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)
