Červar's Pelister Dominates Vujović's Qatar by 12 Goals
Croatian and Montenegrin handball legends clashed in Bitola, with the home coach emerging victorious.
Croatian and Montenegrin handball legends clashed in Bitola, with the home coach emerging victorious.
The friendly match in Bitola turned into a real treat for handball fans. Two coaching legends from the region, Lino Červar and Veselin Vujović, found themselves on opposite sides, and the duel convincingly went to the Croatian strategist. His Eurofarm Pelister outplayed the Qatari national team with a score of 36-24.
The team from Bitola dominated from the very start. After the first 30 minutes of play, Červar's side had a six-goal advantage (18-12). In the second half, Pelister only increased the gap, leaving the visitors no hope of a comeback. The final 12-goal margin perfectly reflects the balance of power on the court.
This match marked the beginning of Eurofarm Pelister's preparations for the new season, and it couldn't have started better for the Croatian coach's team.
Červar and Vujović have known each other for decades. They have a huge number of mutual encounters behind them and have led a series of major clubs and national teams. Their rivalry over the years has grown into deep mutual respect, and today they are also bound by genuine friendship, which doesn't stop them from happily facing each other on opposite sides.
This friendly duel is a good opportunity to recall an event from 2020. That year, both were candidates for the best coach in the Balkan Handball awards. At one point, Vujović had more votes than Červar, but instead of calling on his fans to support him, he did the exact opposite.
He publicly asked them not to vote for him, believing that the award belonged to Červar due to the results he achieved with the Croatian national team. Červar eventually won the accolade, and their friendly relationship remained intact.
