Kragujevac - SRC Radnički Pool. Attendance: 100. Referees: Raković and Anđelić (Serbia). Player more: Primorac 8 (3), Jadran 12 (9). Fivers: Primorac 4 (4), Jadran 3 (3)

PRIMORAC: Risticevic (six saves), Pejovic, Brguljan 2, S. Cetkovic 1, Inaba 4, Mrsic 4, Petkovic, Vidovic, Vuckovic 1, Vico 1, Brkic, P. Cetkovic, Radovic 3, Perov 1.

JADRAN M:TEL: Andrić, I. Radović (nine saves), Holod 1, Stupar 1, Obradović, Vujović, Valera 3, Merkulov 3, Gojković 4, Lazić 1, Sladović 2, Janović 1, V. Radović 1, Vraneš.

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