(photo by pafteq)
The match had a strong start, though teams were stuck mostly in the midfield, without being able to get to each other's penalty area. The first mentionable chance came in the 7th minute, though only Petrović's fumbling made it memorable.
Yet the atmosphere was excellent. It wass only the 5th minute, but the southern sector was chanting.
It was around the 11th minute, when Partizan had their first serious shoot. Škuletić got the ball, shook the defender off (like a dog shakes off water) and he shot the ball right into the goalkeeper.
(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
The guests immediately started a counter-attack, but the ball flew out near the goalpost.
It came to my mind, the team should attack such a small team like Donji Srem much more aggressively. This Vojvodina team didn't get scared at all by the famous opponent. Yet they played such a brutal "bunker football" that it was painful even just to watch it.
It would have been good to see a bit more brave and tough beginning, because if it is the same next Thursday in Baku, then the team should better go and switch to rope-dancing, forgetting about any sort of European cup competition. Until Škuletić's chance the players were just buggering around the midfield.
Zvonko Varga was sitting on the bench tonight, Marko Nikolić appeared only once in the screen as he was standing at the locker room gate near the doorpost
(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
In the 13th minute Partizan defenders broke an attack. Donji Srem's player shot it again on the goal with a defiant move, barely missing it. A minute later Živković shot the ball just a bit too high. A bit later the Vojvodina team built up an attack with a meticulous care
they made it slow like a snail, but our defenders were just watching it
and when one of them finally shot, Lukač had a great luck with being able to save it.
Sods were flying here and there
(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
The first Partizan-corner came in the 17th minute, Škuletić headed it just too far. In the 20th minute home defenders again made a mistake. The ball dropped right in front of a Donji Srem player who didn't think it over, just shot. For our luck he missed it.
Both teams could get very rarely to each other's penalty area. After the 20th minute the match's pace got even slower, even though it wasn't too fast even until that point. No attacks, only passing the ball here and there without much ideas. All players of Donji Srem were clogging around their own penalty area.
At this point Average Fan had a bitter sigh... 'where are you now, Saša Ilić?'
The next mentionable event was in the 26th minute, but just Grbić missed again another chance. (It wasn't much dangerous by default, it was a chance one can only miss out.) The midfielder had another try in the 30th minute.
In the 33rd minute Donji Srem got a free kick (after Branko Ilić's fault), the shot dropped on the wall.
Well... yes. That was an event to mention. There wasn't really anything else to mention.
The next 10 minutes Partizan had about 5 missed chances. The ball either flew out near or above the post. To all this, Živković very much seemed to be out of shape. The otherwise very fast midfielder and avid goalscoarer was struggling. He couldn't speed up, he missed passes, he had thick, black healing plasters on his left leg.
If he's not healthy, why must he play?...
And why am I asking rhetorical questions?...
It was almost the end of the first half when Partizan suddenly got a penalty. Škuletić wanted to make a bombing shot, two among Donji Srem defenders drifted themselves in front of the ball. One of them got the ball on his hand. Škuletić stood behind the ball at the penalty point and shot the ball into the lower right corner with a calm move. 1:0
(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
In the second half Saša Marković had a huge shot right after the beginning that the ball flew over the southern tribunes. Then all was silent until about the 51st minute.
Well, no, it wasn't silent, because fans, the re-united southern and western sectors made a huge atmosphere.
(photo: pafteq)
(photo: juznifront.com)
In the 51st minute Lukač had a great save after another nerve-racking mistake of the defense line. Partizan immediately made a counter-attack, Grbić missed the ball with just only one step...
Here came a period when you had the impression, Partizan consists of only Grbić, Vulićević and sometimes Škuletić (the defender ran up many times with the ball and passed them all in the middle - these all ended either as a missed chance or the Donji Srem defense line headed them out). No idea where other team members had been. Marinković was invisible, Živković was struggling, the others faded into the grey mass.
Then in the 54th minute finally arrived Saša Ilić. From then on it was very interesting to see attacks getting shapes, there were even ideas behind them, they even looked to be organized...
Guests got stuck even more around their penalty area. Brašanac tried, then Škuletić twice...
...and then Danko Lazović appeared at the sideline, ready to battle, in the 62nd minute. He substituted Petar Grbić and finally the Lazović-Saša Ilić axis started to roll. It rolled so much that in the 67th minute it was 2:0 for Partizan. The goal was scored by no one else than Danko Lazović. Vulićević passed the ball to Živković on the right. The midfielder passed it to Škuletić, the striker headed it, just into the goalkeeper. The ball dropped in front of Lazović and the Montenegrian player shot it into the net. 2:0
(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
Another 10 minutes came with missed Partizan-chances. Donji Srem sometimes made a counter-attack, but these were all insignificant. In the 71st minute Škuletić again missed a chance, then a minute later Vulićević made a huge sprint (fans were cheering for him loud) and got the ball with a great tackle near the penalty area of the guests. After this he dribbled himself through the defense up to the five-meter line, but missed it. Branko Ilić got the ball, but his shot also avoided the goal.
In the 75th minute Brašanac headed the ball too high, and a minute later it was 3:0. Saša Ilić had a bombing shot from distance. Donji Srem goalkeeper saved it and the ball dropped in front of the other Saša, namely Marković. The midfielder didn't require any special encouraging, he shot and the ball fell right into the net. 3:0
(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
The rest of the match didn't have too many surprises left. In the 81th minute a Partizan-player's solo (maybe Saša Ilić? I didn't see it clearly) Petrović got the ball. He passed to Živković, but the chance was missed. A minute later Lazović missed a similarly great chance.
Highlights:
Facts:
Location: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 5000
Referee: Petar Piper (linesmen: Nenad Kurčubić, Marko Dimitrijević, substitute referee: Bojan Stanojević, goal referees: Bojan Nikolić, Nenad Santrač)
FK Partizan: Lukač - Petrović, B. Ilić, Stanković, Vulićević - Brašanac, Grbić (Lazović, 62.), A. Živković, Marković - Marinković (S. Ilić, 54.), Škuletić (Pantić, 81.)
Head coach: Marko Nikolić
Donji Srem: Milinović - Punoševac (Marćeta, 68.), Lakić Pešić, Prjević, Lakičević - Grujičić, Zec - Stanislavljević (Obubi, 58.), Bukorac, Spalević (Crnomarković, 79.) - Beljić
Head coach: Nenad Vanić
Goal scorers: Škuletić (45. - penalty), Lazović (67.), Marković (75.)
Yellow card: B. Ilić (31.), then Obubi (76.)
Current championship standings:
1. Partizan 9p
2. Crvena Zvezda 9p
3. Novi Pazar 7p
4. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 7p
5. Rad 6p
6. Vojvodina 6p
7. Čukarički 5p
8. OFK Beograd 4p
9. Jagodina 4p
10. Borac 4p
11. Donji Srem 3p
12. Mladost 1p
13. Napreadak 1p
14. Radnički 1923 1p
15. Radnički Niš 0p
16. FK Voždovac 0p
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