Seven-goal Jelaca gives Zaibas slight advantage after Challenger Cup final first-leg
Georgian international Marko Jelaca had a night to remember as he hammered in seven goals – more than half of his team’s total – to help steer EVK Zaibas to a 13-11 victory against GZC Donk in the first-leg of the men’s Challenger Cup final. The Dutch visitors more than matched their opponents at times, though, and will be confident of overturning their two-goal deficit in the decisive second-leg in Gouda on Saturday, 26th April.
2024/25 Challenger Cup Men
Final First-Leg
Saturday, 12th April 2025
EVK Zaibas (LTU) 13-11 GZC Donk (NED)
The opening quarter was a fitting start to the grand final, as both teams scored two stunning goals, before Donk’s Guus van Ijperen rifled in a powerful shot from around 6m with 34 seconds remaining to put the Dutch side 2-3 ahead.
That thunderbolt was van Ijperen’s second of the night, as he also scored the first goal of the game with an almost identical strike after 61 seconds.
Donk’s other scorer was 18-year-old Jorrit van der Weijden, while Marko Jelaca and Julius Gostautas were on target for Zaibas.
At the start of the second, Zaibas equalised almost immediately, as the clinical Jelaca hammered in from distance for 3-3, then Jan Bakulo’s exquisite lob put the hosts in front for the first time – and it was a lead they never surrendered.
Daniel Vitkauskas extended Zaibas’ advantage to two (5-3) after he swam the ball in down the right and his shot gave Donk goalkeeper Bognar Bendeguz no chance.
Jesse Nispeling quickly halted the Lithuanians’ charge, as he finished off a well-worked man-up for 5-4, but Jelaca’s third powerful finish from the perimeter restored his team’s two-goal lead.
Nispeling converted another six on five, then Bakulo smashed in a penalty to put Zaibas 7-5 up at the turnaround.
In the third, both teams were guilty of some poor passing and finishing, and the gap remained at two (9-7) after they each managed to score twice – Jelaca (yet again) and Ilija Prekogacic for Zaibas, and van Ijperen and Jorn Winkelhorst for Donk.
Georgian international Jelaca continued to be a real thorn in Donk’s side in the fourth quarter, as he arrowed in three more pin-point goals from distance to take his tally to seven, while his team-mate Luka Bosic also struck once.
Jelaca could have had four had it not been for a brilliant penalty save at 12-10 from Bendeguz, who also memorably stopped two 5m shots in the semis against Sliema.
Donk may have been behind from early in the second quarter, but they put up an incredible fight and were never more than three goals down throughout.
Two strikes in the last eight minutes from Winkelhorst, and goals from van der Weijden and Kjeld Veenhuis helped make the score 12-11 with 1:49 remaining, but it was the prolific Jelaca who had the final say of the night.
The 42-year-old’s fine finish with 1:29 left to play ended the scoring, but with Zaibas only holding a narrow two-goal lead, this final tie is still very much alive ahead of the decisive second-leg in Gouda on 26th April.
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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics
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