Mursa Osijek captured the Croatian championship after an intense five-set drama against HAOK Mladost Zagreb, sealing a 3-2 victory (26:24, 17:25, 17:25, 25:17, 15:13) and winning the playoff series 3-1. This emotional triumph comes shortly after their Croatian Cup win, completing a dream season for the club.
The fourth match, played in a packed Jug arena, delivered all the drama a championship final deserves. Mladost seemed in control early, leading the first set 24:18, but Mursa’s Vuković flipped the script with an 8-0 service run, stealing the set 26:24. Despite Mladost dominating the second and third sets with powerful serving and consistent attacks, Mursa wasn’t ready to bow out.
Fired up, Mursa flipped the momentum in the fourth set, led by Andrić’s serving brilliance and a rock-solid block performance. Their 25:17 win leveled the match, sending it to a nerve-wracking fifth set.
The decider was a game of nerves, with both teams trading points until Mursa edged ahead 10:8. After intense rallies and video challenges, Mursa finally clinched the title, with Leo Andrić sealing the last two points for a historic 3-2 victory.
Statistically, Mladost dominated in attack (65 points to Mursa’s 53) and serving aces (7 to 3), but Mursa’s superior blocking (17-9) and resilience at key moments proved decisive. Viloria Marquez (15 points) and Vuković (14 points) led Mursa’s scorers, while Mladost’s Đorđe Jovović stood out with a staggering 30 points.
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