FK Partizan - Borac Čačak 2:0 (superliga, round 33 - play-off, round 3)

The day had an excellent start, because early in the afternoon unknown people attacked Miloš Vazura in front of Partizan stadium, when he arrived at the club’s headquarters. The ugly, fat, pig club’s general director could escape, but the attackers injured a security guard, who arrived to help Vazura.
The club made a press release full of empty phrases, where they go into details for long paragraphs about nothing. Meanwhile Vazura had a tour in the entire Serbian sports media complaining that he was threatened with death. He also told the public that he knew well who had been behind the attack.
He even told the name of the (suspected) scapegoat, who is not else than Nenad Bjeković, Partizan’s former class player, who is aspiring for the club’s presidental seat now. Bjeković instantly laughed it off and told Vazura what to do and with whom.
You can get horrified on these events, you can get shocked, you can moralize, search for a scapegoat, or cross yourself, but there’s one thing you can’t do: get surprised. It was in the air for a while. The egg-throwing case was the last drop. After that it was just a question of time when the fans’ fury will manifest in an open attack. By the way, it surely didn’t shock Vazura too much, as he had enough energy afterwards to have a tantrum in the media and hold others suspect.

I’ll be honest: one side of my mind was laughing hard on it and the only thing it was sorry for is that the attackers couldn’t catch this Mangalica. The other side was a bit more sober, it said, even if they had caught him and beat the hell out of him to make him remember it years later, it still wouldn’t have solved anything. The team would still be in a rut, the management would still be dilettant and the players wouldn’t play any better.

One more thing.
The club’s press release was written on the level of a stupid, spoiled teenage bitch. I find its last sentence especially disgusting that says "all those who don’t condemn this attack, is no longer entitled to be called a Partizan-fan".

Dear everyone, fellow fans, Grave Diggers,
Dear Friends,
I owe you a confession. 
I’m not a Partizan-fan.
As you can see, the management of the team thinks they are allowed to determine who is Partizan-fan and who is not. Heart doesn’t matter. Dedication doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that you have been a Partizan-fan since birth and the Team is your life and soul. They will tell you who and what matters.
It means, I’m not a Partizan-fan. 
From now on please, read this blog knowing that it’s written by someone who is not a Partizan-fan. (Obviously I’m writing it only because I have nothing else to do.)

A message to the management and especially to the person who handed this press release out (signed as FK „Partizan“, with quote marks): fuck you all and kill yourselves.

Now about the match.

Southern tribune, right before the start

(screenshot/ArenaSport 1)

One last group hug before the game

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

The first attempt came in the 4th minute. We got a free kick on the left side, from a sharp angle, approx. 25 metres from the box. Mihajlović kicked it to the goalmouth, the defenders headed it out.
In the 7th minute Saša Ilić forwarded the ball to Bandalovski in the left. Bandalovski crossed it to the middle, but everyone else were far behind to catch the ball.
In the 11th minute Saša Ilić passed to Bojinov in the middle. Bojinov forwarded it to Golubović, he shot, missing the box with a few centimetres.

This was the first real attempt. Otherwise we tried to build up attacks, Borac was stuck in their half, but we didn’t mean any danger for their goal line.

In the 18th minute Bojinov crossed to Golubović from the left. Golubović headed it to the box, it was too high. Then in the 24th minute Bojinov got the ball from Brašanac. He ran up, dribbled a defender (which was a big surprise, because so far Bojinov could operate only with attempts when the ball is served to him on a golden plate), shot, the goalkeeper saved.
Borac could reach to our penalty area only in the 28th minute, but the referee whistled it off, because they were on offside.
Other than this nothing really happened. The pace was slow, Borac passed the ball forth and back, sometimes tackled Partizan’s players, but they couldn’t make it up to our goalmouth. We kept on attacking (or at least trying), but we were blocked most of the time.
Partizan looked to be in pieces. The players were just wandering all around on the field, they seemingly had no idea what to do.
In the 34th minute Everton got the ball in the middle and passed it to Bogosavac. Bogosavac forwarded it to Saša Ilić, he sent it ahead to Bojinov. Bojinov shot from 20 metres, it was way too high.
In the 27th minute we got a free kick from 30 metres, on the left. Mihajlović stood behind the ball, crossed it to the middle. There Bojinov shot, the goalkeeper had a great save. The ball dropped to Golubović, he shot from the five-metre-line, but he sent the ball up to the sky.
In the 39th minute came Šaranov’s usual "show": he wanted to do a goal-kick, but he screwed it up. Vujaklija was hanging around there, he grabbed the ball and shot. The ball hit Miladin Stevanović, ending it in a corner kick. After the kick we made a counter-attack. Bandalovski crossed from a sharp angle into the middle. Brašanac shot, it was too wide.

His facial expression says it all

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the 45+1st minute Mihajlović shot to the box after a throw-in. The goalkeeper again had a great save. The ball dropped to Golubović again, and the young player didn’t miss it out this time, but shot it into the middle of the net. 1:0

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

For the beginning of the second half Borac seemed to come back to life. In the 51st minute Maslać shot after a corner kick. (The ball hit Bogosavac before flying out through the baseline, but still the referee whistled for goal-kick. Oh well. Not as if I wanted to complain.)
In the 55th minute Mihajlović ran up on the left side and crossed to Brašanac in the middle. Brašanac shot, it was too high.
Two minutes later Kostić crossed from the left, Šaranov easily caught it.

A Notts County-flag above Gate M

(photo: partizan.rs)

The two teams were running up and down on the field without building up one single attempt. Finally in the 63rd minute Mihajlović sent a 35-metre-long free kick to the box - but instead it landed right in the hands of the goalkeeper.
In the 64th minute Zec suddenly appeared at our goal and it could have been dangerous, but Bogosavac made an end to it. In the 69th minute Borac got a free kick. Kostić got the ball, he passed it out to the left. A cross came from there, Šaranov caught it.
In the 72nd minute we got a penalty.
Mihajlović was kicked to the ground inside the penalty area. The referee immediately pointed at the white spot. Brašanac stood behind the ball and calmly shot it into the box. 2:0

(photos: partizan.rs)

After the penalty the match just died. Nothing happened, just nothing. There were a few substitutes, sometimes Borac appeared at our penalty area (they had one counter-attack to mention, Bangura headed the ball to the box, if I could see well, but it was too high).

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 1500
Referee: Dejan Anđelković (assistants: Nemanja Petrović, Vladimir Čađenović - 4th assistant: Marko Dimitrijević - goal line assistants: Milorad Milićević, Igor Kocić)

FK Partizan: Šaranov - Bandalovski, M. Stevanović, Jovanović (Kosović, 75.), Bogosavac - Brašanac, Everton, S. Ilić - Golubović (A. Stevanović, 72.), Mihajlović - Bojinov (Vlahović, 67.)
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Borac Čačak: Bajić - Tanasin, Krstić, Maslać, Kostić - Balabanović (Adžović, 71.), Petrazzi - Jovanović, Zorić (Bangura, 82.), Zec (Sotirović, 86.) - Vujaklija
Head coach: Tomas Vasov

Goal scorers: Golubović (45+1.), Brašanac (72. - pen.)
Yellow card: Kostić (19.), Vujaklija (36.), Bandalovski (42.), Balabanović (51.)

Current standing of the play-off:
1. CZ 42 points
2. Čukarički 36 points
3. Partizan 31 points
4. Radnički Niš 29 points
5. Vojvodina 27 points
6. Surdulica 25 points
7. Borac 23 points
8. FK Voždovac 21 points

Metaloplastika - RK Partizan 25:17 (play-off, round 5)

This match was back in the week-end, but there's still no materila (photo, video, anything) about it.

Okay, there is one, that one at the bottom of this post, from the team's home page. But news sites and the superliga's page pretend as if there was no handball championship in Serbia.

The result was expectable (still it's painful...) - Metaloplastika has the biggest chance to win the championship title, their players all have the routine needed, and it seems it was crucial at this match.
In the first half Metaloplastika was leading for almost the whole time. We equalized around the 21st minute (8:8), then we even took the lead with Kukić’s goal (8:9). We kept our one-goal advantage until the 27th minute, when the home team equalized (10:10), and they took back the lead in the last minute (11:10).

Those who allowed this match report to get online should be cursed with a sledge ride in the company of all the devils of hell. 

In the second half Metaloplastika sped up and was leading with 3-4 goals in the first part of the second half. Then they increased the difference to 21:13 and we couldn’t really keep the pace. Around the end of the game the standing was 24:15 (I can’t tell which minute it was, but it was surely over the 50th) and they even scored one goal in the last minute. That’s it, better to forget this game as it is and move on.
Kukić and Živković scored the most goals (5-5), they are followed by Sretenović (3), Maksić (2) as well as Radojković and Pešić (1-1).

Kukić is trying to break through Metaloplastika’s defense line, while Popović is blocking the home team’s No. 4 player

(photo: rkpartizan.rs)

Current standing of the play-off:
1. Metaloplastika 10 points
2. Vojvodina 7 points
3. Partizan 6 points
4. Spartak Vojput 5 points
5. CZ 2 points
6. Sloga 0 point

FK Partizan - Čukarički 1:2 (superliga, round 32 - play-off, round 2)

A bunch of bizarre news were released on the match week.
First, Čukarički announced that they’d have loved to sign Partizan’s left-winger, Nemanja Mihajlović. Partizan’s reaction was just a loud laugh, even Mihajlović himself said that playing in Partizan is his childhood dream, no way he’d sign to anywhere else. Finally Ivica Iliev appeared and said to the press: sure, of course Mihajlović can sign to Čukarički - if they pay 10 million euros for him.

If I were for Iliev, I’d be careful with saying such things. Who knows, one day Čukarički might knock the door of ul. Humska 1 in the company of a Pini Zahavi-alike Croesus, throwing a suitcase on the table saying 'hey, here are the 10 milkos, now we'd take the kid, thxbai'.
A message to Mihajlović: learn from the Živković-case, boy. If there’s anything nobody is interested in, that’s what you yourself would like to do.

Apropos, Živković. If this case above didn’t make everyone annoyed yet, then some time later Crvena Zvezda’s head coach, Miodrag Božović appeared out of the blue and said, how great it would have been if Zvezda had signed Andrija Živković.

Whether you’re a fan of Partizan or CZ, this definitely goes beyond common sense.

Then the dot to the letter "i" was that unnamed sources told the press which players Ivan Tomić won’t need in the upcoming season.

Well, I will surely not cry after Bojinov. Leković hasn’t played enough to be able to say anything on him. The rest will be missed.

After all these the team surely prepared with joy and confidence against Čukarički.
(Or not.)

10 minutes before kick-off

(photos: Twitter)

After the kick-off Čukarički immediately started to attack. It was clear they mean no-nonsense and they want our scalps. They attacked already in the 2nd minute. Pavlović got the ball, it was dangerous, but the referee whistled it off, because Pavlović pulled Milenković on the ground while attacking. Two minutes later they appeared again at our penalty area. A cross came from the right, Šaranov again caught butterflies

is it really necessary that he drops the ball at least once in every match, while the opponent is crowding with full force in the goalmouth?...

then for the next try he could catch it. We had great luck for not receiving a goal.
In the 5th minute Mihajlović was tricking with the ball on the left, then he shot, the goalkeeper saved. Two minutes later again he shot, now getting a pass to the left from Bojinov in the middle. His shot missed the box with just centimetres.
In the 8th minute a Čukarički-attack arrived from the right. Nikola Janković (if I’m not wrong) crossed it to the middle, from there Jovanović get it on the left. Jovanović shot, barely missing it.
In the 11th minute Čukarički got a free kick, almost at the baseline, with just 1-2 metres from the left side of the penalty area. The cross came, Đurić took it by the head, forwarding it to Branislav Janković. Janković shot fron only 2 steps and scored. 0:1

Bandalovski is angry, while Šaranov collapsed right to the goal line

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the 16th minute again Branislav Janković got a huge pass. He ran up on the left, with Bandalovski behind him. He then shot, the ball hit Šaranov, ending the attempt in a corner-kick.
In the 20th minute Bandalovski possessed the ball on the right. He attacked the middle, then passed to Bojinov. Bojinov sped up, ran by the goalkeeper and shot into the box from a sharp angle. 1:1

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the 23rd minute we got a corner kick. There came the ball, making a big goalmouth scramble. Partizan-players all complained that someone from Čukarički played handball, but the referee didn’t whistle.

This scene has been cut from the superliga’s official highlights. On Youtube it’s available, here you can see it. ArenaSport’s slow motion replay clearly showed Čukarički’s player hitting the ball with his hand.

The atmosphere on the field became tensed. The pace was medium, yet Čukarički kept the ball surprisingly well.
In the 30th minute Milenković... well, there’s nothing to attenuate it. Milenković brutally kicked off Bojić, so heavily that Čukarički’s player had to come off the field. The referee showed the red card to Milenković.

Here is a video about it, because the official highlights don’t contain this scene either.

The referee shows the red card to Milenković...

...it almost ended in a fight

(photos: hotsport.rs)

In the 33rd minute Mihajlović ran up on the left. He made a great solo, dribbled then shot, it ended in a corner-kick.
In the 38th minute Nikola Janković kicked off Everton. The referee showed the red card him, too.

Video about the scene:

There was only one action left for the first half. Bogosavac got the ball on the left and shot from a sharp angle, the goalkeeper saved.
For the entire game Grave Diggers were chanting, firing up the southern tribune. Sometimes they made a much more spectacular sight than the often slow and struggling game.

Čukarički started the second half as well with attacking. A cross came from the left, Pavlović headed it to the box, but it was too high. A minute later Kosović passed the ball to Everton. The Brazilian shot from the right, it was also too high.
In the 49th minute we got a free kick at the left side of the penalty area line. Mihajlović passed it to Bogosavac, the young defender shot, it was too high.
In the 53rd minute Stevanović passed to Mihajlović in the middle. He immediately shot from approx. 16 metres, missing it with just centimetres again. In the 59th minute Saša Jovanović had a distant shot to our box, it was too high.
In the 65th minute Bojinov got a huge pass. After some goalmouth/penalty area scramble he shot from the left, barely missing it. A minute later Matić sent a flat, weak shot to our box, it was too wide. Another minute later Čukarički had another attempt, Šaranov saved.
In the 68th minute Bogosavac had another attempt. Mihajlović ran upfield, but he was tackled. The ball dropped to Bogosavac, but his shot was too wide.
In the 70th minute we got a free kick on the left side, 25 metres from the goal line. Mihajlović shot it right into the wall, but the ball dropped to Marko Jovanović. He shot, it was too high.
In the 76th minute Pavlović was wrestling with two Partizan-defenders, then he fell on the ground inside the penalty area. The referee didn’t whistle for penalty shot.

I have to mention nevertheless that Pavlović gave himself the starting kick with a fantastic Oxford-trick. Hats off, I have never seen anything like this yet.

In the 79th minute Brašanac passed the ball to Golubović on the right. He crossed it to the middle, the defenders headed it out. Corner-kick, again Golubović got the ball. He again crossed to the middle, but there Lukić kicked into the air instead of the ball.
In the upcoming minutes we constantly tried to attack, but they were all blocked by the defenders. Finally in the 85th minute Vlahović got a cross from the left, which he tried to head into the box. He wasn’t successful, the ball dropped to Lukić. He tried, too, without success.
In the 90th minute we got a corner-kick. Bandalovski headed it to the box, but the goalkeeper saved. Čukarički started a counter-attack. Knežević ran upfield on the right side and crossed to Pavlović in the middle. Pavlović thanked it and shot it ruthlessly into the box. 1:2

Sad, weary players after the final whistle

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Official highlights, thoroughly censored:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 3000
Referee: Nenad Đokić (assistants: Nemanja Petrović, Marko Dimitrijević - 4th assistant: Slobodan Pavlović - goal line assistants: Petar Piper, Zoran Široki)

FK Partizan: Šaranov - Bandalovski, Milenković, M. Jovanović, Bogosavac - Brašanac, Everton, Kosović (Lukić, 78.) - A. Stevanović (Golubović, 71.), Bojinov (Vlahović, 71.), Mihajlović
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Čukarički: N. Stevanović - Stojković, Ostojić, Đurić, Živković - Srnić, B. Janković (Knežević, 86.) - Bojić (Matić, 29.), N. Janković, S. Jovanović (Radonjić, 83.) - Pavlović
Head coach: Milan Lešnjak

Goal scorers: B. Janković (11.), Bojinov (20.), Pavlović (90.)
Yellow card: Đurić (42.), Srnić (61.)
Red card: M. Jovanović (30.), N. Janković (38.)

Current standing of the play-off:
1. CZ 42 points*
2. Čukarički 33 points
3. Partizan 28 points
4. Vojvodina 26 points
5. Radnički Niš 26 points
6. Surdulica 25 points
7. Borac 23 points*
8. FK Voždovac 20 points

*Match between Borac and Crvena Zvezda was postponed

VK Banjica - VK Partizan 5:19 (Serbian league play-off, quarterfinal, return match)

This game was back on Tuesday, but I focused more on the Serbian Cup semifinal. Also, as you can see, it was merely just a formality. The only question was how many goals we can score.
In the first quarter Partizan totally controlled the game (0:4). The home team picked themselves a bit for the second, but still they could score their first goal only 38 seconds before the end buzz (1:6). In the third part they reduced the difference to 5:7, which meant it was time to stop fooling around. Gogov quickly scored 3 goals (5:10), then Tanasković and Asanović both scored 1-1 goal, just for the sake of it. (5:12)
The last quarter was a fiesta. We scored 7 (!!!) goals and walked into the semifinal with waving flags, where we’ll play against Radnički Kragujevac.
Every player scored at least one goal from us, the most was earned by Vico (5), followed by Gogov and Drašović (3-3) as well as Manojlović and Asanović (2-2).

The semifinal will be held on 4th May, the return match comes on 7th May. If there’s a third match to be play, that will take part on 14th.

Nemanja Vico

(photo: waterpolopartizan.rs)

Spartak Subotica - FK Partizan 0:3 (Serbian Cup, semifinal, return match)

We won. We surely won’t put this game into the window on display, but we won and qualified to the final.

During the first 20 minutes of the match I tried to bring an apparently dead stream link back to life. I failed. I could find then a working stream, but I missed out almost half of the first part. I try to re-construct it by the official match report.

We didn’t waste time. It was just the 2nd minute when Bandalovski and Stevanović played pinball at Spartak’s penalty area. Then Bandalovski crossed to the middle, where Mihajlović arrived. He thanked and immediately shot it from the goalmouth right into the box. 0:1

Bandalovski forwards the ball, Mihajlović is arriving...

...then celebration time

In the 8th minute again Mihajlović had a try, but this time defenders inactivated him. In the 14th minute Spartak came up for a counter-attack to our penalty area. Mrkela possessed the ball, he shot, it was too wide. Then in the 18th minute they got a free kick 20 metres from our box. Again Mrkela tried, this time Brašanac threw himself into the way.
In the 25th minute Bandalovski ran up in the middle. Jočić kicked him to the ground, the referee whistled, free kick for Partizan.

Could someone tell me why Bandalovski received a yellow card here?

Mihajlović stood behind the ball, he shot it into the goalmouth, but Farkaš kicked it downfield. We still possessed the ball, Stevanović passed to Gogoua, but Partizan’s defender started to run backwards for seemingly no reason in the middle of an attack.
In the 28th minute Spartak attacked. Milošević came up on the left side with the ball, wrestling with Bandalovski. Then the Subotica-based player fell on the ground inside the penalty area. It was a very spectacular movement from him, but it didn’t really touch the referee, he didn’t whistle just waved "go ahead". In the 33rd minute again Spartak attacked, now on the right side. Milić (or Šljivić, I didn’t see the shirt number clearly) got a huge pass from deep. He ran up, Šaranov jumped out of the goalmouth and threw himself into the way.

Compared to league matches we played earlier this one was a fast, combative game. I don’t say it was a good game, because there were too many imprecise passes/crosses and mistakes only a beginner can make, but at least players ran a lot, tackled, wrestled, fought, and it was definitely a positive turn.

In the 40th minute Mrkela crossed from the left, but our defenders headed it downfield. We started a counter-attack, but that died away. A minute later Spartak attacked again, our defenders again blocked it, again we started a counter-attack, but Stevanović was stopped. Then in the 44th minute Kosović crossed to the middle, but the defenders were faster than Brašanac.

For the second half head coach Tomić arrived wearing this substitute marker shirt. I had a slight hope he might put himself into action as a substitute player.

In the beginning of the second part Spartak attacked heavily. In the 47th minute Milić had a distant shot from 20 metres, it was too high.
The pace was still fast, just like in the first half, but it slowly turned into a "much ado about nothing"-alike scene. Players made too many mistakes on both sides, being too hasty, while seemingly suffering from the lack of ideas about what to do.

I have to put it here, Saša Ilić can (still) keep the ball like a real professional. These children around him could all learn from him. In the 50th minute he played merry-go-round with a Spartak-player, the opponent wanted to grab the ball from him, but Ilić didn’t allow, leaving the other one puzzled.

The 54th minute brought a Spartak-attempt. A weak shot came from the left, but flew out not even approaching the goalpost.

Meanwhile they were doing nothing on the field, but at least they did it in a very spectacular way.

In the 59th minute Stevanović shot suddenly, from 20 metres, the goalkeeper had a great save.

Lost balls. Imprecise passes/crosses, kicking into the air instead of the ball - that can be the summary of this period.

In the 65th minute Spartak missed out a huge chance. Partizan-defenders fell asleep, the ball dropped here and there causing a goalmouth scramble. Finally Jovanović headed it, but it wasn’t too successful. Then the ball dropped off from Šaranov, too. For our great luck it didn’t end up as a goal for the home team.
In the 69th minute Tomić sent a pass to Stefan Ilić from the half-line. Ilić ran up, Bandalovski was close behind him. Spartak’s player finally shot, Šaranov had a great save. In the 72nd minute Šaranov presented another big save - Partizan’s defense line was again out of order, Novaković took advantage of it and shot, Partizan’s goalkeeper did his job.
In the next few minutes we had a number of attempts. It was mostly Mihajlović, who dribbled himself in front of the box, but the defenders blocked him. The pace of the game slowed down, though mistakes and lost balls came more often. In the 80th minute the referee showed the red card for Mudrinski (after his second yellow card).
In the 84th minute Mihajlović dribbled on the right side, then crossed to the middle. Vlahović arrived and headed the ball right into the net. 0:2

The pace slowed down completely. Spartak seemed to resign themselves to the defeat, though the coup de grace was still left.
90th minute. Mihajlović arrived with the ball on the left side. He crossed it to Stevanović in the middle, he forwarded it out to the right side to Bandalovski. The Bulgarian shot, the ball rolled ahead dropping and hopping all the way, passing by the goalkeeper, hitting the left goalpost, ending his way in the net. 0:3

The final takes part on 11th May, we'll play against Javor Matis.

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: City stadium, Subotica
Number of spectators: 3000
Referee: Bojan Nikolić (assistants: Vladimir Jovanović, Nenad Kurčubić - 4th assistant: Srđan Minić - goal line assistants: Dejan Dimitrijević, Petar Piper)

Spartak Subotica: Mirković, Jočić, Kovačević, Mrkela (Torbica, 46.), Milošević, Milić (Novaković, 63.), Šljivić (Makarić, 77.), Stefan Ilić, Farkas, Mudrinski, Tomić
Head coach: Andrei Chernisov

FK Partizan: Šaranov, Bandalovski, Jovanović, Gogoua (M. Stevanović, 46.), Bogosavac, Brašanac, Kosović, Saša Ilić (Lukić, 89.), Mihajlović, A. Stevanović, Bojinov (Vlahović, 63.)
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Goal scorers: Mihajlović (2), Vlahović (84.), Bandalovski (90.)
Yellow card: Bandalovski (25.), Mudrinski (45.), Torbica (70.)
Red card: Mudrinski (80. - second yellow card)

(photos: partizan.rs)

Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 3:0 (play-off, semifinal, 5th match)

Well, that was it.

By the way, the official match report can go to hell with all that butt-kissing for the other side. Thank you.

In the first set we kept the pace. We equalized from 7:4 to 7:7, then from 12:10 to 12:12, what is more, we even took the lead (12:14). We kept it until 19:19, then Zvezda took it back, but we were constantly behind them with one, or maybe just two points. In the finish they could speed back as much that they won the set with two (2) points. (25:23)
For the second set we seemingly ran out of air. 5:2, 7:3, 12:5 - from here we resurrected to 13:11, but Zvezda didn’t slow down (17:12, 19:15), while we were just trying to find our breath. They won it to 25:18, but hope still didn’t die (at least not for Average Fan).
Most probably nor did it for the boys either, because in the third set we equalized from 5:1 to 5:5. We kept the pace with them, nip-and-tuck (7:7, 8:8). Then it was 10:9, then suddenly 16:11. We reduced the difference to 18:16, but Zvezda adjusted it to 20:17. Partizan didn’t give up. We fought hard and brave, we were dauntless and for this there goes a shoutout and a big respect to the team. We were behind them for the whole time, in the finish we even equalized (23:23), we didn’t let them run away (24:24), finally with blood and sweat they won to 26:24. With this Zvezda qualified to the final, where Vojvodina have been waiting for them with open arms.

Dear Fans,
Let’s pay our respect to head coach Vladimir Vasović with a silent and respectful standing-up and saluting, because he had to build up this team from scratch, after practically everyone left last summer and he had only very young players to count on. And still the team could make it to the semifinal, where we caused heavy, sweaty nightmares to Zvezda.
A high-five and hats off to all the players of OK Partizan for putting out their heart and soul, making it to the semifinal, especially that there was a period during the regular season when the danger of being dropped out of the superliga was seriously in the air. I’m very proud of all of you.
Probably not just me :)

(photo: zurnal.rs)

Crvena Zvezda: Okolić (13 - 1 ace), Jevtić (libero), Đurđević, Skrbić, Gmitrović, Milutinović (5), Jakovljević (9), Stojsavljević (4), Munćan (1), Blagojević (20 - 1 ace), Veljović, Buculjević (3 - 3 aces)
Head coach: Dragan Kobiljski

OK Partizan: Buša (10), Pantić (8), Nedeljković, Žugić, Lopar (3), Kostić, Rajković (libero), Jokanović (1), Veličković (14 - 2 aces), Polomac (4), Popović, Perišić
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

VK Partizan - Banjica 16:4 (Serbian league play-off, quarterfinal)

A training match between Partizan A and Partizan B disguised as a league game.
That’s all. There isn’t much more worth to know about it. Maybe that Banjica tried to push in the beginning, they were even leading to 1:2, but then routine won over them. Also Rističević was our goalkeeper in the first half, then in the second Brankočević got the chance to keep Partizan’s goal box.
Partizan won the first quarter to 3:2, the second to 5:1, the third to 4:0 and the fourth to 4:1. Practically everyone could score at least one goal, Gogov can be mentioned, he earned 4, while Asanović and Stojanović both scored 2-2.
Return match will be played on Tuesday from 19:45 in the Banjica swimming pool.

Here is a photo about Jakšić

(photo: waterpolopartizan.rs)

151st eternal derby: Crvena Zvezda - FK Partizan 1:1 (round 31 - play-off, round 1)

I slept it over, not to write this blogpost under violent emotions. I still won't be politically correct, so old-school fans and/or sensitive souls, please, press Alt+F4 now.
Nevertheless I bought a lot of photos and videos.
There was a small celebration before the start of the game. 5th May is the world day of rare diseases, and the two teams had a campaign for pulmonary hypertension awareness. Partizan started the campaign days before the derby, players appeared in the public wearing such T-shirts.

Before the game Saša Ilić (as team captain) received such a certification.

The game started right with a smoke pause. As soon as the referee whistled for kick-off, both sides, North and South started to throw firecrackers and smoke torches. The match continued in the 3rd minute.
Right there Zvezda got a free kick about 30 metres from our goal line on the right side, almost at the sideline. Ibanez kicked, Le Tallec headed it to the box, it was too high.
A minute later Šaranov presented one of his awful goal-kicks. It was such an unbelievable kick that the ball flew out of the field through the sideline approx. in the level of the penalty spot. Throw-in for Zvezda. Finally our defenders cleared downfield.

Seriously, who the hell brought Šaranov here? Even my grandmother would have done a better goal-kick. Why is this miserable creature in our box? Why and for whom was Živko Živković not good enough?

We started very nervously. We passed away the ball too often, losing it. Zvezda continuously attacked. In the 8th minute they got another free kick. Ibanez could cross it from almost the same place like in the 4th minute. Now the defenders headed the kick downfield.

The stream started to die here. Me too.

In the 11th minute Grujić ran up with the ball on the right side and crossed to Kátai at the other side. Kátai dribbled himself to the middle (the defenders were just watching) then shot, Šaranov pushed it out. Corner-kick, Ibanez headed it to the box, it was too wide.
Then Šaranov continued to tear my nerves to pieces, together with Gogoua.

What was going on with Gogoua? He was totally out of himself for the whole game. As if he would have been at somewhere else in the head. He made such mistakes that are unacceptable even at a U6-game.

In the 13rd minute Bogosavac passed the ball backwards. Šaranov forwarded it to Gogoua, while a few Zvezda-players stayed there to get on the defenders’ nerves. One of them ran towards Gogoua as he received the ball - Gogoua seemingly got shocked and kicked the ball out to the wide world. Right through the baseline. Corner-kick for Zvezda, as a gift. Average Fan fell under the table and started to cry.
For our luck the defenders headed out the corner-kick, it didn’t cause any trouble.
Other than that our defense line was not on the top, so to speak. Zvezda kept on attacking, Bogosavac was the only one who didn’t shit into his pants, but bravely stopped them, tackled, ran after them, slid, fought, grabbed them and if needed, he immediately ran up with the ball for an attack.

Big high-five to you, young man. Keep up this great work

In the 18th minute Srnić ran up with the ball. Bogosavac tackled him, the referee gave a free kick to Zvezda. Again Ibanez stood behind the ball, again approx. from the same place as earlier, just the angle was now a bit more sharp. He kicked, Šaranov punched it out.
It seemed, the only job of our defenders was to kick out the ball downfield, as far from the penalty area as possible. Not just this time, but for the entire first half. Zvezda still attacked. They easily tackled Partizan’s players and appeared right then at our penalty area. We got stuck to our half.
We had our first mentionable attack in the 23rd minute. Stevanović got the ball and ran up on the right side. He crossed to the middle, but nobody was there, out of a few Zvezda-defenders. They pushed the ball out, corner-kick. It was followed by another corner, then Saša Ilić dribbled, then after a goalmouth scramble Zvezda suddenly started a counter-attack. We could stop them, but they still possessed the ball.

Saša Ilić some time during the game

In the 28th minute Cvetković sent a long pass to Grujić. It was too long, Šaranov caught it. In the 32nd minute Mihajlović ran up on the left, he crossed it to the middle, but Stevanović was way too much behind to catch it.

Someone please, tell me, why was it that we suddenly started to kick the ball backwards in the middle of the attack? Why?... Why didn’t we grab them by their throat? Why didn’t we dribble them so tricky that they would have remembered it even in their old age? Why did Stevanović passed the ball backwards to Everton rather than running forward with it?

At this point Zvezda kept the game under control. Our defense line was weak, but they easily tackled us anyway, whatever we tried. The pace slowed down, finally in the 42nd minute Kátai got fed up with the fumbling

again they got the initiative and not us

attacked, dribbled himself to the middle and shot. Šaranov pushed the ball outside through the baseline.
A minute later Gogoua lost the ball at the penalty area (I almost started to cry again). Grujić grabbed it, finally Šaranov stopped the attempt.
Then in the 45th minute Rendulić and Mihajlović clashed in front of Zvezda’s penalty area. They both fell on the ground. It ended up in a big upheaval, both teams complaining heavily to the referee.

Finally Partizan got a free kick, but we couldn’t turn it into an attempt.
Then in the 45+2nd minute Kátai ran up on the left side. Bandalovski wrestled with him, but Kátai could eventually shoot, it was too high.
In the half-time pause hell broke loose. Fans probably thought there was not enough fight and tension on the field, they have to make it for themselves.
First Zvezda-fans clashed with the police. (Graphic video!)

Then a Partizan-fan was also caught.

They made the stadium half-demolished.
In the second half none of the teams could get the gear in the beginning. Fumbling at its best (Luković shot himself in the face with the ball), finally in the 51st minute we got a free kick about 28 metres from the goal line on the left. Mihajlović crossed, the goalkeeper caught it. They started a counter-attack right then, Kátai shot, Šaranov caught it. In the 54th minute Srnić and Bogosavac wrestled on the left side, this time Partizan’s defender was the winner one.
In this period we possessed the ball a bit more, but still with no useful attempt. The pace of the game didn’t get quicker either. Mihajlović ran up again on the left side, he even shot, the goalkeeper saved.

In the 59th minute a Partizan free-kick made a goalmouth scramble for Zvezda. Two of our players shot, first Saša Ilić, then Brašanac, but the goalkeeper saved both. Then in the 62nd minute Saša Ilić sent a cross after a corner-kick, but defenders cleared it downfield.
Then the pace totally slowed down.
But the southern tribune was on fire.

In the 66th minute Rendulić headed the ball towards the box after a corner-kick. Šaranov again caught a butterfly (but not the ball), the ball dropped to Le Tallec, but for our great luck he missed it out.
Another smoke pause came, while Šaranov needed medical attendance. The game continued in the 70th minute. Stevanović ran up to the box, he shot, but it was very weak, the goalkeeper caught it easily.
In the 72nd minute Plavšić ran up on the left, but he screwed up the cross, finally Gogoua cleared the area. A minute later we attacked, Bandalovski crossed the ball to the middle, but Mihajlović missed it out.
In the 77th minute Zvezda got a free kick, approx. 25-28 metres from our box. Ibanez kicked the ball right into the wall. Then in the 81st minute Kátai ran up. All doors and windows were open, who knows where our defenders have been, then Kátai kicked the ball right into Šaranov. We immediately started a counter-attack, Mihajlović ran up with the ball, he shot, too, it was too high. A minute later Ristić got the ball on the right side. He dribbled, then shot, Šaranov saved. In the 84th minute again Ristić ran up, getting a pass from Plavšić. He shot from 16 metres, Šaranov saved.

Jovanović needed medical attendance some time in the second half after getting a hit on his stomach

Then in the 85th minute Zvezda attacked again. The cross came from the right side, the ball hit a Partizan-defender and fell down. Le Tallec wanted to grab it, but Sikimić was faster. He shot the ball right into the middle of the net. 1:0
After this the game fell into pieces. Hell broke loose on the field, too. In the 92nd minute Everton brutally knocked down Plavšić, then he continued to pull him while Plavšić was laying on the ground. Brašanac had to pull him away.

Everton pushes his elbow into Plavšić’s face...

...then he starts a verbal fight with Kátai...

...finally the referee tries to calm them down

I'll be honest: Everton would have deserved the red card at this point. No idea why the referee didn't send him off and gave him only a yellow.

In the 93rd minute Rendulić got his second yellow card after he kicked Bogosavac on the ground. He had to leave the field.
Our equalizing goal came in the very last minute, as a total surprise. Zvezda-defenders headed a left-side cross downfield and the ball dropped to Everton, who was standing in the background. The Brazilian probably thought ’whatever’ and kicked it from 35 metres. The ball flew through the defenders, the shocked goalkeeper punched into it, but the ball fell into the box. 1:1

All those that came afterwards still needs an explanation for me.
Everton ran to the northern tribune after his goal, right to the Zvezda-ultras and started a kind of happy dance there.

Then all that could be seen was that an older man carries Everton off the pitch by his arm, towards the tunnel. Everton keeps on pushing the old man’s hand, like a child having a tantrum, then as he reaches the tunnel, he can enter only under the shields of the "žandarmerije", as raging Zvezda-fans threw everything on him they could grab into their hands.
Of course, as I found out not much later, Everton got the second yellow cards after his little performance, but probably didn’t want to leave the field, that’s why he had to be carried off.

Probably a lot of people will hate me now, but I was not happy at all for Everton’s goal. The Brazilian freaked me out earlier by his elbowing attack, but this absolutely unsportsmanlike post-goal performance and the tantrum after the red card blew out the fuse for me. I’ve been watching football for more than 25 years, I have seen many very stupid, primitive and malicious players, and I have to say, Everton is in the Top 5.
A message to him: from now on it’s better if he gets careful while walking in the streets of Belgrade. His face can be recognized from the distance, and Zvezda-fans surely won’t forget this little action he had in this game. Everton, I have to say, you’re one goddamned jerk, and if your face get torn off, I’d probably say you deserved it.
(And let me add, just here, in brackets: I totally agree with Grujić’s angry post-game words.)

Then the referee ended the game.
Zvezda’s goalkeeper collapsed after the goal. Here is a video, as his teammates try to comfort him after the game.
Even Partizan-players didn’t seem to be overall happy. There is rather exhaustedness on the faces instead of joy.

SOS Kanal’s 38-minute-long highlights.

Facts:

Venue: Rajko Mitić stadium, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 35 000
Referee: Aleksandar Vasić (assistants: Vladimir Jovanović, Milan Mihajlović - 4th assistant: Goran Stanojević - goal line assistants: Marko Popović, Igor Stojilković)

Crvena Zvezda: Kahriman - Cvetković, Rendulić, Luković, Ibanez - Le Tallec - Srnić (Ristić, 78.), Grujić (Plavšić, 57.), Kátai, Donald - Vieira (Sikimić, 53.)
Head coach: Miodrag Božović

FK Partizan: Šaranov - Bandalovski, Gogoua, Jovanović, Bogosavac - Brašanac, Everton, Kosović - Stevanović (Vlahović, 83.), S. Ilić (Bojinov, 73.), Mihajlović
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Goal scorers: Sikimić (85.), Everton (90+5.)
Yellow cards: Gogoua (13.), S. Ilić (30.), Le Tallec (39.), Rendulić (43.), Everton (90+2.), Kátai (90+3.), Ibanez (90+5.)
Red card: Rendulić (90+2.), Everton (90+5.), both for second yellow card

Current standing of the play-off:*
1. CZ 42 points
2. Čukarički 30 points
3. Partizan 28 points
4. Vojvodina 26 points
5. Borac 23 points
6. Radnički Niš 23 points
7. Surdulica 22 points
8. FK Voždovac 20 points

* upon current relegations all teams’ points were halved before the start of the play-off. All the points they earned during the play-off will be added to this halved aggregation.

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)