December 10, 2019 - In Group A of the LEN Champions League on Monday, Jug AO lost 6:5 to Olympiacos in Piraeus (0:2, 2:1, 2:2, 1:1), while in Group B, Mladost recorded a victory in Zagreb against Marseille 12:11 (4:0, 3:5, 3:1, 2:5).

HRT writes that with this Olympiacos win against Jug in the 7th round, the Greek club remains undefeated in Group A, while Vjekoslav Kobescak’s team recorded their second defeat in the Champions League this season and now have four points less than Olympiacos in first. 

Jug conceded just six goals during the match and Toni Popadic made many as 14 saves. However, that was not enough for the Croatian champion to score at least a point in Piraeus.

The home side entered the game better and after the first quarter, they led 2:0. Olympiacos scored their third goal in the second quarter, and Jug scored their first goal after 12 minutes, reducing the lead to 3:1. In the middle of the third quarter, Jug equalized to 4:4, but it didn’t take long for Olympiacos to lead 6:4. Jug was able to narrow the final score down to 6:5.

Jug had a last-minute attack with an extra man, but failed to equalize.

Konstantinos Mourikis led Olympiacos with two goals and Maro Jokovic, Ivan Buljubasic, Emmanouil Mylonakis and Konstantinos Genidounias also scored.

Jug saw five different shooters, with goals scored by Daniil Mekulov, Alex Papanastasiou, Hrvoje Benic, Paulo Obradovic and Loren Fatovic.

This final Champions League game is followed by an almost two-month break due to representative commitments (Junior World Championships and Senior European Championships).  The next Champions League round will be played on February 4, 2020, when Olympiakos arrives in Dubrovnik.

The second Croatian representative in Group A, Split Jadran, will play their 7th round game on December 13 at home against Barceloneta.

In Group B, Mladost achieved a huge victory by defeating Marseille. Mladost tops the French club by four points with this victory, gaining a considerable advantage over the direct competitor to qualify for the final tournament.

Mladost opened the game brilliantly and led 4:0 after the first quarter. Marseille reduced their lead to 4:2 in the second leg, and at the end of that stretch, it was 6:5. The Zagreb club scored two for 7:5, and Marseille managed to reduce the score again to -1 (7:6). 

With three goals, Mladost led 10:6, and at the start of the last quarter, with two more goals, they reached a massive advantage of 12:6. While the winner nearly seemed settled then, the French club returned with five goals to bring the result down to 12:11.

Mladost was led by Cosmin Radu, Luka Bukic and Konstantin Kharkov with three goals each, while Ugo Crousillat with three goals was most effective for Marseille. 

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November 10,  2019 - Jadran Split gave favorites Jug their first loss of the Champions League this season, while Mladost celebrated in Spain against CN Terrassa. 

On Friday night, Jadran Split celebrated one of their biggest victories in recent years. In the fourth round of the LEN Champions League, they defeated Dubrovnik’s Jug AO 12:11 to the delight of five hundred fans at the Poljud pool.

Already three minutes into the game, Loren Fatovic scored for 1:3 Jug, and it seemed that each of their attacks ended in a goal. However, Jadran then closed the pathways to Mate Anic’s goal, blocked a few shots and managed to reduce the score to 2:3 - and in the last second of the first quarter, Jug scored their 4th goal thanks to Paolo Obradovic who hit the net at the sound of the siren.

Ante Viskovic, a former Jug player, scored at the start of the second quarter for 3:5 and then reduced to score to 4:5. Marin Delic then made it to 5:6 and Jadran entered the second half of the game with a very promising 5:6.

The result looked even more promising when Delic equalized for 6:6 just eight seconds into the third quarter. Jug missed on two extra-man occasions though Loncar scored to give Jug back the lead at 6:7. Jadran, however, was still in the game. Zovic stole the ball in defense, played the counter, and Duzevic equalized with a player up at 7:7. Zovic then hit a penalty for Jadran, which Popadic defended. Jug managed a new lead thanks to Merkulov and Zhuvel for 7:9.

Duzevic, reduced the score to 8:9, then with another fantastic goal for the 9:9 equalizer. Buric gave Jadran their first lead of the game at 10:9, and off Delic's assist, Buric increased the lead to 11:9 with less than three minutes to go.

Jug made it 11:10  with 2.14 minutes to go, and in the next attack, managed to equalize. With a minute and a half to go, it was 11:11. The dramatic final minute saw Viskovic give Jadran the lead at 12:11. Anic defended Garcia’s shot, and Jadran had given Jug their first Champions League loss of the season. 

In the 5th round, Jug welcomes Sintez Kazan, while Jadran visits Szolnoki. 

Mladost recorded a win in the 4th round of Champions League Group B held in Spain against CN Terrassa 14:11 (3: 3, 4: 2, 6: 4, 1: 2).

Josip Vrlic was the best for Mladost with three goals, while Lovre Milos, Cosmin Radu, Franko Lazic and Alex Bowen each scored two. Bernat Sanahuja (3) led the hosts. Ivan Marcelic achieved a respectable 10 saves for Mladost.

In Group B, Ferencvaros leads with a maximum of 12 points, Pro Recco has 10, OSC Budapest 9 and Mladost 7 points.

In the 5th round, Mladost welcomes Hanover. 

Source: LEN Champions League

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October 31, 2019 - Jadran Split, Jug Dubrovnik, and Mladost Zagreb all appeared in the third round of the LEN Champions League this week. 

Jadran Split suffered their second defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday. In the third round of Group A, Jadran lost in Kazan to Sintez 16:11 (4:3, 4:4, 5:2, 3:2).

The Russian side scored two goals in the first two minutes to lead 2:0. Jadran quickly responded, and Rino Buric scored twice to equalize 2:2. Jadran’s first and only lead of the match came in the 11th minute when Zovic scored for 6:5.

Sintez answered with three consecutive goals, but before the end of the second quarter, Delic reduced their lead to 8:7. The third quarter was crucial, in which Sintez scored five goals for 13:9. The game ended 16:11. 

Jug AO played right after Jadran on Tuesday and defeated German club Spandau 04 12:7 (2:4, 2:2, 3:0, 5:1) in the third round of Champions League, thus topping Group A.

Jug did not enter the game well, with Spandau 04 leading 4:2 after the first quarter - and they even maintained their two-goal lead after halftime (6:4). Jug, however, showed their worth in the second half. 

The third quarter saw a turnaround, and with goals by Loren Fatovic, Luka Lozina, and Filip Krzic, the Dubrovnik side reached their first lead of the game (7:6). After three and a half minutes in the last quarter, they increased their lead to 10:6, and their victory was all but confirmed. Jug went on to win 12:7.

Loren Fatovic was great for Jug with six goals, while Lozina and Alexandros Papanastasiou added two. 

In the fourth round on November 8, Jadran and Jug will meet in Split. 

In the 3rd round of Group B on Wednesday, Mladost played 11:11 against the mighty Pro Recco, led by former Croatia national team coach Ratko Rudic, and managed the draw in the last second of the match.

Mladen deservedly scored a point against the most expensive team in the world to record 24 wins in their last 24 Champions League games.

Mladost led 2:1 after the first quarter, at halftime, they were up 6:5, and in the middle of the third quarter, they were up by two (7:5). However, Pro Recco led 8:7 by the end of the third quarter, then 10:9 and 11:10 in the last leg. The Italian side scored for 11:10 with three seconds to go, and it seemed that would be the end. However, Mladost managed to equalize in the time remaining, and the hero of the match became Cosmin Radu, who scored for 11:11. 

The best player for Mladost was Luka Bukic, who scored three goals and Milos Cuk, who scored two goals, while Ivan Marcelic had eight saves. For Pro Recco, Filip Filipovic, Francesco di Fulvio, Dusan Mandic were the most efficient with two goals. 

It was a collision of the teams that together have the most European Championship titles - Pro Recco 8, Mladost 7. Pro Recco, however, has been waiting for the European title since 2015, while Mladost hasn’t been the best in Europe since 1996.

Mladost currently sits in 4th place of Group B and will visit the Spanish team Terrassa on November 9. 

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October 20, 2019 - Croatian water polo clubs Jug, Jadran, and Mladost played their second-round LEN Champions League games over the weekend. 

HRT reports that Jug AO registered their second win in the second round of Group A after topping Spain's Barceloneta 13-15 (2-4, 3-3, 6-3, 4-3) in Dubrovnik. Paulo Obradovic was massive for Jug with six goals. 

Barceloneta led 3-2 two minutes before the end of the first quarter and held the lead for a long time - and on two occasions, they were up by three goals. But in the third quarter, Jug scored six consecutive goals, coming from 5-8 to an 11-8 lead.

Barceloneta scored two goals in the last minute of the third quarter and Jug entered the final quarter with a minimal lead of 11-10. A minute and a half into the last quarter, goals by Paul Obradovic and Loren Fatovic pushed Jug to 13-10, and by the end of the match, Jug’s victory was no longer in question.

Paulo Obradovic was the best for Jug with six goals, while Loren Fatovic scored three. Alvaro Ortega led Barceloneta with four goals.

The second Croatian representative in Group A, Jadran Split, won their first point against Berlin club Spandau 04 with a 12-12 (4-5, 2-3, 4-3, 2-1) result in Split.

At no point in the game did the Jadran have an advantage. The German side also led by three goals during the second and third quarters - and Jadran’s first equalizer only came thanks to Buric's goal for 11-11 in the middle of the final quarter. 

Spandau led again, though Buric equalized with a goal with just over 3 minutes to go to make it 12-12. By the end of the match, both teams missed several chances to win, the last of which was Jadran’s Butic, though his last-second shot was defended by Spandau's goalkeeper.

Zvonimir Butic scored three goals for Jadran, with two added by Rino Burić, Nathan Power, and Antonio Dužević. Tiberiu Negrean was the best for Spandau with four goals.

After two rounds in Group A, Jug, the Olympiacos, and Szolnoki have the maximum six points.

Mladost met Dinamo Tbilisi 21:11 (8: 2, 3: 1, 6: 4, 4: 4) in the 2nd round of the Champions League Group B on Saturday in Zagreb.

Cosmin Radu was the best for Mladost with five goals, while Lovre Milos, Josip Vrlic, Milos Cuk, and Konstantin Kharkov each scored three.

Zagreb-born Marko Jelaca was the best for Dinamo with four goals.

Recall, Mladost lost to OSC in Budapest at the start of the Champions League 10:13. 

In Group B, Ferencvaros leads with six points, while Mladost, Pro Recco, Terrassa, and OSC Budapest have three, though Mladost has one match more. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

September 26, 2019 - Jadran Split will compete in the LEN Champions League for the second consecutive season after defeating French club Strasbourg 12:29 overall in the third round of the qualifiers.

HRT reports that the Jadran Split water polo team have booked another Champions League appearance with one more convincing victory against French club Strasbourg, who they defeated away 16:7 (3:2, 5:2, 3:2, 5:1) in the return match of the 3rd qualification round. Recall, in the first match in Split, Jadran won 13:5. Thus, Jadran joins Dubrovnik's Jug and Zagreb's Mladost in the group stage of elite club competition. This is also the second consecutive season Jadran Split is among the top 16 teams in Europe.

Zvonimir Butic was the most efficient player for the Split team with three goals, while Rino Buric, Marin Vrdoljak, Marin Delic and Antonio Duzević scored twice. Strasbourg was led by Dubrovnik native Pavo Markovic who scored three goals.

Jadran Split will play in Group A of the Champions League alongside Jug AO from Dubrovnik, Sintez Kazan from Russia, Szolnoki from Hungary, Jug Herceg Novi from Montenegro, Barceloneta from Spain, Spandau 04 from Germany and Olympiacos from Greece.

Split will host Olympiacos, which is the current Champions League finalist, in the first round on October 8th, while Jug will host Herceg Novi.

In Group B, Mladost will compete against European champions Ferencvaros from Hungary, Hanover from Germany, Pro Recco from Italy, Dinamo Tbilisi from Georgia, Marseille from France, OSC Budapest from Hungary and Terrassa from Spain. 

Mladost will open their competition on October 9th with a visit to OSC in Budapest.

LEN Champions League qualifications - 3rd round

Strasbourg - Jadran ST 7-16 (total 12-29)

Sintez Kazan - Brescia 10-7  (22-20)

Digi Oradea - Terrassa 5-6   (12-16)        

Vouliagmeni - OSC Budapest 6-7  (9-18)

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September 6, 2019 - The most successful water polo club in Croatia celebrates 95 years. Happy Birthday, VK Jug! 

Some 95 years ago, VK Jug defeated VK Penatur in their first official match with a score of 3:0. On this occasion, a revival match was held at Porporela pier in Dubrovnik between VK Jug and VK Porporela. While Porporela won with a score of 9:8, the result was not the essence of this match, but the celebration of tradition where it all began, writes the club's official website.

"It is a great honor for us that VK Jug responded to our invitation and that we had the opportunity to host the first team. The history of the club started under the red feral (warning light), so the logical sequence was to mark the celebration in the same place. Next year, we celebrate 70 years since Porporela first won the Divlja Liga (Wild League) back in 1950, and we want the younger generations who come to convey that spirit and bring them back to the walls, to the bench, to Porporela,” said Giorgio Knego, President of the Porporela Association.

VK Jug, the most celebrated water polo club in Croatia, boasts 64 trophies and 4 European titles - and their team makes up half of the Croatia national team! 

The 95th celebration began with the release of Željan Konsuo’s book 'Five to One Hundred’, an encyclopedia of sorts for the Dubrovnik club which has long stood as one of the symbols of the city. In the book, an entire chapter is dedicated to artists who have found inspiration for their work in water polo, which is how the idea of linking sport and art was born for the big birthday.

From the very beginning, the symbiosis of Jug and Dubrovnik was evident. Thus, the club decided to go one step further this year and collaborated with Dubrovnik artist Iris Lobaš-Kukavičić who redesigned the equipment for the new season. The new equipment in focus has Dubrovnik as the central symbol, and its graphic solutions blend in perfectly with the story of the city and water polo.

As the highlight of the whole story, Dubrovnik is soon to receive the first water polo museum, which will unite all the sports achievements of the most celebrated water polo club in Croatia, present its rich history, cups, medals, and will have a modern fan shop in which the collaboration with this Dubrovnik artist will continue. 

"We are sure that this collaboration will delight all fans of the arts and sports, who, in an 'incompatible combination', glorify the Dubrovnik tradition, which prides itself on its long-standing water polo history. We are also proud of the first water polo museum that is under construction, because we want to bring everyone, both local guests and tourists, closer to the history of water polo in Dubrovnik and show why we are the most successful club. The club will exhibit 64 cups in the museum that it has won in its 95 years, which is something that few can boast. The club will continue to work for the benefit of the community. We will invest not only in new generations but also in projects that benefit the community as a whole, such as the museum, so that we can return the favor to our citizens for all the years they have followed and cheered us on,” said Tomislav Dumančić, President of VK Jug.

It is interesting that in addition to its visual identity, VK Jug also changes its general sponsor after 15 years, and instead of Croatia osiguranje, it is Adriatic osiguranje. The name change from VK Jug CO to VK Jug AO will be announced by the Assembly in mid-September.

The new season for Jug begins on September 21st when coach Vjekoslav Kobeščak’s side will host Budva in Gruž in the first round.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The 2017 best water polo player in the world and captain of the Croatia national team Sandro Sukno has announced that he is ending his professional career, announced HVS on May 19, 2019. 

You can read his address transmitted in its entirety below.

"Dear friends of sports,

My fellow teammates, coaches, water polo officials, and above all the fans, I feel obliged to inform the public that I had to make a challenging decision.

I decided to end my active playing career due to medical reasons. 

After my heart operation in the US at the beginning of last year, which successfully eliminated all of my troubles at that time, and the recovery that lasted for a year, in contact with several of the most prominent professionals from Croatia and abroad, and after thorough reviews and results of the check-ups, it turned out that my overall health condition is not optimal for continuing top sporting activities and that there is no 100% health security guarantee.

I decided to have surgery in Cleveland because of water polo, which has always been an integral part of my life. The same has been true during the recovery period, and I did indeed do everything I could to get more from the best and the most prominent doctors, the complete opinion and the purest picture of my health. Unfortunately, I will not be able to return to the pool with my team, but just like water polo is an integral part of me, I hope never to leave this wonderful and successful sport to which I am personally indebted.

I would especially like to thank all those who were part of my career as a player. My family, teammates, coaches, and officials. I thank the fans and the public for the love I received during my career, but also for the last couple of years. And a big thank you to the doctors who used all their strength to help me with the desired return to the pool.

I want to thank all the clubs I was a member of during my career, especially VK Jug CO, where I trained last season hoping to return.

Thanks to the Croatian Water Polo Federation for the attention, understanding, and full support I enjoyed throughout this time.

I will forever stay the biggest fan of our Croatian water polo team and Croatian sport.”

To an incredible career in water polo, we wish Sandro the best of luck! 

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Pro Recco defeated Dubrovnik’s Jug water polo team with 9-8 (3-2, 1-1, 2-2, 3-3) in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The Dubrovnik team has once again confirmed their power in the region.

Jug lost to home-team Szolnoki 10-5