OK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 3:2 (play-off, semifinal, 4th match)

My goodness, WHAT A GAME IT WAS.

Every single TV-channel earned the jackpot of "going to hell" for not broadcasting it.

It was a battle of two giants. Two hordes of enraged wild elephants clashed and fought until the last breath.
We brought back this game from the grave twice. Zvezda had match ball twice at the end. We could switch it back twice.
We simply couldn’t lose this game.
Even though it looked so more than once during the game that all we could do here is to die with glory, because laurels don’t seem to have black and white colours.
And still.
Zvezda won the first set. We fought hard, we were even leading (21:20), but finally Zvezda squeezed out the victory. It wasn’t an easy game for them tough, we made it as hard for them as possible, ending it to 24:26.
For the second set there are no words. The second set mirrored the entire game, but probably also Partizan’s entire season so far.
In the second set Zvezda made a brutal advantage. 8:12, 10:16, 15:21. Average Fan started to make a slipknot on the nearest available rope to make all these sufferings to a quick end.
Then Partizan had an awesome resurrection.
19:21.
Kostić was the embodiment of the Steam Roller. Compared to this game when I was grumbling a bit because of him, this time Ivan Kostić washed up the floor of Vizura sports hall with the red team. He achieved 8 aces (!!!!!) during the match. So now you raise yourself up, stand straight and salute for the Captain.

(photo: mondo.rs)

There was no stop. We switched from 15:21 to 26:24. It’s not simply a world class performance, but something we will remember even after years.
Then came the third set.
Zvezda took the lead. Not much, just with 1-2 points. At a period it looked like a ping-pong game, one point here, draw, one point there. Then it seemed that Zvezda had it on the long wind. (14:16)
But they didn’t know that we have a Buša, a Pantić and a Veličković.
And the whole team has the biggest heart.
The three youngsters swept off Zvezda in a great teamwork. Partizan switched from 14:16 to 21:20. Zvezda tried to keep the pace, they always equalized, chasing us, being behind us with only one point. They wanted this set to be won, as the starving wants a piece of bread. They still failed. After a great battle we won this part to 26:24.
For the fourth set Partizan probably ran out a bit from fresh air. Zvezda won it to 20:25. We didn’t make the favour for them though to provide them an easy win. We strangled them by the throat, but still they picked themselves together for the end and pressured out the victory. 2:2, tie-break.
That was one unbelievable drama.
We took the lead. Then Zvezda equalized to 6:6. Never mind, we took back the lead, with self-confidence and 10:8.
Zvezda came back, equalized and took the lead again (11:12). Nobody knows what kind of secret power supplements they had, but they wanted to win by all means, because if they could have done so, they would have qualified to the final.
For a while it seemed they would really do it. They were leading to 11:14. The next service was the match ball for them.
BUT PARTIZAN COULD SWITCH BACK EVEN FROM HERE!!!
Unbelievable. U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e. I wanted to die a few times while watching the live score page. We came back slowly, step by step. The team had a superhuman performance. We equalized. What is more, we took the lead back to 15:14. Zveza equalized, we took back the lead once again. Average Fan was wet from sweat. 16:16. It’s just impossible. COME ON, BOYS, COME ON, FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!
17:16
Pale face, fingers go white as the hand is clenched. Come on, boys!... Come on!...
18:16!!!!
WE WON!!!!!
My mighty God. We won. We won a marching victory with a wonderful game, by putting our heart and soul out to the court of the sports hall. A totally well-deserved victory.
Next (and last) game comes on Monday 18th from 18:00. One last victory and we qualify to the final.

Dr. Dimitrije Pantić has his consulting hours from 0:1 to 3:2

(photo: mozzartsport.com)

The best receivers: Kostić, Lopar and Veličković (in the background Buša and Pantić are watching)

(photo: zurnal.rs)

OK Partizan: Buša (26 - 1 ace), Pantić (16 - 4 aces), Nedeljković Žugić, Lopar (10 - 1 ace), Kostić (11 - 8 aces), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Veličković (15), Polomac (7), Popović, Perišić
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

Crvena Zvezda: Okolić (12), Jevtić (libero), Đurđević, Skrbić, Gmitrović (13), Milutinović (6), Jakovljević (19 - 1 ace), Stojsavljević (16), Munćan (2), Blagojević (7), Veljović, Buculjević (4 - 2 aces)
Head coach: Dragan Kobiljski

Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 1:3 (play-off, semifinal, 2nd match)

So typical that now no channel broadcasted the game.
In the first set we skinned them alive. Really. We were leading for the whole time. Pantić was on top. It was tough only once when they narrowed the standing to 19:20. We had to take quick action. We did, we very quickly won the set to 21:25.
As I could understand from the official match report, we screwed up the 2nd set (red team won it to 25:15) only because we had 9 (!!!) service errors. Never mind, for the third part we picked ourselves together. We had more confidence, though after 12:14 the opponent equalized (17:17). But then came Buša and blocked the hell out of them. Pantić also brought his great form, we swept them off with 21:25.
In the 4th set the two teams vivisected each other. The last part brought a great battle with barely 1-point difference on both sides.
Then Zvezda jumped to 19:16.
Oh, no. There goes the set, the match, the final, the championship title.
No way.
Veličković blocked them to death. We equalized (19:19). Lopar blocked, we took back the lead (21:22). Zvezda was right behind us (22:23), but at this point Partizan was like a nuclear plant moments before explosion. Buša brought the points, Jokanović served, Zvezda could make a little, just a very little trouble at the very end, at the match ball, but they couldn’t rough us up. The victory was ours. We won the set to 23:25 and the match to 1:3. Next round on Tuesday, 12th.

Crvena Zvezda: Okolić (14), Jevtić (libero), Đurđević, Skrbić, Gmitrović (2), Milutinović (8), Jakovljević (20), Stojsavljević (5), Munćan, Blagojević (17), Veljović, Buculjević
Head coach: Dragan Kobiljski

OK Partizan: Buša (14), Pantić (16), Nedeljković, Žugić, Lopar (12), Kostić (1), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Veličković (18), Polomac (6), Popović (1), Perišić
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

Photos from the match:

(photos: Facebook/Odbojkaški Klub Partizan)

(photo: zurnal.rs)

Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 3:1 (play-off, semifinal, 1st match)

Unbelievable.

It all started so well. The first set was like a dream. Really. Apart from a 2:1 in the beginning we were leading for the whole time. We washed up the floor of the sports hall with them. Boris Buša had an superhuman performance. He blocked, hit an ace, served, crawled on the floor if that was needed, carried the team on his back, meanwhile the other side earned a point only when we had a service foul. The difference was never too big, only 2-3 points, but that was enough. At the end the standing was 20:23, Zvezda asked for time-out. You could hear through the stream Zvezda’s coach screaming slowly and articulate into their faces "Koncentracija!!! Kon-cent-ra-ci-ja!!!" After tha we won the set to 20:25.
Trololololololol.

Pantić serves

Rotation at 5:8

Boris Buša is about to serve

That moment when Partizan smashed the ball so heavily at 20:24 that it rolled behind the pale

The second set wasn’t funny at all. We made all the possible mistakes, Zvezda took advantage of them. As if the roles of the first set would have been switched.

By the way, does anyone know what was going on with Kostić? He was playing so indisposed.

At first we equalized here and there (6:6, 8:8), sometimes we even took the lead for moments, then it was gone after 9:10. Zvezda equalized, then took the lead and didn’t let it out of their hands. The difference wasn’t big this time either, maybe 2 points. It increased only around the end, sometimes to 5 points (24:19) - this part was especially tough. Zvezda was about to get the set ball, when Lopar scored with a troll smash (24:20). We earned one more point (24:21), but it was in vain. Zvezda won the set to 25:21 and equalized.

Celebration after scoring

Time-out, Buša is wiping his forehead

Service by Kostić

In the third set the time has come for the referee. He had his first questionable judgement at 5:3. The ball dropped to the floor, out of Partizan’s area. The referee said someone from us had touched it before it dropped out. I will be honest: RTS 2’s slow motion replay didn’t show anyone from us touching the ball. Okay, if you watch it from a certain angle, twinkling heavily, you may see a fingertip touching the ball.
Maybe.
Well, the referee surely twinkled heavily. 6:3
At 7:5 came another upheaval, but this time Zvezda complained for some similar problem. Instead of 8:5 the standing was 7:6. A home player was disputing with the referee, meanwhile players started a (verbal) fight from the two sides of the net.

Finally Kostić got a yellow card, nobody knows why.
We continued the game. We didn’t let Zvezda go, at a period we took the lead again (13:15). They took it back (17:16), but we were always behind them with only 1 point. They could increase the difference only at the end (23:20), but even here Veličković did his best to reduce it (24:22). Finally Zvezda won to 25:22.

Bojan Rajković, the libero of liberos

The start of the fourth set was fantastic. We made it to 3:6. Zvezda slowly reduced it to 8:9, with the help of the referee. (You know... every time when it was critical, someone from Partizan happened to touch the ball every time when it dropped out of our area. Every time. Every single time.) We still kept ourselves (9:10), but the referee didn’t let it go at that. He continuously judged against us, so Zvezda could take back the lead (12:11). Kostić complained, even though he already had a yellow card, but the referee, didn’t even listen.
We kept ourselves until 15:15, then something happened to us. We made mistake after mistake, Zvezda made a 7-point series (22:15). At this point we could gain one more score (22:16), but that was all. It ended with 25:16, Zvezda won the game to 3:1. Next round comes on Saturday from 18:00 and it won’t stop until 3 victories.

Crvena Zvezda: Okolić (5), Jevtić (libero), Đurđević, Skrbić, Gmitrović, Milutinović (3), Jakovljević (20), Stojsavljević (8), Munćan (7), Blagojević (14), Veljović, Buculjević (7)
Head coach: Dragan Kobiljski

OK Partizan: Buša (16), Pantić (14), Nedeljković, Žugić, Lopar (10), Kostić (2), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Veličković (7), Polomac (8), Popović (2), Perišić
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

(photos: screenshot/RTS 2)

Crvena Zvezda - OK Partizan 3:1 (superliga, round 16)

It wasn’t funny.
I brought a lot of screenshots though.

Teams warm up

OK Partizan’s lineup

Introducing players

Group hug before the start

The first set was awful. We made all the possible mistakes. Zvezda was far ahead of us (15:10, 18:11, 22:12), we were mostly just assisting. It ended with 25:13, the result tells it all.
Some screenshots from the first part:

First timeout at 5:1

Receivers: Buša, Pantić and Lopar

Lopar doesn’t look happy (who would be, when the opponent leads with 8:3?...), Kostić is confused

Service: Lopar...

...Kostić...

...and Veličković

Our nervousness calmed down a bit for the second set. At 8:3 we made a fantastic series, we equalized (8:8). Zvezda tried to run away (12:8), but we worked off the difference and were constantly behind them with a step (12:11). The home team was leading for the entire set, but the difference was only a few points now and our game was more and more confident. Still Zvezda won the second part to 25:20.
Images:

Polomac getting ready for service

Earning a point

Head coach Vladimir Vasović

Battle

Dimitrije Pantić

Receivers before a service

For the third set things started to work suddenly. At the beginning we were behind them with only 1-2 points (5:4, 6:5, 7:6), then we equalized (11:11).
Then we took the lead, for the first time during the match! (12:13)
To celebrate it Popović scored a giant ace, so big that Zvezda-players had to take a few deep breaths before continuing. (12:14)
They couldn’t take back the lead for the rest of the set. Sometimes they equalized, but that didn’t last long. It was close, but we kept ourselves. We won the set to 23:25.
Images:

Polomac is about to serve

Receivers

Rajković, the best libero

Ivan Kostić

Nemanja Jokanović serves

In the last set something blew out. We got too tired or the pressure was too big. Sometimes we equalized, once we took the lead (12:14), but Zvezda equalized (15:15) and from then on they kept all in control. The fourth part ended with 25:19.
Images:

Vladimir Vasović trying to shake up the boys

It’s our turn

 Boris Buša

High five

Cleaning staff

End of the game, handshakes

Crvena Zvezda: Okolić, Jevtić (libero), Skrbić, Gmitrović, Stavlić, Milutinović (9), Jakovljević (12), Stoisavljević (11), Munćan (7), Blagojević (24), Veljović, Buculjević (3)
Head coach: Dragan Kobiljski

OK Partizan: Buša (15), Pantić (15), Nedeljković, Žugić, Lopar (7), Kostić (2), Rajković (libero), Jokanović, Veličković (5), Polomac (7), Popović (3), Perišić
Head coach: Vladimir Vasović

League table will be brought later.