February 10, 2022 - Jadran Split defeated the powerhouse Ferencvaros 9:7 in Split on Wednesday in the ninth round of the LEN Champions League. 

Jadran played excellently, showing their maturity and strength to record their third victory in the Champions League group this season.

Lineups

Jadran: Podrug, Burić (2), Marinić-Kragić (1), Čagalj, Z. Butić, Pejković, Bukić, Harkov (2), Delić, Dobud (3), Šetka (1), Dužević, Anić.

Ferencvaros: Szakonyi, V. Varga, Nyiri, Merkulov (2), Vamos (1), Ubović (2), Fekete, Vigvari, Nemet, Molnar, Jansik (1), Damonte (1), Vogel.

Recap

Jadran took the lead after five minutes of play, scoring with an extra man for 1:0. After a great save by goalkeeper Anić and a goal by Burić, Jadran was up 2:0.

Twelve minutes into the game, Dobud scored his second goal with an extra man and Jadran was up 3:0. Ferencvaros was unable to score thanks to Jadran's solid defense and several excellent saves by Mate Anić.

It was only in the 13th minute that Ferencvaros found the back of the net, with an extra man for 3:1. Already in the next attack, Merkulov was precise and the guests quickly came to minus one. They equalized at 3:3 with a minute until halftime with two extra players as both Butić and Čagalj were excluded. 

Šetka scored a fantastic goal for 4:3 and Marinić-Kragić lobbed the goalkeeper Vogel for 5:3 with eight seconds to go before the end of the quarter.

Burić scored for 6:3, and then Anić defended a dangerous Ferencvaros shot when they were up by two players. Dobud scored for 7:3 though Ferencvaros quickly started to turn things around.

Ubović scored, followed by a Merkulov penalty, and with two extra players, they were able to reduce the score to 7:5! But, 43 seconds before the end of the third quarter, Kharkov put Jadran forward thanks to a semi-counter and made the game 8: 5.

Ubović reduced the score again to -2 for 8:6, but Kharkov scored for 9:6 from an almost impossible angle. Ferencvaros reduced the score to 9:7, but the excellent Anić did not give them more than that. Jadran thus secured their third win in the LEN Champions League. 

Source: Dalmatinski Portal

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January 13, 2022 - The powerful Pro Recco, the current European champion, stumbled against Jug in Dubrovnik on Wednesday, thus suffering their first defeat in the LEN Champions League but also this season. Croatia's Sandro Sukno leads the celebrated Italian team.

Pro Recco came with a weakened squad, missing Echenique, Lončar, Bertoli, and Figlioli due to the coronavirus. On the other hand, Jug was in the strongest form without missing players.

Jug goalkeeper Toni Popadić had an incredible evening with several crucial saves when the result was equal. In the end, he recorded 14 successful interventions, which is anything but easy against a side this good. 

Marko Žuvela opened the match with an excellent goal from the left. However, Pro Recco turned the result to 3:1 relatively quickly. Kakaris first reduced the score, and then Argyropoulos equalized at 3:3 at the beginning of the second quarter. From that moment until the middle of the third quarter, it was mostly equal, or Recco led by one goal. Four and a half minutes before the end of the 3rd quarter, Argyropoulos increased the score to 7:5 for Jug, and left-hander Zalanki quickly reduced it to 7:6. Papanastasiou put Jug up at 8:6, and Fatović scored from a penalty for 9:6. Finally, Hrvoje Benić scored for 10:6 to end the 3rd quarter. 

With Ivović and Hallock goals, Recco reduced the score to 10:8, which Argyropoulos extinguished with a goal for 11:8. With less than 5 to go, goalkeeper Popadić defended all shots from the outside and 2 meters to give Jug the 11:8 win.

Standings: Pro Recco 18, Marseille 15 (-1), Jug AO 15, OSC 10 (-1), Waspo 98 Hannover 8, Spandau 04 4 (-1), C. Star 3 (-1), Steaua 3.

Next up - 8th round (January 25): Pro Recco - Jug AO, C. Star - Marseille, Waspo 98 Hannover - Steaua, and Spandau 04 - OSC.

In Tuesday's Champions League clash, Brescia narrowly beat Jadran Split 6:5. Jadran was without captain Andelo Šetka and Zvonimir Butić.

Standings: Brescia 17, Olympiacos 16, Ferencvaros 13, Barceloneta 11, Novi Belgrade 11, Jadran 6, Radnicki 4 and Dinamo 0.

Next up - 8th round (January 26): Jadran - Brescia, Novi Belgrade - Barceloneta, Radnički - Olympiacos, and Ferencvaros - Dinamo.

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November 10, 2021 - Water polo club Jadran Split celebrated its first win in the LEN Champions League this season after beating Georgia's Dinamo Tbilisi in the second round on Tuesday night. 

The match began similar to when Jadran faced Barcelona in the first round. The opportunities were there, but there were no goals. Dinamo took advantage of that and took the lead with Sarić's goal, but then Bukić took responsibility and equalized to 1:1 in the fourth minute. A minute later, Delić scored and brought Jadran to the first lead of the match (2:1). Sarić equalized for Dinamo at 2:2, and Marinić-Kragić returned Split to the top with a penalty. 

In the 11th minute, Jadran finally scored with an extra man. Delić found Dobud, who scored for 5:3. In the 14th minute, Šetka scored with an extra man for the first +3 advantage of the match (7:4). Jadran managed to stop Dinamo's resistance and entered the second quarter up 10:5.

That advantage grew to 12:5 with two goals by captain Šetka in the third quarter. In the end, Dinamo came back from 15:8 to 15:11, slightly mitigating the defeat. At that moment, Jadran coach Mile Smodlaka called for a timeout. Dinamo then further reduced the result to 15:12, with Jadran conceding a series of 4 goals. Dinamo was just two goals behind at 15:13 two minutes before the final whistle. 

"I don't know; it's a shame that we allowed it at the end of this game. We need to discuss this amongst each other. Individuals put themselves ahead of the team, and that’s not good. But come on, let this be a warning to us, and maybe something good will come out of this. We started the game well, played properly, and created a great advantage, and then got into that hole," said Mile Smodlaka, Jadran's coach.

Jadran – Dinamo Tbilisi 15:13
(3:2, 7:3, 4:2, 1:6)

Split – Poljud

Spectators: 250.

Referees: Petronilli (Italy), Haentschel (Germany)

Jadran: Podrug, Burić (1), Marinić-Kragić (3), Čagalj, Z. Butić, Pejković (1), Bukić (1), Harkov (1), Delić (1), Dobud (2), Šetka (3), Dužević (2), Anić.

Dinamo Tbilisi: Razmadze, Tešelašvili (1), Dadvani, Imaišvili, Bitadze (1), Jelača (2), Adeišvili, Sarić (3), Giorgadze, Magrakvelidze (2), Vasić (4), Akvlediani, Gvetadze.

Source: Dalmacija Danas

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October 21, 2021 - The Jadran Split water polo club has managed to qualify for the LEN Champions League this season! 

In the return match of the last round of Champions League qualifications, Jadran Split defeated Zagreb's Mladost (7:3).

Already after the first game in Split and winning 14:7 in the first match, everything was clear for Jadran.

In the return match, Mladost took a 1:0 lead in the fifth minute and did not find their way to the net for the next 25 minutes. During that time, Jadran scored seven goals and took the 7:1 lead. Finally, in the last two minutes, Mladost mitigated the defeat with two goals.

The Zvončac Split club will play in the Champions League Group A, which also includes Novi Belgrade, Olympiacos, Ferencvaros, Barceloneta, Radnički Kragujevac, Dinamo Tbilisi, and Brescia. Novi Belgrade is the host of the final Final Eight tournament and will surely lock the top spot in this group, while the rest of the group will fight for the remaining three places.

In the second group is Dubrovnik's Jug Adriatic Osiguranje, and with them are Pro Recco, Waspo 98 Hannover, Marseille, Spandau 04, Steaua, OSC Budapest and Crvena Zvezda.

Against Zagreb on Wednesday, Jadran rested captains Anđelo Šetka and Nikša Dobud. The two routines didn't have to go to Zagreb at all, and they rested for new challenges, which will certainly progress in the season. Jadran, led by coach Mile Smodlaka, achieved the set plan as far as Europe is concerned, placing Jadran among the 16 best clubs in Europe. Now it remains to be seen how the new, strong team from Zvončac will handle the best of the best.

The first game in the Champions League is scheduled for Tuesday, October 26, against Barceloneta.

Source: Dalmatinski Portal

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October 9, 2021 - Jadran Split is one step closer to the LEN Champions League group stage! The Split water polo club defeated Barcelona at home in the 2nd qualification round for the competition. Jadran plays against Oradea on Sunday at noon in the 3rd round!

Jadran Split defeated Barcelona 8:4 in a world-class match and is one step closer to the Champions League group stage. With this victory, Jadran secured a place in the play-off round in which they will play at home and away. It will not be an easy task, but Jadran has the strength.

There were no goals until 33 seconds before the end of the first quarter when Antonio Dužević took advantage of the extra man play. Jadran goalkeeper Mate Anić had a particularly great quarter, saving five or six incredible shots from Barcelona.

The same pace continued in the second quarter, and in the second minute of the third quarter, captain Anđelo Šetka also scored. Luka Bukić scored for 4:1 before Barcelona found their way to the net and quickly took the ball in extra-man situations. Barcelona reduced the score to -1, then Jadran led by 5:3 and 5:4. 

In the last eight minutes, it was 7:4 for Jadran. Marin Delic confirmed the victory with a goal for the final 8:4.

"I am very pleased first that we won 8:4, that it is not 16:12, with a lot of goals conceded. We had problems in the attack, we missed goals, but when you play defense as we do now, you win games like this. Mate Anić defended excellently, but when the defense is engaged, when we know where the danger is coming from, it is easier for him to defend as well, and when threatened from all sides, it is not easy. He defended a great few shots, kept us level until the attack worked. As for the attack, this will happen once in 10-15 times. We will always score a couple of goals, but we are in trouble if we receive a lot of them. Now Oradea is waiting for us, I will use it to give a chance to young players, we will not be embarrassed, we are going to win, but young players will have more opportunities," said Jadran coach Mile Smodlaka.

"In Podgorica, we did not arrange properly in the defense. In this tournament, the emphasis was on defense; we justified the coach’s words to emphasize defense and goals will come. Good defenses were played on both sides; we missed in the beginning. When we stepped on the ball and improved our defense, the product was a victory," said Mate Anić.

Jadran will play its third game in the qualifications group against Oradea tomorrow, Sunday, at noon. 

In today's second match, Primorac Kotor beat Oradea 8:6.

Jadran: Podrug, Buric (1), Marinic-Kragic (1), Cagalj, Z. Butic, Pejkovic, Bukic (1), Kharkov (1), Delic (1), Dobud, Setka (1), Duzevic (2) , Anic.

Barcelona: Schneider, Duart, Van den Burg, Ferrer, Urzainqui, Duric (1), Baches (1), Goma Esforzado, Compte, Estrany Esforzado (1), Guell (1), Sesen, Vicente.

Source: Dalmatinski Portal

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March 5, 2021 - Jug Dubrovnik is 2nd in Group A as the second preliminary 'bubble' tournament of this season's LEN Champions League comes to an end in Ostia, Italy. 

Water polo club Jug AO from Dubrovnik completed the second preliminary tournament in Ostia with two wins and two losses this week, finishing in 2nd place with 15 points behind Pro Recco with 21. 

Jug's first match on March 1 was against CC Ortigia, in which they opened the tournament with an 8:6 win. 

Jug, unfortunately, suffered its heaviest defeat in European history in round 2 on March 2, with Pro Recco outclassing the Croatian side 18:3.

It was a duel of two undefeated teams in Group A, and a derby was expected, but Dubrovnik didn't stand a chance. Jug scored only one goal in the first three quarters (and from a penalty), while the remaining two goals were scored in the last quarter when Pro Recco gave the bench players a chance.

Loren Fatović scored two goals for Jug, and Marin Tomasović scored one.

Fortunately, the heavy defeat did not have serious consequences for Jug, who beat Spandau 04 12:10 on March 3. 

Jug's game dropped after a 2:0 lead, and Spandau led 5:3 in the middle of the second quarter. Jug regained their advantage for 9:6 just before the end of the third quarter.

By the end of the match, Jug managed to keep their led and record their fifth victory in the Champions League this season.

Loren Fatović and Alexandros Papanastiou scored four goals each to be the best for Jug. 

Jug recorded their second defeat in Group A on Thursday, with Marseille winning 15:13. Marseille gained an advantage already in the first quarter, which they won 5:3, and Jug was only a goal behind in the third quarter, which they won 3:2. Marseille won the final quarter 4:3 and ultimately the victory. 

Loren Fatović was the best for Jug with three goals, while Javier Garcia, Marko Žuvela, and Paulo Obradović scored two goals each. 

After seven games, Jug is second in the standings with 15 points, behind the first-placed Pro Recco. Marseille is fourth with seven points.

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December 17, 2020 - The Jug AO water polo club from Dubrovnik secured their third victory in the Champions League Group A tournament in Ostia, Italy, after beating Greek Olympiacos 9-8 (0-1, 2-4, 3-0, 4-3) on Wednesday.

In the first two quarters, Olympiacos outplayed Dubrovnik, leading 5-2, and at the beginning of the third quarter, they also had a penalty, which was defended by goalkeeper Toni Popadić. This was followed by a turnaround, and by the end of the third quarter, Paulo Obradović scored two goals, and Daniil Merkulov and Jug equalized for 5-5.

In the last quarter, although Jug was constantly in the lead, Olympiacos kept the game equal. However, in the last three minutes, the Dubrovnik side inched ahead with goals by Loren Fatović and Paul Obradović for the 9-7 lead. By the end of the match, Olympiacos had only managed to mitigate the defeat.

Paulo Obradović was the most efficient for Jug with four goals. Loren Fatović scored two, and Javier Garcia, Marin Tomasović and Daniil Merkulov scored one goal each, while goalkeeper Toni Popadić collected 12 saves. Olympiacos was led by Marios Kapotsis with three and Konstantinos Genidounias with two goals.

Previously, in the Group A tournament of the Champions League in Ostia, Italy, Jug defeated Marseille 11-10, and German club Spandau 13-7. 

Most importantly, Jug took all 9 points in Ostia. In the last ten matches in the Champions League, this is the sixth victory of Jug, the third on neutral ground (twice in Budapest) plus one in Piraeus, and two in Gruz. They also have two victories against Olympiacos, both at home, with two draws, both in Greece.

The second Champions League tournament is played from March 1 to 5, 2021, (four rounds) and the third from April 19 to 22, 2021 (three rounds), while the final tournament, Final 8, is in Hanover from June 3 to 5, 2021.

Source: Slobodna Dalmacija

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March 5, 2020 - Jadran Split, Jug Dubrovnik, and Mladost Zagreb featured in the LEN Champions League 10th round this week. 

Mladost opened the LEN Champions League 10th round for Croatian clubs in Group B with a win against Waspo Hannover (18-12) on Tuesday and is one step closer to reaching the Final Eight.

Luka Bukic and Lovre Milos were the best for Mladost with four goals each, while Hanover was led by Aleksandar Radovic, also with four goals.

OSC Budapest leads Group B with 22 points, Ferencvaros and Pro Recco have 20 points each and a match less, while Mladost is fourth with 19 points.

These clubs are followed by Terrassa with 13 points, Marseille with 10, Waspo Hannover with six, and in the last place is Dinamo Tbilisi with three points.

In Group A, Jadran Split defeated Hungarian club Szolnoki 13-9 (3-1, 5-2, 2-4, 3-2) at Poljud on Tuesday

Jadran Split was led by Nathan Power with three goals, while Duje Pejkovic and Ivan Krapic scored two each. Radomir Drasovic was the best for Szolnoki with four goals.

The second representative in Group A, Jug Dubrovnik, beat Sintez Kazan 14-10 and at least temporarily takes the top spot in the standings. 

Jug led from the first minute and never lost an advantage against the weakest team in the group.

Vjekoslav Kobescak’s team was up by four goals on several occasions, with the visitors having the greatest lead at the beginning of the last quarter when it was 10-5.

Jug was led by Loren Fatovic with five goals, while Javier Garcia and Hrvoje Benic scored two goals each. The most efficient for Sintez was Adel Latipov, Sergei Lisunov and Nikolai Lazarev with three goals each.

Jug leads Group A with 24 points, followed by Barceloneta with 22 points, who also has a game less, while Olympiacos is in third with 19 points and the match is less.

The 11th round of the LEN Champions League will be played from April 10-11.

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February 23, 2020 - Mladost Zagreb, Jug Dubrovnik, and Jadran Split played in the 9th round of the LEN Champions League this week.

Mladost Zagreb lost to current European champion Ferencvaros 6-9 (0-2, 1-2, 3-3, 2-2) in the LEN Champions League 9th round game in Group B, played at the Sava Pool on Thursday.

Lovre Milos and Konstantin Kharkov scored two goals for Mladost, while Marton Vamos and Nicolas Constantin-Bicari scored two each for Ferencvaros.

Mladost missed the opportunity to increase the score in the first two quarters when they scored just one goal. On the other hand, the Budapest club scored the first two goals of the game at the very end of the first quarter and took control of the match.

Thanks to goals by Kharkov and Milos at the very beginning of the third quarter, Mladost was down by one (3-4), but Ferencvaros responded via Constantin-Bicari and Varga and returned to a three-goal advantage.

In the final quarter, after Bukic's goal for 5-7, there was a confrontation between Biljaka and Jansik. After long deliberation, the referees decided to punish Mladost with a player less for four minutes. The game thus ended 6-9.

With the away win against Szolnok 16:12 (4:4, 5:3, 5:3, 2:2), Jug Dubrovnik returned to second place in Group A. Recall, Jug was behind the leading Barceloneta, who beat Olympiakos away 15-9.

Jug dominated from the beginning of the match and started with a 3-0 lead. Szolnok was in trouble early. Still, by the end of the first quarter, Szolnok recovered and equalized at 4-4.

Jug did not allow the Hungarian club to get ahead at any point in the game - and was up 8-5 with a 3-0 series. From that point on, Jug had an easy finish for the 16-12 result.

Toni Popadic made 13 saves for Jug, while Loren Fatovic and Hrvoje Benic scored four goals each. Daniel Angyal, Gavril Subotic, David Jansik, and Radomir Drasovic scored two goals each for Szolnok.

With this victory, Jug directly helped Jadran Herceg Novi, who is now fourth place in Group A. That win came against Jadran Split (14-11).

Namely, Jadran Herceg Novi achieved a crucial victory against Jadran Split. With a 14-11 score, they continue the fight for the final eight.

Jadran Split held their own until the final quarter, in what was otherwise a fair fight. The Montenegrin club eventually celebrated in the end.

Petar Tesanovic led Jadran Herceg Novi with 15 saves, while Uros Vucurovic scored five goals and Konstantin Averka scored three. For Jadran Split, Andelo Setka scored three goals, while van Domagoj Zovic, Duje Pejkovic and Ante Viskovic scored two.

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February 6, 2020 - The eighth round of the LEN Champions League was held on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, featuring Croatian clubs Jug, Jadran, and Mladost.

The Jug Adriatic water polo team has made a big step towards the final eight after defeating Olympiacos 13:9 in the eighth round of Group A of the Champions League group stage, beating the Greek champions for the first time.

The Dubrovnik squad booked a decisive victory against the 2019 European finalist, and the key was the second quarter, which Jug won 5:1.

Olympiakos led 3:1, but Jug woke up and scored six goals in a row to lead 7:3. At half time, Vjekoslav Kobešćak's team had a five-goal advantage (9:4) and, in the continuation of the match, managed to maintain their edge.

Paulo Obradovic, Loren Fatovic and Luka Loncar each contributed to the win with three goals, while Toni Popadic was excellent in goal. The most efficient for Olympiacos was Maro Jokovic and Stefan Mitrovic with two goals each.

In the second match of this group, Jadran lost to Barceloneta 12:16 away and recorded their sixth defeat. The Split team held up well in the first three quarters and were losing 10:11 in the final eight minutes. However, Barceloneta was better 5:2 in the last quarter.

Alvaro Granados was the most efficient for Barceloneta with five goals and Alexandre Bodegas scored four goals, while Rino Buric, Ivan Domagoj Zovic, and Nathan Power were the best for Jadran with two goals each.

Barceloneta and Olympiacos are tied for the top spot in Group A with 19 points, while Jug is in second place with 18 points.

The third Croatian representative in the Champions League, Mladost Zagreb, defeated Marseille 14:11 as a guest in the 8th round of Group B of the Champions League.

Mladost is fourth in the rankings with 16 points, the same number of points as OSC in third, while Marseille is in sixth with nine points. At the top is Pro Recco with 20 points and Ferencvaros with 17 points.

You can see the full LEN Champions League table here.

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