Kranj Run Out of Time for a Comeback

At this year’s fourth Alpe Waterpolo League tournament, held at the Pristan pool in Maribor, the most evenly matched game of the day was the clash between Opatija and Triglav Kranj, which the Croatian team edged out 14:13. Kamnik’s Calcit Water Polo also remained empty-handed against Kostrena, as did Koper-Hanna against Zagreb’s Mladost. The only Slovenian team to celebrate a win on Saturday was Branik Maribor, who convincingly defeated Sarajevo’s Torpedo.

In the remaining two games of the opening day—Ljubljana Slovan did not play today and will face Kostrena tomorrow—Vienna’s Ströck collected two wins. They first defeated Zagreb’s Medveščak, and later overcame Delfin Rovinj.

Medveščak – Ströck Wien 8:12 (2:4, 0:4, 2:2, 4:2)

Referees: Suhadolnik, Vehovec.

Medveščak: Subota, Šimatović; Čiga-Šterle 1, Slavnić, Marković 2, Orlovac-Marić, Sever, Sule 1, Dojčinović-Ermakora, Ražov, Matić 1, Teskera 2, Babić 1.
Coach: Ivan Rukavina.

Ströck Wien: Hoferica, Abdulgiriev; Bekesi 1, Ribić 2, Stefanović, Mitruk 6, Sarandi 1, Milošević, Sretenović, Ibrišimović 1, Dukić, Šečerović 1, Jovandić, Čurčić.
Coach: Mike Fasching.

Zagreb, who did not play in Sarajevo last weekend, remain winless in the AWL after their defeat to the Viennese side. The decisive moments came in the second quarter, where Ströck scored four unanswered goals. Early in the final period, Adam Mitruk extended Ströck’s lead to 11:4, before Medveščak managed to soften the defeat slightly. Mitruk was the top scorer with six goals, Stevan Ribić added two, while Filip Marković and Patrik Teskera each scored twice for Medveščak.

Triglav Kranj – Opatija 13:14 (3:4, 2:5, 5:2, 3:3)

Referees: Vehovec, Suhadolnik.

Triglav Kranj: Smolič, Udovč; Berić 1, Cvijanović Tepina 1, Lah 2, Gostić, Justin 2, Paunović, Vončina 1, Cerar 1, Troppan 5, Velikanje.
Coach: Krištof Štromajer.

Opatija: Dipić, Kolanović; B. Smokvina 2, Tomić, Turk 1, Peroš 4, Blažič 1, Kaluđerović 1, Dujmić 2, Petrić 2, Vlah, Sklepić.
Coach: Marcel Latin.

Triglav suffered their third consecutive defeat—although for the third time, the match could easily have swung their way. The first quarter was tight, with Opatija holding a one-goal advantage at the break. The second quarter proved fatal for the Kranj side as they fell behind 3:8. Late goals from Juš Vončina and Cvijanović Tepina reduced the gap to three, but top scorer Duje Peroš struck once more just before halftime. Triglav surged back in the third quarter, narrowing the deficit to a single goal, but midway through the fourth, Opatija re-established a three-goal lead (13:10). Aljaž Troppan scored twice in the final minute to bring Triglav within one, but only five seconds remained. Troppan led Triglav with five goals; Peroš was Opatija’s top scorer with four. Ahead of Sunday’s games, Opatija sit second in the table while Triglav remain fifth.

Calcit Water Polo – Kostrena 6:17 (2:4, 0:5, 1:3, 3:5)

Referees: Kiss, Cretoiu.

Calcit Water Polo: Kapič, Hribar; V. Brišnik 1, G. Brišnik, Cear, Krstevski, Jeretina, Kordež, Blažević 1, Zdravković Gligorovski 3, Erce, Osolnik 1, Bergant.
Coach: Gašper Šenica.

Kostrena: Seveljević; Radić, B. Galić 2, Sotošek 4, Tiškivski 1, I. Galić, Abramović 2, Babić 2, Vuković 4, Šunjić 1, Nemet 1.
Coach: Kristijan Šunjić.

Kamnik remain winless after seven matches, while Kostrena recorded their fourth victory to stay in contention for the final six. The turning point came in the second quarter, which Kostrena won 5:0, with former Ljubljana Slovan player Roko Vuković scoring twice. Maksim Zdravković Gligorovski impressed with three goals for Calcit, while Vuković and Vladimir Sotošek each scored four for the winning side.

Torpedo – Branik Maribor 5:23 (0:10, 1:4, 3:3, 1:6)

Referees: Homovec, Radonjić.

Torpedo: Beglerović, Serdarević; Čajić 1, Parača 1, Redžepagić, Danis Bašić, Ajanović 2, Danin Bašić, Piknjač, Rozajac 1, Zubčević, Kedić.
Coach: Dino Džehović.

Branik Maribor: Kulenović; Šantak 3, Seljak 3, Miletić 4, Kačič 4, Ul, Hadžić 2, Pajnik, Kazagić 4, Dmitrović, Bucalo 3.
Coach: Tin Kulenović.

League leaders Maribor settled the contest early, racing to a 6:0 lead midway through the first quarter. They reached 12:0 before Torpedo finally scored through Ahmed Čajić. The third quarter ended level, but in the final period Maribor again overwhelmed their opponents. Miletić, Tim Kačič and Harun Kazagić each scored four goals, while Anur Ajanović led Torpedo with two.

Koper-Hanna – Mladost 8:21 (1:6, 1:5, 2:3, 4:7)

Referees: Cretoiu, Kiss.

Koper-Hanna: Bressan, Lončarević; Janošević, Krivičić, Pencelj, Nastran, Fabič, Sulić 2, Fičur 3, Treu 1, Lazić, Bulatović 1, Jačimović 1, Koprivica.

Mladost: Batoš, Radman; Lokas 1, Kumrić 1, Čolović 1, Erenda 2, Rogić, Bolanca, Šorić 3, Dobrić 7, Maglica 2, Brčić, Antunović, Šindler 4.
Coach: Damir Vinček.

Koper, who did not play in Sarajevo, started poorly and scored their first goal only in the final minute of the opening quarter. By halftime, Zagreb’s youngsters already led 11:2. Koper were somewhat more competitive in the third quarter, but Mladost comfortably extended their lead in the fourth. Fran Dobrić scored seven times for Mladost, while Gašper Fičur led Koper with three.

Ströck Wien – Delfin 17:7 (5:1, 3:0, 3:3, 6:3)

Referees: Radonjić, Homovec.

Ströck Wien: Hoferica, Abdulgiriev; Bekesi 2, Ribić, Stefanović 2, Mitruk 4, Sarandi 1, Milošević 1, Sretenović 2, Ibrišimović, Dukić, Šečerović 1, Jovandić, Čurčić 4.
Coach: Mike Fasching.

Delfin: Ljubenko; Baričević, Radetić 1, Krevatin 1, Kusanović, Radić, Grilec, Škegro, Supić 2, Gavrilović, Poropat 1, Bonassin, Gržinić 2.
Coach: Goran Volarević.

Vienna secured their second victory of the day. With a seven-goal lead already at halftime, it was clear that Rovinj’s side—who have managed only one win so far—would struggle to keep pace. Ströck confirmed their dominance in the final quarter. Adam Mitruk and Luka Čurčić each scored four goals for the winners, while Patrick Supić and Matej Gržinić scored twice for Delfin.

Author Miha Štamcar
Photo Aleksander Sokler