Jagodina - FK Partizan 2:2 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 17)

After yesterday’s basketball victory celebration today came football and sobering up.
The result looks awful even in itself, just looking at it (Jagodina is the 15th on the league table, followed only by Spartak Zlatibor Voda), especially knowing that we played again this scandalous anti-football and we can thank only our great luck that we could squeeze out a draw.
Jagodina attacked already in the 3rd minute. Martinović got the cross from left, he shot, Kljajić saved.
In the 6th minute Ghanaian player Francis ran up suddenly on the right, all alone, finally Fabricio blocked him.
Then it was just the usual. We passed the ball backwards, fumbled, never attacked. We were like a 3rd league team.
In the 9th minute we got a corner kick. It was just a small kick this time, Babović got the ball, he shot it inside the penalty area, the goalkeeper caught it.
Then in the 11th minute again Francis ran up on the right

yes, our left side defense was again like a corridor - theoretically Bandalovski was our left defender, but the Bulgarian was totally out of shape

he passed it to the middle, with no flag up. Popović got the ball, passing it ahead to Uroš Nikolić. Nikolić shot and scored. 1:0
In the 15th minute a little dog ran into the field. The poor fellow looked very nervous, it probably got scared by the fans’ firecrackers.

The game was a bit on halt, finally the little four-legged could be carried off the field.

Why did Partizan not sign this dog? It’s quick, smart, loyal, has an excellent sense to play with balls. It wouldn't even need salary. Some daily dog food would be enough. It would make an ideal player. Oh, and fans would surely love it.

In the 22nd minute Francis shot from the middle. Someone from our defense line blocked him, but the home team got back the ball. One of their players shot again, barely missing the goal line.

...and we didn’t attack. Again we stayed on our half and passed the ball backwards. I just can’t believe it. Is this really the maximum the players can bring out of themselves?...

In the 26th minute there was a huge goalmouth scramble in our penalty area. Jagodina players were passing the ball here and there, finally someone from Partizan’s defense line cleared the area downfield. The ball dropped right to Filipović, he shot, it was too high.
Two minutes later Stevanović sent a distant shot to Jagodina’s goal line. It was weak, imprecise and way too wide.
In the 34th minute Savković got a great pass from the half line on the left side. There was no flag up, the assistant didn’t wave, Savković ran up all alone

why is it always that the speed of our defense line is worse than of a rheumatic snail?...

he shot, barely missing it. Two minutes later Jagodina got a free kick 25 metres from our goal line at the right side. Kick in, right to Gašić. It was very dangerous, for our great luck Gašić missed it.
Then in the 40th minute Grbić got a red card. The slow motion replay showed Grbić and Knežević wrestling with each other. It was an equal fight, with both players being deeply involved (i.e. they were hitting and pulling each other heavily), then Knežević suddenly decided to fall on the ground and play the dying swan from "Swan Lake". The referee absolutely appreciated his act and sent off Grbić immediately.

In the 44th minute Jagodina got a corner kick. This time it was just a short pass, then came a cross, which was headed right into our net by Popović. 2:0

Kljajić in shock

Even those on the bench can’t believe their eyes

Hell broke loose. Fans threw firecrackers and shouted "Uprava napolje".

I think you can imagine what kind of a deep trouble we could be in, that head coach Ljubinko Drulović decided to send in Saša Ilić as a substitute for the second half.
Fans still kept on shouting "Uprava napolje".

I wonder how Vazura and Vučelić can look into the mirror after all these.
No, wait. I tell you how: they explain themselves that they are not guilty for anything. The players are to blame, the referees, the journalists, the bloggers, the weather, the UFOs and the Reptilians.

What is in fact very sad that from the moment Saša Ilić joined the game, we actually started to attack. Saša Ilić built up attacks, he kept them under his control, he set them up, sending fantastic cross passes to the middle (where that talentless, wooden-legged, social media husar Bojinov screwed them up time after time). This is what is very sad, that an almost 40-year-old veteran player has to join the team to be able to make something that resembles football.

All the others still haven’t lived up even to tie the laces on his football shoes

In the 50th minute Babović got a fantastic cross pass from Saša Ilić. Babović fumbled a bit

please, someone tell me, why does he have to make a 360 degrees turn in the goalmouth, when he gets a pass? At such times you just simply have to shoot, don’t you?

then eventually he shot, but goalkeeper Đorđe Nikolić easily caught it.
Our defense line was as weak as an autumn fly. Fabricio was just one more person in the team, without much benefit (the Brazilian's only luck is that there's nobody to his place to substitute him), while Bandalovski just didn't work.

In my memories Bandalovski stayed as a multi-functional, reliable, talented player. What the hell happened to him that he was his own parody at this match?...

In the 53rd minute we got a free kick 25 metres from the goal line. Babović shot, Bojinov screwed it up.
Then another dog came to the field :) This one was a bigger, black dog, very friendly, wagging its tail.

Let’s sign it!...

From the southern front again came "Uprava napolje".

We should make this dog the president of FK Partizan. What do you think?

In the 67th minute Saša Ilić crossed to Bojinov from the left side. Bojinov kicked the ball right into the goalkeeper from about 20 centimetres.

Bojinov holding his head - we could see him in this pose quite a few times during this game

In the 68th minute Ninković shot Saša Ilić’s pass on the goal from the left, the goalkeeper caught it.

How great it was to see this Saša Ilić-Ninković teamwork... Two players who know and understand each other very well. Memories came back... My God, how I miss those victorious games, when the only question was how many goals we should score to the opponent...

In the 72nd minute Martinović shot from the distance, all of a sudden, Kljajić saved. Two minutes later Ninković sent a free kick from 30 metres into the penalty area. Bojinov headed it and this time he could make it. The ball fell into the net. 2:1

In the 81st minute Ninković ran up on the left with the ball. Saša Ilić got his cross, passing it ahead to Bojinov. Bojinov shot, the goalkeeper saved. Corner kick, the ball came to the goalmouth, right to Bojinov. Bojinov headed it, missing the goal line only with 2 centimetres.
In the 84th minute we attacked again. A pass came from the left, Saša Ilić stepped over the ball with a fantastic reflex and routine, bringing Babović in position. This time Babović thankfully didn’t start to make rounds with the ball, he plain and simply shot - and scored. 2:2
After our 2nd goal both teams sped up, making a quite exciting game for the end. In the 86th minute Jagodina attacked, one of them shot from the middle. Kljajić saved, we could start a counter-attack. Bojinov got the ball (I’m not sure who passed to him, Saša Ilić or Ninković), he shot, but it was too high.
And again the big black dog ran into the field :)
In the 85th minute, well, I don’t know where Fabricio looked at, and where didn’t, but a loose ball came from him (and it was not the first time he made it), right to Jerković. Jerković ran up, shot, too high.
In the 90th minute Ninković ran up again on the left, passing to Bojinov, but Bojinov again fumbled and missed it out.

It was unbelievable. Now this Bulgarian could be put into position, unlike earlier, when he was just standing in the goalmouth being totally inactive, because nobody served him with the ball. Now he got excellent crosses, both by Ninković and Saša Ilić, and he could score only once.

 Ballet Šaponjić-style, some time in the second half

For the end Jagodina put our goal line under fire. In the 90+2nd minute Savković came up to our goalmouth on the right. He shot, Kljajić pushed the ball to corner kick. A minute later Marić shot, too high. Then Deletić, too wide. In the 90+5th minute Jerković shot, barely missing it. Finally, right before the final whistle Deletić possessed the ball and shot from a sharp left angle, barely missing it.

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: City stadium, Jagodina
Number of spectators: 2000
Referee: Nenad Đokić (assistants: Marko Dimitrijević, Slobodan Pavlović - 4th assistant: Ivica Stojanović - goal line assistants: Milorad Milićević, Zoran Široki)

Jagodina: Đ. Nikolić - Miladinović, Gašić, Filipović, Marić - Martinović, Knežević (Ožegović, 49.) - Francis, U. Nikolić (Deletić, 80.), Savković - Popović (Jerković, 73.)
Head coach: Miljojko Gošić

FK Partizan: Kljajić - Vulićević, Ćirković, Fabricio, Bandalovski - Jevtović (Šaponjić, 79.), Lukić (S. Ilić, 46.) - Grbić, Babović, Stevanović (Ninković, 67.) - Bojinov
Head coach: Ljubinko Drulović

Goal scorers: U. Nikolić (11.), Popović (44.), Bojinov (74.), Babović (84.)
Yellow card: Knežević (42.), Ćirković (69.), Popović (70.)
Red card: Grbić (40.)

Current championship standings:
1. CZ 47 points
2. Borac 31 points
3. Čukarički 29 points
4. Radnički Niš 28 points
5. Partizan 26 points
6. Javor 26 points
7. Mladost 23 points
8. FK Voždovac 22 points
9. Vojvodina 22 points
10. Surdulica 20 points
11. Novi Pazar 20 points
12. Metalac 18 points
13. OFK Beograd 15 points
14. Rad 13 points
15. Jagodina 12 points
16. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 8 points

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

FK Partizan - Jagodina 1:0 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 25)

The team was still under the impact of the previous round. Players seemed to be exhausted (mostly mentally) after last weekend’s eternal derby. It effected the entire game with Jagodina, these 90 minutes brought a pace slower than medium - it was actually a tired ball-passing with just a few real goal attempts.

Drinčić was watching the game from the side of the field. His yellow cards prevented him from playing

(photo: Twitter)

The truth is, Jagodina didn’t work too hard either. They didn’t want (or couldn’t) take advantage of the fact the opponent is approx. as weak as a fly in the autumn season.
I think we should be thankful for this.

The first attempt that is worth to mention happened in the 13rd minute. Marković sent a distant, powerful shot to the goal line, but Perić threw himself into the way. In the 17th minute Jagodina defenders cleared after a corner. The ball dropped to Petrović, Partizan’s defender shot, but it was too wide.
In the 20th minute Saša Ilić passed the ball to Šaponjić with a master movement. The young striker sent a shot from 15 metres to the goal, but the ball hit a defender.
Jagodina could reach our penalty area only in the 23rd minute, though even this try wasn’t enough for a goal attempt. It ended as a weak, insignificant heading towards the goalmouth, but the ball eventually rolled out slowly through the line near the goalpost. It was maybe enough to give a jogging excersise to Živko Živković, before he would have fallen into total boredom.
In the 25th minute a shot arrived to the middle from the left side after a Partizan-corner. Balažic (?) headed the ball

there was a huge upheaval in the goalmouth, watching the highlights it’s not clear who was standing here or there

the goalkeeper saved. The ball dropped to Babović, he sent the ball to the goal with a bicycle kick, but the ball hit the forearm of a defender.
No.
It wasn’t penalty.
The referee didn’t whistle, even if every Partizan player being present was waving for handball. But neither referee Đokić, nor the goal line assistant didn’t change their mind.

All slow motion replays clearly showed the ball touching the defender’s forearm. Partizan was again bereft from a penalty. Bravo. Thanks to all the lousy idiots who are in charge.

Even Saša Ilić couldn’t convince the goal line assistant about the handball

In the 27th minute Živko Živković had a great save at a sudden, distant shot. It was followed by a corner kick, and Partizan could immediately start a counter-attack. Andrija Živković ran up with the ball, but his action ended in a corner. His corner-kick was punched out by the goalkeeper. Šaponjić was that lucky person who grabbed the ball. He instantly headed it back to the goal, and the ball fell to the net. 1:0

Živko Živković saves...

...Andrija Živković runs up with the ball...

...Šaponjić heads it to the net...

...and we can celebrate.

In the 30th minute Andrija Živković and Šaponjić were passing the ball to each other inside Jagodina’s penalty area. Finally Marković grabbed it, he shot from the distance, but it was too wide.
In the 33rd minute Andrija Živković was kicked roughly to the ground, just at the penalty area line.

Free kick. Babović stood behind the ball and shot it right into the wall.

We still possessed the ball, the attempt ended in a corner. The kick arrived in the penalty area, Šaponjić wanted to grab it, but finally he kicked the air instead of the ball. Jagodina started a counter-attack, but someone kicked Marković brutally on the ground. Referee Đokić again didn’t whistle, instead he waved "go ahead". Luckily the ball got back to our possession.

I often had this feeling during the match, if referee Đokić is normal, then it’s surely me having mental deficiency.

We kept on possessing the ball. Jagodina was stuck on their half, and we kept their goalmouth under pressure especially at the end of the first half. In the 39th minute we got a free kick, approx. 30 metres from the goal line, but the goalkeeper caught the ball. In the 42nd minute Babović passed to Šaponjić, he gave the ball to Andrija Živković. Živković ran up and shot the ball to the middle from almost the base line, but nobody was waiting there... Even Brašanac, who was the closest, was stuck between two defenders, several steps behind the arriving shot, and watched in despair as the ball was rolling away in front of the goal line. Had anyone grabbed it and kicked it to the net, it would have been the Goal of the Year.

Meanwhile: beautiful sunset behind the stadium

(photo: Twitter)

In the second half, right at the beginning Andrija Živković’s pass hit a defender and ended almost as an own goal. Two minutes later Jagodina got a free kick about 25 metres from our goal line. The kick was headed by Vladimir Ilić to the goal line, but it was too wide. In the 52nd minute we got a free kick at the corner of Jagodina’s penalty area, but Andrija Živković’s shot was too flat.
Jagodina got back to life a bit in the second half, but despite this the match’s pace got slower. We possessed the ball more, but it was rather just some leisure-time ball-passing instead of actual football. Jagodina still didn’t have any considerable goal attempt.
In the 54th minute Bandalovski passed the ball to Šaponjić. From Šaponjić it went to Saša Ilić, who shot, but the goalkeeper saved. In the 64th minute Jagodina had a try, Šušnjar headed the ball too high.
In the 76th minute goalkeeper Perić caught Marković’s distant shot. In the meantime Grave Diggers made a wildfire on the southern tribune.

I can make anyone sure it was more exciting than the slowly passing match.

The pace got slower and slower, with weak attempts. In the 80th minute a few players stayed on the grass with muscle cramps after a trying from Jagodina. In the 82nd minute Grbić had a distant, weak shot, the goalkeeper easily caught it.
The last 10 minutes were about 22 very exhausted players breathing through their ears, picking quarrels at each other. In the last minute a Jagodina-player pushed Petrović very hard from behind, almost making him fall on the ground - it was deliberate without a doubt - but referee Đokić gave a yellow card to Petrović, nobody knows why.
The extra time brought two more attempts, first Ninković shot the ball into the skies, then soon before the final whistle he tried an action with Kojić. Kojić shot, but it was too wide.

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 2000
Referee: Nenad Đokić (assistants: Nenad Kurčubić, Marko Dimitrijević - 4th assistant: Nemanja Petrović - goal line assistants: Dejan Dimtrijević, Igor Paunović)

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, Balažic, B. Ilić, Petrović - Marković, Brašanac - A. Živković (Grbić, 73.), Babović (Ninković, 88.), S. Ilić - Šaponjić (Kojić, 61.)
Head coach: Zoran Milinković

FK Jagodina: Perić - Filipović, V. Ilić, Gašić, Antić - Đekić (Martinović, 83.), Milinković - Đurić (Arsenijević, 61.), Savković, Lepović - Šušnjar (Mihajlović, 81.)
Head coach: Simo Krunić

Goal scorer: Šaponjić (28.)
Yellow cards: A. Živković (37.), Savković (42.), Gašić (85.), Petrović (90.), Antić (90+1.)

Current championship standings:
1. Partizan 60 points
2. CZ 55 points
3. Čukarički 50 points
4. Novi Pazar 40 points
5. Vojvodina 40 points
6. Rad 37 points
7. OFK Beograd 35 points
8. Jagodina 30 points
9. Mladost 30 points
10. Borac 29 points
11. Radnički Niš 29 points
12. Napredak 25 points
13. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 25 points
14. Donji Srem 25 points
15. FK Voždovac 24 points
16. Radnički 1923 15 points

(Unmarked photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Jagodina - FK Partizan 0:2 (Serbian Cup semi-final, return match)

During the morning of the matchday someone threw Molotov cocktail on the house of Partizan’s vice president Milorad Vučelić. Nobody got injured, but everyone was shocked.

I’ll be honest, I’m not surprised. It was only the question of time that someone freaks out heavily and openly by the idiotism of the team management. I don’t say it was a justifiable action, nor do I say that it wasn’t. I just suggest to vice president Vučelić to sit back and reflect on what resulted this deterioration of things, before it’s too late, until his head is still on his neck.

Warming-up is the essence of all sports: Andrija Živković (left) and Darko Brašanac

As for the match, we played safe again. Šaponjić said a quick ’hi’ to goalkeeper Perić in the 3rd minute, the result ended in the net. The ball came from the left, dropping here and there inside the penalty area, finally the young striker headed it to the goal line and BANG. 0:1

In the 6th minute Jagodina had a dangerous try. Martinović’s shot hit the goalpost, then Živko Živković made a tremendous jump and caught the ball. The first 10 minutes of the match brought great pace, both teams ran a lot. Then in the 12th minute we got a free kick, about 17 metres from the goal line, but the shot hit the defenders’ wall.
In the 17th minute Drinčić made a corner kick. The ball dropped here and there inside the penalty area, yet the defenders still couldn’t clear it up. Finally Balažic took the chance and made a distant shot, goalkeeper Perić saved.
The 19th minute brought a major mistake by Jagodina defenders. They were fumbling so long that they lost the ball. Saša Ilić grabbed it and immediately shot. He missed it only with a few centimetres. Afterwards Jagodina tried something counter-attack-alike, but they didn’t reach our goal line.
A minute later Jagodina’s goal attempt flew away in front of our goal line. Our great luck was even though their striker was waiting in the middle for the ball, the shot was too high for him. Had he reached and headed it, they would have equalized for sure...
In the 27th minute Babović’s pass arrived from the left side, the recipient was Šaponjić. Jagodina’s goalkeeper ran out, Šapa quickly passed it to Andrija Živković, who just sneaked up to the goalmouth. The midfielder thanked and kicked the ball into the net among the shocked defenders. 0:2

This was the point when the match started to look like a training match. Partizan dominated the game, Jagodina assisted mostly. Both teams ran a lot, but without much goal attempts or even chances. In the 33rd minute Đurić sent a distant, powerful shot to our goal line, Živko Živković easily saved it. A few minutes later Andrija Živković tried with a pass from the right, but Perić caught it.

Saša Ilić and his mighty left leg

Partizan took a bit back from the pace. Our defenders were passing the ball among each other (while probably telling jokes to each other), Jagodina players were just loafing around with no useful ideas. As if it wasn’t a cup semifinal... There was some action in the 39th minute, Saša Ilić sent a shot ahead, but it was too long for Andrija Živković.
In the second half, Drinčić’s corner kick was cleared by defenders in the 47th minute. The ball dropped right in front of Brašanac. He shot, the goalkeeper saved.
In the meantime Jagodina players kept on kicking Partizan players, well, they barely possessed the ball, but still needed something to kick into... In the 51st minute Šaponjić got a great pass from Babović. Jagodina defenders were again just watching it with shock, while Partizan’s young striker made a too high shot inside the goalmouth.
A few minutes later Brašanac had a great save at our goal line. A minute later Bandalovski got the ball from Andrija Živković and shot.

Andrija Živković struggling with Mihajlović, while Bandalovski is coming up in the background

The goalkeeper saved, but the defenders again couldn’t clear the area. Drinčić grabbed the ball and made an immediate, distant shot. The goalkeeper saved again, now Jagodina made a counter-attack. Šušnjar shot, Živko Živković saved.

In the 61st minute he had a giant save again, now running out of the goalmouth, throwing himself in Šušnjar’s way.

I don’t say that it wasn’t sticky, but at this point the match reminded rather a 6th league game. So, this amount of risk came just in hand. Jagodina was just too weak. If I may have a question: does their seemingly best player, Đorđe Šušnjar have any plans to sign for a significant club? The entire home team fell asleep long ago, but he still kept on trying and fighting.

In the 66th minute again Živko Živković demonstrated his excellent reflexes. Savković was the "culprit", until that point he was undetected, then all of a sudden he sent a shot to our goal line. Živković jumped, threw himself and saved it to corner.
In the 73rd minute Jagodina got a free kick, about 20-22 metres from the goal line. The ball flew in to our penalty area, making a great upheaval, then Živko Živković saved with a great movement again. Three minutes later Jagodina defenders wanted to clear the area after a corner, but they failed. We still possessed the ball. Grbić dribbled himself through them, making a fool of the entire defense line, then shot, but the ball hit someone, the attempt ended in a goalkick.
In the 84th minute substitute player Marković made a shot from 20 metres. It was too wide... It could have been a great goal though.
In the 90+1st minute Jagodina got a free kick. The ball flew into our penalty area, a head rose up to send it to our goal line. Živko Živković made a huge save again, and we could ran up immediately for a counter-attack. Kojić had a great solo, running up all alone, with only one defender behind him, finally he shot the ball on the side net.

Partizan made it to the Serbian Cup final with a 5:0 aggregation, where we’ll clash with Čukarički.

Facts:

Venue: City stadium, Jagodina
Number of spectators: 2000
Referee: Nenad Đokić (assistants: Dejan Petrović, Nemanja Petrović - 4th assistant: Ivica Stojanović - goal line assistants: Dejan Santrač, Novica Anđelovski)

Jagodina: Perić, Savković (Janković, 70.), Antić, Mihajlović, Gašić, Živanović, Martinović (U. Nikolić, 61.), Popara, Đurić, Đekić, Šušnjar (Stoicev, 74.)
Head coach: Simo Krunić

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković, Bandalovski, Volkov, B. Ilić, Balažic, Brašanac, Drinčić (Marković, 57.), S. Ilić (Grbić, 61.), A. Živković, Babović, Šaponjić (Kojić, 75.)
Head coach: Zoran Milinković

Goal scorers: Šaponjić (3.), A. Živković (27.)
Yellow card: Popara (29.), Brašanac (66.), B. Ilić (73.)

(Photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

FK Partizan - Jagodina 3:0 (Serbian Cup, semifinal)

People usually like to be safe. It happens rarely when someone risks for the uncertain.
Of course it may happen every now and then.
But not now.
Because the team thought that making sure our qualification to the final is definitely a must, and they have to do it at the beginning of the match, because it is better to be safe than sorry.
So, we scored a very quick goal in the 3rd minute.
Šaponjić got a great pass and with a fantastic movement he gave the ball to Andrija Živković on the left side. Živković ran up and served it Grbić arriving in the middle.

Grbić just had to shoot. The ball landed in the net. 1:0

The goal had to be celebrated. Every goal has to be celebrated.

And here came Grbić’s amazing show.
The midfielder ran out to the bench and pulled the shoe down from his right feet, taking on a left-legged one. He posed for the cameras, then went back to the field and played with two left-legged shoe for the rest of the game.*

*It does have its background story, as everything else does. The day before the match Aleksandar Vučić, prime minister of Serbia said something not too easily explainable in a TV-show.
- Yes, I know, Partizan fans chant "Vučiću pederu" (Vučić is a faggot) every time their players miss out a chance. Well, even those players have only two legs, some of them have two left legs - said the prime minister.

Yes, he said it, this way, in a political broadcast, at the civil service TV station RTS 1, maintained from tax payers’ money. And no, the reporter didn’t tell him to shut the fuck up, didn’t interrupt the broadcast, didn’t protest that a democratically elected politician must never talk like this in the state-owned TV, instead, like a good servant, she nodded and wobbled with her eyelashes.

(Here is the video for everyone who wants to laugh, get shocked or even cry.)

Grbić’s action mentioned above was a strikingly elegant, poignant reply.

I don’t want to get too deep into politics, especially that it’s a sports blog, but I always get pissed when politics want to interfere into sports. But please, tell me, my beloved Serbian sisters and brothers, could you somehow send off this monkey? He is not a statesman, nor a strategist, his manifestations are not of a charismatic politician’s who follows tactics, but of a hysterical whore who acts from trepidity. Don’t let him stay in a decision-making position.

But let’s get back to the most important things.
In the 6th minute Jagodina tried with a distant shot, but Živko Živković saved. A minute later Grbić sent the ball to Bandalovski with an "Oxford" trick. The defender passed the ball from the right side to the goal line, but the ball left the field above the crossbar. Then in the 9th minute opponent player Đurić sent a shot from the left, but it went wide away.
Partizan dominated the match more and more. In the 12th minute Drinčić had a sudden, distant shot, but he missed it. Then in the 15th minute Andrija Živković brought a heart attack to goalkeeper Perić, sending a bomb shot from the left to the goal line. The ball landed on the upper net.
In the 19th minute Jagodina was trying again, Đurić had a powerful shot from 18 metres, Živko Živković had a great save.
Their next attempt came in the 30th minute. Their first try was blocked by our defense line, then Mitošević shot the ball from the distance to the goal line, but the ball flew out above the crossbar. Three minutes later Bandalovski and Ninković were passing the ball to each other while running up on the right. Finally the Bulgarian player shot, but couldn’t hit the goal line.
The 38th minute brought our counter-attack after Jagodina’s corner. Andrija Živković had a too long shot, but we could still possess the ball. Dričić had a 35-metre bomb shot, which was saved by the goalkeeper to corner. The chance was missed, but Ninković was literally knocked down in the upheaval. No, there was no penalty afterwards.

One of Drinčić’s corner shots, while Lukač is watching in the background

Then in the 44th minute Grbić passed the ball to Volkov. Volkov sent it to the middle, where Andrija Živković grabbed it and ruthlessly shot it into the net. 2:0

It was time for a  half-time pause.
In the second half Jagodina kept on trying, with minor success. In the 54th minute Lepović sent a distant bomb shot to our goal line, he probably hoped for a big surprise to Živko Živković. But for his very own surprise, Živković had a giant save.

One of Živković’s great saves

Then in the 59th minute Bandalovski passed the ball to Andrija Živković. Živković ran up and kicked the ball to Babović. Babović shot, right into the goalkeeper. Two minutes later again the Bandalovski-Andrija Živković axis was in the spotlight, giving the ball now to Grbić. The "double left legged" midfielder headed the ball too high, and even the assistant was waving for offside.

Bandalovski and Andrija Živković were the best players of the game

In the 62nd minute a corner shot was headed out right in front of Babović. Babović shot from 20 metres, but missed. 5 minutes later Andrija Živković sent a flat shot to the goal line, but the goalkeeper caught the ball. Two minutes later again Živković had a shot, this time Perić had to perform a big save to push the ball to corner.

Kojić started to warm up in the meantime

Jagodina fell to pieces. At this point Partizan had been doing whatever they wanted. In the 77th minute again the Bandalovski-Andrija Živković duo put themselves to action on the right side. Živković shot, but he missed. A minute later it was him again, sending a huge pass ahead, but two players were on offside. Another minute later Kojić was pushed down to the ground inside the penalty area, but the referee didn’t think about a possible penalty.

In the 81st minute Kojić missed a big chance. The striker got the ball after a corner upheaval. He was standing approx. a metre away from the goal line. He shot, but the ball flew out above the crossbar.
In the 86th minute again Andrija Živković ran up and passed the ball to Kojić in the middle. Kojić shot, the ball hit the crossbar and fell back to the goalmouth. Three minutes later Babović headed the ball to the goal line, but he also hit the crossbar.
In the 90th minute Brašanac cleared the area after a Jagodina free kick, then 2 minutes later, almost at the end of the extra time Kojić ran up on the right and passed to the middle, where Brašanac thanked and shot the ball to the net. 3:0

Highlights:

Return match: 8th April.

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 3000
Referee: Aleksandar Vasić (assistants: Jovica Milin, Matija Olajos-Nagy - 4th assistant: Bojan Stanojević - goal line assistants: Dejan Dimitrijević, Milan Jeremić)

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, Balažic, Ćirković, Volkov - Drinčić, Ninković (S. Ilić, 57.) - Grbić (Brašanac, 67.), A. Živković, Babović - Šaponjić (Kojić, 76.)
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

Jagodina: Perić - Mihajlović, Filipović, Antić (Šušnjar, 68.), Živanović - Popara (Arsenijević, 90.), Đurić, Savković, Lepović, Mitošević - Jovančić (Stojčev, 83.)
Head coach: Simo Krunić

Goal scorers: Grbić (3.), A. Živković (44.), Brašanac (90+2.)
Yellow card: Antić (35.), Lepović (53.), Šaponjić (73.)

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Jagodina - FK Partizan 1:0 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 10)

That's it.
We lost.
Even though Škuletić tried to say hi to goalkeeper Đuričić in the very first minute with a shot, but Đuričić was on guard and saved.

In the 4th minute a Jagodina defender made a huge mistake. The ball rolled to Saša Ilić, but his shot flew out of the field above the goalpost. A minute later it was again about Škuletić, making an easy, tricky pass trying to score a goal, but Đuričić was again on the lookout.
Then Partizan-players kept on falling to the ground. First Volkov, then Škuletić, both were holding their head. Volkov even needed medical assistance, Škuletić "just" got an elbow into his face.
Jagodina had their first chance in the 14th minute. The attack came from the left side, Partizan-defenders cleared the area, but the ball dropped to Đurić. Lukač saved with great reflexes.
In the meantime it looked like Volkov having some kind of hidden fight with a home player...
Nothing much happened until the 23rd minute. The game was going on the midfield, the goal lines weren’t really in danger. Then Partizan attacked, a pass arrived from the right side, which was headed out by a Jagodina defender - just right to Lazović. The striker shot into the goalkeeper’s lap.

Match action: Miladin Stevanović

The home team tried again in the 29th minute. Cvetković’s pass came from the right, but Lepović made a too high shot.
A minute later there was an upheaval in Jagodina’s penalty area. Volkov shot the ball in, defenders kicked it out, Lazović grabbed it, passed to Drinčić, finally it dropped to Marković and ended as a corner.
The next approx. 10 minutes passed with kicking Lazović. In the 33rd minute he fell on the ground together with a Jagodina-player (at this point someone from the bench - not sure from which - even got into an argument with the referee), then in the 39th minute the Partizan striker was kicked so hard to the ground that he needed medical assistance.

Head coach Marko Nikolić even told Andrija Živković to start to warm up, but a minute later Lazović re-joined the team on the field.
In the 41st minute Saša Ilić passed the ball to Škuletić, who shot on the side net. A minute later Jagodina had an attempt, but the ball rolled over in front of the goal line. The game was going on mostly in the midfield for almost the whole time, mostly on Jagodina's half. Yet the goals were hardly in danger, teams could barely get to each other's penalty area. If they still did, goalkeepers hardly had to interfere.
The second half immediately started with kicking Škuletić on the ground. It was followed by a free kick, about 25 metres. Drinčić stood behind the ball, he ran, kicked... Honestly speaking, I don’t know if he really meant it like that or it was just by accident. The ball turned off his foot and made a pathetic left "kifla". If he meant it this way, then at least he successfully confused the opponent. Finally Marković grabbed the ball and shot from about 20 metres. The ball flew out of the field just missing the goalpost with a few centimetres.

Saša Marković in action

Jagodina got a free kick in the 53rd minute, Lukač jumped up and caught it easily. In the meantime one of the assistants waved for offside, but the slow motion replay didn’t really confirm it (and it wasn’t the first case).
In the 55th minute Jagodina scored.
The ball was dropping here and there in front of Partizan’s goal line. Someone shot from right, Lukač saved. The ball dropped to Đurić, he passed it back to Jovančić, who was standing right near Partizan’s goal line, all alone. The striker thanked and did what all other strikers would do in this situation: he shot into the net from a few steps’ distance. 1:0

Partizan's way of playing was enervate enough even to this point. They were all visibly very exhausted. The past approx. 1,5 weeks took more out of them than anyone would have expected. At this very point we fell into pieces. In one hand it was terrible to see, yet in the other it was all totally understandable.

To je tako... as Saša Ilić would say

The 61st minute brought one of the biggest chances of the match. Grbić arrived like a bomb, tackled Jagodina’s defender at the penalty area line, ran up to the goal line and shot the ball on the side net.

After this the entire internet have been bullying Grbić. Many shouted "scapegoat" on him, making him responsible for our loss. It is disgusting. I dissociate myself from all such bullying articles and videos. Raise your hands, all of you who never ever messed it up in crucial moments. We are humans. Not robots.

The team still kept on attacking. They were fighting, they were motivated, it was clear they didn't give it up. Muscles may have been tired and out of power, but their heart was still chasing them... Meanwhile Grave Diggers covered the tribune with Greek fire.

71st minute brought a chance for Živković, who joined the game recently as substitute. Ninković passed him from the left to him, the shot barely missed the goal. Then 4 minutes later Jagodina started a counter-attack. It was tough, finally Stevanović cleared the area with a brave movement.
Lazović got a ball in the 83rd minute. He passed it to Jagodina’s penalty area, where a defender headed it out. Ninković got the ball, the midfielder shot it back to the middle, where it was again headed out, right to Drinčić. He shot from about 20 metres, the ball hit the left goalpost, even the goalkeeper was in shock, finally a defender kicked the ball out.
Škuletić had another try in the 86th minute, then a bit later Živković missed a chance by heading too high. In the 90th minute Ninković made a distant shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. He tried again in the 90+2nd minute, but his shot was too high. Škuletić had a very last try in the 90+5th minute, then the referee whistled three.

Match highlights:

Facts:

Location: City Stadium, Jagodina
Number of spectators: 2000
Referee: Aleksandar Vasić (assistants: Nemanja Petrović, Vladimir Jovanović - 4th assistant: Miloš Gagić - goal line assistants: Bojan Nikolić, Petar Piper)

Jagodina: Đuričić - Milinković, V. Ilić, Mihajlović, Gašić - Mitošević, I. Cvetković (Martinović, 88.) - Đurić (N. Arsenijević, 90+4.), Lepović - F. Arsenijević, Jovančić (Šušnjar, 80.)
Head coach: Simo Krunić

FK Partizan: Lukač - Stevanović (Marinković, 80.), B. Ilić, Stanković, Volkov - Grbić (A. Živković, 62.), S. Ilić, Drinčić, Marković (Ninković, 67.) - Lazović, Škuletić
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

Goal scorer: Jovančić (55.)
Yellow card: Lazović (65.), B. Ilić (66.), Drinčić (82.), Mihajlović (85.), Đuričić (88.)

Current championship standings:
1. Vojvodina 25 points
2. Partizan 24 points*
3. Crvena Zvezda 23 points
4. Čukarički 18 points
5. Novi Pazar 16 points
6. Mladost 16 points
7. OFK Beograd 15 points*
8. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 15 points
9. Rad 11 points
10. Jagodina 11 points
11. Donji Srem 11 points
12. Borac 10 points
13. Radnički Niš 9 points
14. Napredak 7 points
15. FK Voždovac 7 points
16. Radnički 1923 4 points

Teams marked with * played one less matches

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Coming up: Jagodina - FK Partizan tomorrow (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 10)

Partizan travels tomorrow to Jagodina to meet FK Jagodina at 17:00 - that FK Jagodina that is 12th on the current league table.
- Our entire winning superliga-series would be wasted if we stopped just now - said Marko Nikolić. - Vulićević and Brašanac are injured, as for Ilić, Ćirković and Drinčić, they are all seriously exhausted. Yet it mustn’t be any sort of excuse. The boys clearly know the importance of this game, I could see it on the faces after the match against Besiktas.
The head coach warned against drawing conclusions from the opponent's place on the league table.
- It is always a tough job for us against Jagodina. They are highly motivated every time they play against us, also they have an excellent trainer. As for us, we are a bit worn out after the eternal derby and the Besiktas-match - Nikolić explained. - So, this time we need such an amount of motivation against Jagodina that is almost abnormal.
The trainer talked about young Miladin Stevanović, who debuted at the game against Besiktas.
- I did not have any doubts about him for a moment, he has the appropriate mentality to play in the senior team. He is calm and confident, he passed the exam - Nikolić pointed at the possibility that Stevanović might be the substitute for Vulićević from now on.

ArenaSport 1 will broadcast the match live.