RD Ribnica and RK Cracovia played out a 29-29 draw in the 1. NLB League on Saturday evening. The home side held firm at the end, taking a point from a fixture where the visitors had started as clear favourites. To be fair, the result reflected a match where both sides found their rhythm at different stages.
Ribnica came into the game unbeaten but winless, sitting tenth with four draws from four outings. Cracovia occupied second place with three wins and only one defeat, carrying seven points into the encounter. The hosts had lost their previous four league matches before securing this point, while the visitors were riding a wave that included a 37-33 victory over Ajdovščina just days earlier.
And here's the thing — the scoreline told a story of two teams trading blows rather than one dominating. Both sides finished with identical tallies, suggesting neither could establish control for long. The away side had looked sharp on their recent run, but Ribnica refused to fold when expected to.
By then, the visitors were still second in the table, though the gap at the top would feel narrower after losing ground here. Ribnica remained winless but moved away from the bottom with this point. The draw extended their unbeaten run to four games while halting Cracovia's momentum.
As for the prediction — we had backed the away side with 54 per cent confidence. The forecast did not come off. What shifted things was Ribnica's ability to match Cracovia's output when it mattered, taking a point from a game many expected the visitors to win comfortably.
