Maribor’s Branik Leaves Sarajevo in First Place

After six rounds played in the Alpe Waterpolo League, Maribor’s Branik sits at the top of the standings, having convincingly defeated Rovinj’s Delfin on the second day of the third tournament in Sarajevo. Still undefeated is Ljubljana Slovan, who after yesterday’s shootout win over Triglav, secured another victory today against Calcit Water Polo. Triglav eased past Torpedo, while Koper-Hanna did not participate in this tournament.

The most balanced match on the second day in Sarajevo was the clash between Opatija and Zagreb’s Mladost. Opatija celebrated a win, while Zagreb later convincingly defeated Torpedo in the final match of the day. The next tournament will take place this Saturday and Sunday in Maribor.

Branik Maribor – Delfin 23:6 (5:0, 6:2, 6:2, 6:2)

Referee: Marković, Tahmaz.

Branik Maribor: Zaninović, Anufriev; A. Šantak, M. Šantak 2, Seljak 6, Miletić 5, Kačič 1, Pevec 1, Hadžić 1, Pajnik 1, Kazagić 3, Brčić 4, Bucalo.
Delfin: Košara, Ljubenko; Baričević, Radetić 3, Krevatin, Kusanović, Mamontov, Gržinić, Grilec, Supić 2, Gavrilović 1, Radić, Bonassin, Peruško.

The league leaders from Maribor confirmed their superiority already in the opening quarter, keeping their goal untouched while scoring five times. They continued to dominate all four periods, each of which ended 6:2. Aside from both goalkeepers, Tomi Zaninović and Roman Anufriev, only Aljaž Šantak and Veljko Bucalo did not score, while the most efficient were Miha Šantak with six goals and Nikola Miletić with five. For Delfin, Leo Radetić scored three times.

Triglav Kranj – Torpedo 19:8 (8:1, 2:3, 4:1, 5:3)

Referees: Bjelopara, Tahmiščija.

Triglav Kranj: Smolič, Udovč; Berič 2, Vujanović 1, Cvijanović Tepina 1, Lah 1, Gostić, Justin 2, Paunović 2, Vončina 2, Cerar 3, Troppan 3, Lukić 2, Velikanje.
Torpedo: Habibović, Beglerović; Čajić 1, Parača, Redžepagić, Biber 1, Ajanović 2, Kerkić 1, Piknjač, Bašić, Hurko, Zubčević 4, Kedić.

Triglav, who lost to Ljubljana Slovan in a shootout on the opening day of the Sarajevo tournament, built a commanding lead in the first quarter. That advantage slightly relaxed them in the second period, which the home team won. However, Triglav stepped up again in the third and fourth quarters and secured their fourth win of the season. Their top scorers were Aleksander Cerar and Aljaž Troppan with three goals each, while Bakir Zubčević stood out for the home team with four.

Opatija – Mladost 18:11 (5:3, 4:4, 4:2, 5:2)

Referee: Špoljarić, Suhadolnik.

Opatija: Dipić, Kolanović; B. Smokvina, Tomić 1, Turk 1, Peroš 2, Sklepić, Kaluđerović 2, Šurbek 2, Dujmić 8, Petrić, Vlah 1, Margitić, T. Smokvina 1.
Mladost Zagreb: Batoš, Radman; Bedeković, Petrović Malešević, Kokanović 1, Erenda 4, Rogić, Bolanca, Šorić 3, Nenadovski 1, Maglica 2, Brčić, Antunović, Sindler.

The Croatian derby between third-placed Opatija and fifth-placed Mladost went to the team from Kvarner. We saw a tight first half in which Opatija maintained a slim lead before pulling away to 12:7 late in the third quarter. Zagreb briefly closed the gap to 12:9 in the final minute, but Lucijan Dujmić restored a comfortable lead with his eighth goal just before the break. In the final period, Zagreb could no longer keep pace and suffered their second defeat, while Opatija now has one. Mladost’s top scorer was Petar Erenda with four goals.

Calcit Water Polo – Ljubljana Slovan 11:27 (1:10, 5:6, 3:8, 2:3)

Calcit Water Polo: T. Kapić, Cerar; V. Brišnik, G. Brišnik 2, Škrlj, Gledec, Lukić 1, Kordež, Blažević 1, Zdravković Gligorovski 2, Erce 1, Osolnik 3, Bergant 1, M. Kapić
Ljubljana Slovan: Beton, P. Kirasič, Petrović 3, Čanč 3, Potočnik 2, Klobučar 2, Lipnik 5, Povhe 4, R. Kirasič 2, Čarni, Četković 5, Petković, Zohil 1, Rašljić.

Ljubljana, who won a dramatic match against Triglav on Saturday, secured their second victory in Sarajevo. They paved the way already in the opening quarter, scoring ten times past helpless goalkeeper Tim Kapić. Marcel Lipnik scored four of those goals and added another later. The second quarter was more even, but Ljubljana dominated again in the third, with Luka Četković scoring five and Anže Povhe adding four. For Calcit, Rudi Osolnik scored three times.

Mladost – Torpedo 24:4 (6:0, 3:0, 9:2, 7:2)

Referees: Suhadolnik, Tahmiščija.

Mladost Zagreb: Batoš, Kraguljac; Rogulja 1, Petrović Malešević 1, Kokanović 2, Erenda 5, Rogić 1, Bolanca 2, Šorić 4, Nenadovski 1, Maglica 5, Brčić, Antunović 1, Sindler 1.
Torpedo: Habibović, Serdarević; Rozajac 1, Parača, Redžepagić 1, Biber, Ajanović 1, Kerkić, Piknjač, Čarković, Bašić, Hurko 1, Zubčević, Kedić.

In the last match of the third AWL tournament, Zagreb convincingly defeated the home side Torpedo, who were outmatched from the opening whistle. Torpedo scored their first goal midway through the third period, by which time they were already trailing by thirteen. Mladost’s most productive scorers were Petar Erenda and Ivan Maglica with five goals each, while Matej Šorić added four.

Author Miha Štamcar
Photo Aleksander Sokler