Budućnost — RK Partizan Tivat: 34:33, Prva liga

Budućnost edged past RK Partizan Tivat 34 to 33 in the Prva-liga on Saturday, keeping their perfect record intact after just one game played. Both sides sit on two points apiece, though Budućnost occupy fourth while Partizan Tivat are fifth. The scoreline tells you everything about a match that refused to settle.

And here's the thing — we'd backed the home side to win, putting confidence at 66 per cent. It held up, but not before a contest that demanded everything from both sets of players. Partizan Tivat certainly made them work for it.

By then, you could sense the tension building as each goal was met with urgency rather than celebration. The home side never quite pulled away, and the visitors kept finding responses when you thought the gap might open. To be fair, neither team played with false security.

The statistics don't lie about a tight affair. Thirty-four goals against thirty-three — that's one goal separating two sides who both showed up ready to fight. Possession figures and expected goals would only tell you what the scoreboard already confirmed.

What matters now is the table position. Budućnost stay in fourth, Partizan Tivat remain fifth, and both carry momentum into their next fixtures. The gap between them is minimal, and neither side can afford to look past the other.