Serbia: Phenomenal Mandic leads Partizan to Serbian championship

Dusan Mandic (Partizan)

 He scored six goals, including the decisive game's final 2, and carried his team in the title-winning contest in Kragujevac on Saturday as the final score for the first time in the series saw difference greater than 1 goal. Captain Dusan Mandic made sure his reportedly final year with the club he grew up at, will be one to remember. Partizan defeated Radnicki 13-15 in a high-scoring game 3 of the Serbian finals to clinch the 26th national title in team history and first after two years in which rivals Red Star took the honours. Two years win which Partizan was forced to start almost from the bottom as financial difficulties, to this day, limit the possibilities of the young Vladimir Vujasinovic coached side. Even in these circumstances he managed to create a young highly talented squad that as the season went on proved to be able to play along with the best. And more than that. Despite another very close game which saw a tied score for several times even in the fourth period (10-10, 11-11) Partizan came out winning and therewith concluded a sometimes difficult season with claiming a major trophy everyone around Partizan hoped for but not everyone expected at the start of this year.

Serbian championship

Play-offs

Finals (best-of-5)

Game 3

Saturday 16-05:

VK Radnicki Kon Tiki Kragujevac vs. Partizan Raiffeisen Belgrade 13-15 

(4-5, 1-2, 4-3, 4-5)

Radnicki scorers: Dusan Markovic 3, Marko Petkovic 3, Josip Vrlic 2, Ivan Basara 2, Boris Popovic, Milos Milicic, Srdjan Vuksanovic.

Partizan scorers: Dusan Mandic 6, Nikola Jaksic 3, Drasko Gogov 2, Luuk Gielen, Nemanja Vico, Ognjen Stojanovic.

Game 2

Wednesday 13-05:

Partizan Raiffeisen Belgrade vs. VK Radnicki Kon Tiki Kragujevac 13-12 

(2-1, 3-3, 0-2, 2-1; penalties: 6-5)

Partizan scorers: Mandic 3, Jaksic 2, Subotic 2.

Radnicki scorers: Vuksanovic 2, Petkovic 2, Milicic 2, Basara.

Game 1

Saturday 09-05:

VK Radnicki Kon Tiki Kragujevac vs. Partizan Raiffeisen Belgrade 9-10 

(3-2, 1-3, 1-3, 4-2)

Radnicki scorers: Basara 2, Petkovic 2, Milicic 2, Toholj, Markovic, Bogdanovic.

Partizan scorers: Gielen 2, Jaksic 2, Subotic 2, Asanovic 2, Mandic, Gogov.