On this day, May 19, 1991, Borac m:tel from Banja Luka won the IHF Cup, the second major European trophy after the European Champions Cup in 1976.
The talented generation of Banja Luka residents, popularly called the “kindergarten”, gave a handball lesson to the Old Continent and achieved a feat that few hoped for. At the premiere, she easily dealt with the Belgian Herstal (20:20, 26:18), then the German Empor fell (22:18, 17:14), after which it was Tusem Essen’s turn. The famous club was a worthy rival, but after a dramatic double-match, they too had to congratulate the better team (17:24, 19:12).
Finally, company Velimir Petković another tough test awaited against the powerful CSKA, which was led by one of the best handball players on the planet at the time, Talant Duyshebaev.
The Russians were the favorites for many, but the “red and blue” did not look back. In “Borik”, everyone played masterfully, from the first to the last, and the best among equals was the goalkeeper Zlatan Arnautović, who simply drove the “army” players crazy.
On their floor, the young people from Banja Luka celebrated at 8:15 p.m., after which they played bravely in the second leg as well. They provided a great game and fierce resistance to the host, whose only consolation was Pirova’s victory 24:23. The celebration of the “kindergarten” could have started without the war in the former Yugoslavia, there would have been more such and similar feats of handball players from Gospodska Street.
The then strategist of Borca Velimir Petković often recalled this historic feat
“We were like a family. To this day we are still in contact, we visit and hang out. We believed in ourselves, we breathed as one and that brought us the cup. When we eliminated Toussaint we knew we could go all the way. True, there was a slight fear of CSKA, which was one of the leading teams in Europe at the time, especially since the second leg was played in Moscow. However, when the match started, we were aware that the cup was ours. To this day, I am proud of those great guys.” said Petković a few years ago.
Keeper Mehmedalija Dado Mulabdić clarified in earlier interviews that at the start of the season, even the most optimists did not hope for such a success:
“Few people expected such a result. The primary goal was to remain in Europe as a promising team as long as possible. This would allow us to gain the necessary experience for future endeavors. In 1991, we were the youngest team in the former Yugoslavia, so in the IHF Cup, at least at the beginning, we could not make serious plans. However, the excellent selection of the team influenced us to engage in the fight for the trophy itself. We went all the way, knocked down the powerful CSKA and grabbed the cup. How was the work done in the club then and how good was the youth selection the fact that we already won the national Cup of Yugoslavia in the following year, 1992, speaks volumes for the players”.
Kindergarten player Dragan Marković he asserted that that generation of Banja Luka would have won many more trophies if they had not split up soon after winning the trophy.
“The evil war soon spread across the country and our generation practically disintegrated. But I will always remember those beautiful handball moments. Emotions immediately work when I remember them. It was the happiest day in my career, and I believe most of my teammates as well. We were kids with a trophy in their hands. We had a young but excellent team. We breathed as one. There are few teams that have made a similar feat with such a young generation. And ours was a European and world handball surprise.” recalled the popular Marko.
⌛ TODAY
The night in Moscow in which the fighter won the IHF champion’s trophy, the second consecutive competition of the Old Continent.#ajboracpic.twitter.com/SHsRat0ZDL
— RK Borac m:tel (@RKBorac)May 19, 2023
Fighter – CSKA 20:15
HALL: “Borik” in Banja Luka. Spectators: 3,000. Judges: Jo Niser, Wim Struik (Netherlands). Sevens: Borac 3 (1), CSKA 3 (3). Suspensions: Borac 10, CSKA 8 minutes.
BORAC: Arnautović, Mulabdić, Prtina, Maglajlija 3, Perić 1, Golić, Knežević 6 (1), Stupar 1, Marković, Nezirević 5, Čop 2, Jović 2. Coach: Velimir Petković.
CSKA: Sukosyan, Yermoljin 2, Medvedev 4, Kozlov, Murzakov, Antonevich, Kachkan 1, Duyshebaev 4, Vlaskin, Seregin 1, Gozpidin 3 (3), Levin. Coach: Anatoly Fedjukin.
CSKA – Borac 24:23
HALL: USZ CSKA in Moscow. Spectators: 1,000. Referees: Ole Kristensen, Per Godsk Jorgensen (Denmark). Sevens: CSKA 7 (5), Borac 4 (4). Suspensions: CSKA 10, Borac 16 minutes. Red card: Mihail Kozlov (CSKA, third suspension), Talant Duyshebaev (CSKA, disqualification).
CSKA: Sukosyan, Levin, Yermoljin 1, Medvedev 1, Kozlov, Murzakov 7, Antonevich, Kachkan, Duyshebaev 5, Vlaskin, Seregin 3, Gozpidin 7. Coach: Anatoly Fedyukin.
BORAC: Arnautović, Torlo, Prtina 2, Maglajlija 5, Perić 1, Golić, Knežević 6, Stupar 2, Marković, Nezirević 4, Čop 3, Jović. Coach: Velimir Petković.
(WORLD)