It was an exciting sports weekend, highlighted by football and handball

In the 4th round of the Serbian League, Vojvodina group, Hajduk’s footballers defeated Bačka from Bačka Palanka 1:0 in front of their home fans, with the halftime score 0:0. The clash between former top-flight teams Hajduk and Bačka from Bačka Palanka deservedly went to the “Hajduk” players, who showed greater composure, perseverance and fighting spirit in a game of chess on the football pitch, and were rewarded with three points. Bačka were the better side in the first half. Sedlar hit the outside of the net in the 5 minute, and Hajduk goalkeeper Simonović made a superb save in the 17 minute to deny the visitors what seemed a certain goal, when captain Rakić fired a brilliant shot from 17 meters. The Hajduk keeper’s outstanding dive kept the ball out of his net. However, in the second half the “Hajduk” players regrouped, took the initiative, prevented Bačka’s players from shooting at their goal, and created chances. In the 48 minute, Šakić shot over the bar from inside the visitors’ penalty area; in the 72 minute, Matijašević set up a superb chance for his younger teammate Kočiš, who shot over the bar from around twelve meters. The decisive moment came in the 75 minute, when substitute David Panjak collected a ball about 25 meters from the visitors’ goal, set off on a dribble, entered the penalty area, sent Pantić “out for a burek,” and from an angle, 7-8 meters out, found the far side netting past the helpless Knežević to make it 1:0 and secure his team’s victory.

Hajduk are currently fourth in the table with 7 points, and you can watch footage of the Hajduk–Bačka match from Bačka Palanka on KU Television tonight from 20 hours.

Lipar’s footballers are unstoppable. In the fourth round of the Sombor District League, Lipar beat Borac 3:1 away in Obrovac and lead the standings with a perfect twelve points. The team’s record is all the more impressive considering they have played away three times in the first four rounds. In the match against Borac in Obrovac, Nemanja Avdalović scored twice for Lipar and Marko Lalić once. It should also be noted that, with Lipar leading 2:1, Lipar goalkeeper Luka Živko saved a penalty awarded to Borac. Rusin hosted Kordun from Kljajićevo in Ruski Krstur. Kordun arrived for the match, which lasted only 45 minutes, with just eleven players. After Rusin’s footballers went 3:0 ahead in under half an hour with goals from Sajanković, Sušić and Vladan Vujović, Kordun’s players began falling to the ground and claiming injuries, so the match was abandoned after the first half and will be recorded as a forfeit. The most exciting match in the fourth round of the Sombor District League was in Crvenka, where Crvenka hosted Hajduk from Stapar, the league leaders before the match. The game ended in a 2:2 draw and was marked by three red cards shown to Crvenka players by referee Miloš Dražić. Two came in the first half, when he sent off Ivić in the 5th minute and Zelić in the 28th, for, as he wrote in the report, using insulting, indecent or derogatory words or gestures. Despite this handicap, Crvenka’s players took a 2:1 lead into halftime thanks to goals by Radojica Jovanović. Crvenka’s third red card came after seven or eight minutes of the second half, when Simić received a second yellow. Playing with three fewer players, Crvenka held on until the 89th minute, when the visitors scored to make it 2:2. Crvenka’s players are furious with the refereeing by Miloš Dražić from Bačka Palanka, and the tensions after the match were so high that police had to escort the referees from the Crvenka stadium. After four rounds of the Sombor District League, Lipar are first with 12 points, Rusin are third with 10, and Crvenka are seventh with 7 points. In the next round, Lipar host Borac from Bački Gračac, Rusin visit ŽAK in Sombor, and Crvenka visit Tvrđava in Bač.

The teams from the Kula municipality had a poor showing in the Sombor Intermunicipal League First Division. In the fourth round of the championship, only one of our three representatives earned a point: Kula drew 1:1 away against Aleksa Šantić. Civrić scored for Kula. According to Kula coach Slobodan Kukoљ, his team was much better in the first half, when they should have settled the outcome, but they ran out of steam in the second half, allowing the hosts to equalize in the 85 minute after a Kula player’s mistake. Mladost disappointed, losing 4:0 at home in Kruščić to Terekveš from Svilajevo, who had not earned a single point. Sivac’s Polet lost 1:0 away to league leaders BSK in Bački Brestovac. Kula are currently seventh in the standings with 7, Polet are eighth with 6, and Mladost are ninth with 4 points. The next round features a municipal derby: Polet and Mladost will meet in Sivac, while Kula will host Telečka at Geder.

On Saturday, 3 September, the 17 annual “Vlade and Novak” memorial handball tournament was held in Sivac. Handball Club Sivac organizes it in memory of two of its members, Vlade Džuver and Novak Stijepović, who died tragically. This year, alongside the hosts, Sivac, members of the Super B League, the Super League teams Apatin and Ub and the First League team Jedinstvo from Novi Bečej took part. Matches consisted of two 20-minute halves, and Sivac and Apatin faced off in the opening game. It was an entertaining handball match, and the hosts came out on top, defeating Apatin 19:17. In the second semifinal, Ub defeated Jedinstvo 22:18 to qualify for the final. In the third-place match, Super League side Apatin routed Jedinstvo, beating them 24:14. The hosts, Sivac and Ub, met in the final for the winner’s trophy. The two halves were very different: the hosts were better in every aspect in the first and won it 11:8, but Ub took control in the second, while Sivac’s handball players made a series of mistakes. Ub deservedly won 19:16 to become champions of the “Vlade and Novak” memorial tournament. The awards for the teams’ placements were presented by the nieces of the late Vlade and Novak, while the trophy for the winners was presented to Ub’s captain by Petar Cvijović, president of Handball Club Sivac. Ub’s Andrija Alavanja was named the best player at the Sivac memorial tournament. This year, an award for the best goalkeeper was also established, named “Nenad Vučinić – Krule” in memory of Sivac’s legendary goalkeeper. The first recipient was Sivac goalkeeper Marko Tomić, who received the award from former Sivac goalkeeper Negica Pavkov. This year’s “Vlade and Novak” memorial tournament will also be remembered as the occasion on which left-handed scoring ace Vitomir Kalić retired from active handball after a long and distinguished playing career. He was surely one of the best Sivac handball players of all time. Velibor Milojičić, head of the Sivac club, presented Vitomir Kalić with a small commemorative gift in recognition of everything he has contributed to Sivac handball. What will delight handball fans in Sivac is that the legendary Vito will remain with his club as assistant to head coach Branko Žeželj.

Our other Super League team, Crvenka’s handball players, took part in the first “Spaso and Kale” Memorial Tournament in Gajdobra on Saturday. The new Super League team, Hercegovac, organized the tournament in memory of its late members, national team player Spasoje Janjić and professor and coach Anđelko Kašiković. In the semifinal, Hercegovac beat Crvenka 26:21, and in the third-place match Crvenka’s handball players lost to Lavovi from Bačka Palanka 20:16, finishing fourth in the tournament in Gajdobra.

Đ. Bojanić