Fan blog of Partizan Sports Society (JSD Partizan) in Belgrade, Serbia. Football, basketball, volleyball, handball, ice hockey, water polo, news, players, all that are a matter of curiousity.
A subjective blog. English is not my mother tongue.
English version of http://jsdpartizanfan.blogspot.com/
I love Ivanjica. This town enchants me every time, and when Partizan play there, sometimes I’m busier staring at the misty mountains surrounding the football pitch than actually watching the game.
I must get to Ivanjica. I must see the mountains and the houses in the valley. Here is a photo about the town and its main street (source: skyscrapercity.com), enjoy.
As for the game itself, we had great luck, because we could score from our very first attack in the 10th minute. Janković ran up from a counter-attack, shot and scored, the goalkeeper was just blinking, like a fish in the shopping bag. (0:1) Then all that happened was that there was some pace (it was slowly gone after the 20th minute…), but no attempts. Though in the 23rd minute the ball fell into the net on the Ivanjica side of the pitch, but the referee whistled it off, fouling Tawamba (there was some wrestling in the goalmouth). Goal-kick. Javor had a chance in the 27th minute, but the shot was too wide. Then Ožegović was dancing on my nerves (most probably not just on mine…) in the 31st minute. He was in the goalmouth, Tawamba crossed from left, and Ožegović, well, he simply fell on his arse, while the ball rolled away. Ouch… The pace slowed down, all those ideas we still had (BWAHHAHAHA, we, having ideas?... Joke of the year…), were gone, too. Finally it was Janković again who got fed up with it all saying “go fuck yourselves, check this”, ran up and scored our second goal. (0:2) (photo: partizan.rs)
Sometimes I don’t know what to think about Janković. Sometimes he is like depression itself on two legs, just hanging around the pitch, not even touching the ball. Then, like now, he runs, scores (one or more goals), organizes attacks, USES HIS HEAD, not just to forward the ball, but to think, too. He definitely needs a Marko Nikolić-alike coach who’s not only a coach, but also psychologist, educator and second father as well.
As for the second half, let’s just forget it.
It says all that I turned on the TV in the 63rd minute to watch the rerun of Atletico Madrid - Real Madrid on Sport 2 Channel, because I needed something that is real football, not just “contains football in tracks”.
On this game in Ivanjica we had two huge chances, both missed out (first in the 65th minute, the non-bald Miletić shot too wide from 5 metres, then in the 75th Tošić kicked the ball into the goalkeeper from 3 steps), then Stojković had to perform a great save in the 80th minute, when Mikanivić had a distant shot.
If I wanted to put it up into one short sentence, then I'd say, those in power almost managed to crack us up, but finally they failed.
I could have said it in a much rougher and more vulgar way, but it would have been pointless. On the other hand it took this very long for me to calm down after the game. But first things first.
Teams are walking out to the pitch, while Zvezda-fans were waving with these shiny red wrapping papers
The derby brought a massive wrestling game for more than 90 minutes. It contained football only in tracks, while it was full of fights, provocations, disputes and spitting at each other. Only 13 seconds passed when Kanga picked a fight with Everton
I can’t help, this guy makes me think of Kanga and Roo every goddamn time
in the meantime someone please tell me, what the heck was this awful weeper song at the beginning of the game? It made my ears bleed AND it was shut down way after the game started.
When it was finally turned off (or I don’t know, someone killed the person at the public-address system) it felt so good to hear Grave Diggers overchanting Zvezda-fans.
So, there was some football there. In the 4th minute Leonardo ran up on the left side, but he was blocked (this was the first real action on the game), two minutes later Vulićević crossed, the ball dropped to the diagonal side, Miletić crossed it back, it ended as a corner-kick. Meanwhile a Partizan-player was knocked to the ground in the goalmouth, the refere didn’t whistle it off. Oh well. Corner kick again. Leonardo got the ball, shot, and barely missed. Zvezda’s goalkeeper saved in the last moment. Meanwhile the southern tribune was on fire, a small pause was needed, maybe referee Majo Vujović’s eyes got hurt by the smoke.
There was a great tension on the pitch. In the 10th minute Đurđević put himself into action, but he was blocked in the goalmouth. Zvezda’s first attempt came in the 13th minute, well, that kind of attempt that brought out a raised eyebrow from the average viewer. Boakye shot, but Partizan-defenders blocked him.
Then again came some fight, it seemed, Everton and Kanga really hate each other. Petković joined them, nobody knows why, because nobody asked him to do so.
Marko Nikolić tries to hold back the two enraged Brazilians to tear Petković into small pieces
Tension just grew, action was less and less available. In the 17th minute Ruiz got the ball after a corner-kick, the Costa Rican shot - and almost tore the advertising board behind the box.
At this point Zvezda was more active - or rather they possessed the ball more than us, but in fact their defenders kept on passing it around among each other behind the half-line. Plavšić wanted to squeeze out a penalty in the 19th minute, he fell on the ground inside Partizan’s penalty area, but instead of penalty he got a yellow card for acting.
Partizan earned a few corner kicks, but the box was still out of sight. Both teams grew more and more tensed and nervous, they kicked each other instead of the ball. This latter one (the ball) was still possessed by Zvezda more, though they still kept on passing around with seemingly no useful idea. Or they lost it. On this derby there was a huge load of lost, dropped-out, rolled-away ball, pass or cross.
Leonardo was smarter, he never lost the ball
Then came the 34th minute and a very bizarre situation.
Zvezda attacked. Anđelković passed to Ruiz on the left. Ruiz ran up, but the ball rolled out through the baseline.
The referee didn’t whistle.
Every Partizan-player was waving with hands up for the referee that the ball was out. But neither referee Majo Vujović, nor additional assistant Srđan Obradović found it to be a goal-kick for Partizan.
You get what I mean. The ball rolls out through the baseline. At least five Partizan-players are waving that it was out, but the referee doesn’t see it. Nor does the assistant. None of them.
Ruiz passed to Kanga, the Gabonian shot and scored. 1:0
This screenshot has been circulating around the internet since then
(source: mozzartsport.com)
What can be said on this?
Nothing. Nothing should be said, because everyone knows it already.
Nevertheless the goal kicked Partizan hard on the stomach. Tense just grew even bigger.
The moment when you realize, the referee really validated an invalid goal for Zvezda
(photo: hotsport.rs)
...and when you realize, the assistant also needs a brain implant
In the 40th minute Plavšić had a try after a Zvezda corner kick, but the defenders blocked. Another corner kick. Again Plavšić got the ball, now he shot, it was too high.
Constant fights and tension, we were already in the extra time. Jevtović was so brutally kicked to the ground in the 47th minute, that I could hear him screaming through the stream. Free kick for us, about 20 metres from the box. Leonardo sent a cannon shot, but the goalkeeper jumped and saved.
Marko Nikolić some time during the game
When Zvezda and the referees walked out to the pitch for the second half, the stadium echoed the chanting "Lopovi, lopovi" (thieves, thieves).
We pushed hard at the beginning of the second half. We immediately got a free kick. Leonardo crossed it to the goalmouth, Đurđević shot, the goalkeeper caught it. Three minutes later Ostojić headed the ball to the box after a corner kick, it was too high. A minute later another corner kick, now Miletić’s shot was too high. In the 52nd minute Leonardo shot from at least 35 metres, it was again too high. Zvezda had their first attempt of the second half in the 61st minute, Ruiz shot, too wide.
Then nothing really happened out of great tension and nervousness.
We got a free kick in the 69th minute. Janković crossed it to the middle, there Leonardo got it, he shot, too wide. In the 71st minute Kljajić blocked a counter-attack by Zvezda (out of this he had nothing to do in the whole second half). The game got rougher and rougher, it reminded more of a survivor game than a football match.
Average fan was sweating hard, with hands trembling. Seriously, no eternal derby had ever killed me like this one. For the end of the game I was like a zombie, both physically and emotionally.
Zvezda was no-nonsense. Whenever they got to a Partizan-player, they kicked him to the ground. The ball was just there, nobody cared for it. There was no attempt or action, only fight.
Kosović gets a slap in the face
Time passed. Average Fan started to lose hope. I started to plan my epitaph.
Then came the 88th minute.
Vulićević appeared out of the blue and ran up with the ball on the right. He made a fantastic cross to the middle, and there Đurđević - while fighting with two defenders - headed it right into the box.
GOLAZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
1:1!!!!!!!
The moment when Đurđević heads the ball into the box
...and when he celebrates
It was fuel to the fire. The brutal tension that was ready to blow up in any moment there in the Zvezda-stadium was unbelievable. Zvezda-players lost control, Average Fan was praying hard for Partizan-players to hang in there.
They did.
After about 3 minutes of extra time Majo Vujović gave the final whistle to the eternal derby. We could celebrate. This draw was more like a victory. Not just against Zvezda.
We celebrated. We had every reason for it.
I also want a T-shirt like this on Janković
"Svi kao jedan"
Highlights:
Facts:
Venue: Mordor Stadium Rajko Mitić, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 41 132
Official: Majo Vujović (assistants: Svetozar Živin, Milan Šutulović - 4th official: Srđan Milutinović - additional assistants: Srđan Obradović, Lazar Lukić)
Did you know that His Majesty Lord Fat Pig I. (alias Miloš Vazura) and The Former Politician Who Used To Be The Bestie Of Milošević (aka Milorad Vučelić) and co. are served by a waiter in the VIP-section?
You didn’t know?
Now you know.
A waiter. For fuck’s sake. A WAITER
While in a silent corner of the eastern tribune there was someone sitting there all alone...
Yes, it’s him. Nikola Drinčić, humbly, by himself
(photo: Facebook/Bianconeri di Belgrado)
Some rumour about Škuletić being there as well, if I find any photo about that, I’ll upload, of course.
Talking about the game, we attacked right in the first minute, Stevanović crossed, but nobody was fast enough to catch it. The reply came in the 3rd minute through Čečarić and his attempt, Kljajić caught it. Two minutes later he (Kljajić) had great luck, when he made a goal-kick, and the ball dropped to a Novi Pazar-player (Dimitrijević). Dimitrijević ran up, shot, Kljajić ran back to the goalmouth and could catch the ball just before the goal line.
Novi Pazar had a strong start, then Đurđević shot the ball into the goalkeeper in the 9th minute. Marjanović did the same in the 17th. In the 24th Stevanović crossed from the left, Đurđević was too slow, the goalkeeper caught it.
We took the lead in the 26th minute. Marjanović passed to Stevanović. Stevanović ran up, dribbled inside the penalty area, then passed to Bojinov, who was (again) slow like a sloth. But not Janković. He appeared out of the blue behind the Bulgarian and shot the ball right into the box. 1:0
27th minute, corner-kick for Partizan. Guess whose head flew the ball above with just two millimetres?
a) Bojinov
b) the Sloth
c) the Bulgarian, who is proven to be too small
In the 30th minute Alivodić had a try, too wide. Afterwards a very thick smoke covered the pitch, too thick to be able to see anything. Even the commentator was just guessing whether the fouling Novi Pazar player got a yellow card or not, because nothing could be seen, maybe only silhouettes.
The next goal was a fail by Novi Pazar. Goalkeeper Zogović surely regretted in that moment to end up at the goal line instead of being e.g. a rope-dancer. Stevanović ran up, passed to Miletić, Miletić passed it back to Stevanović. Stevanović shot, it was a powerful one, the goalkeeper saved, but the ball dropped out of his hands and slowly rolled into the box. 2:0
Discreet happiness
In the 41st minute Janković shot with a fantastic bicycle-kick. Pity it was too wide, had he scored, he could have stood in line for the Puskás-award.
By the way, this was the southern tribune. What a crowd, isn’t it? Oh, wait...
Well, what did we expect, only 2500 spectators were present officially.
At the beginning of the second half Marjanović crossed the ball from the right, Bojinov was too slow again, missing it with just half a centimetre.
Bojinov was his own shadow at this game. I don’t even remember when was the last time he had so many screwed-up situations. He was always too slow to reach passes and crosses, he shot the ball into the opponent players, kicked into the ball just to make it roll out through the line and so on. Sometimes I had the feeling he was doing it on purpose. This kind of fooling around may do on a gala match, but it’s just fucking no funny on a championship game.
In the 54th minute Janković got a pass. He ran up, dribbled a defender and shot, it ended with a corner-kick.
It was still the 54th minute, we scored our 3rd goal. I have never seen such a comedy so far (It wasn’t the funny type, rather the pathetic one.)
Marjanović arrived on the right and crossed the ball to the other side, where Bojinov and Đurđević were both waiting.
Both of them attempted, making this weid, ballet-alike scene...
...nevertheless the ball dropped to the box, Bojinov ran out to the tribune to celebrate himself...
...the only problem was that the slow motion replay showed Uroš Đurđević scoring the goal, from every possible angle.
It wasn’t you, dude
The stadium speaker nevertheless mentioned Bojinov as the goal scorer, while the official match report named Đurđević. Meanwhile ArenaSport’s commentator couldn’t find his breath from laugh over this situation.
Oh well. A goal is always a goal and it must be celebrated
It made me laugh though when the commentator mentioned the goal scorers. He said, "first goal, Janković, second goal, Stevanović... then, well for me it’s Đurđević here, for Bojinov... it’s Bojinov".
In the 57th minute Đurđević got a pass (probably from Miletić), he shot, right into the goalkeeper.
Novi Pazar’s first and only attempt in the second half was in the 82th minute. Đoković shot from the right, Kljajić saved, corner-kick.
It made me raise my eyebrows to see Everton kicking everyone to the ground who just approaches him - he does not do it this often with the ball though... - but when he gets a kick, he collapses, rolls up and down on the field and plays the dying swan. Someone should tell him that he should focus on actual playing instead of being a pussy, because sometimes I can count on one hand how often he touches the ball during a match.
Đuričković’s score in the 84th minute settled the final result. It was a smooth thing, the ball dropped to the midfielder, he sent a cannon shot from 18 metres and scored. 4:0
A minute later Micevski tried the same trick on the other side, just he shot from 30 metres and it was too high. Alivodić had an attempt, too, trying to score one just for the honour, but Kljajić saved. Then in the 89th minute Ostojić headed the ball to the box, but it was too wide. The last attempt was in the extra time, Janković had a distant shot, but this too was too wide.
Saša Ilić. He didn’t play a minute, still he got a loud applause
Highlights:
Facts:
Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 2500
Official: Nenad Đokić (assistants: Vladimir Jovanović, Slobodan Pavlović - 4th assistant: Marko Popović)
FK Partizan: Kljajić, Vulićević, Milenković, Ostojić, Miletić, Everton, Marjanović, A. Stevanović (Đuričković, 79.), Janković, Đurđević (Đurđić, 72.), Bojinov (Mihajlović, 70.)
Head coach: Marko Nikolić
We kickstarted this game literally, right after walking out to the pitch of the Gornji Milanovac stadium. Everton shot from the distance (too wide). And that’s how we continued. Both teams had a sweeping start and kicked - no, not the ball, but each other.
There were too many of these very rough clashes. Partizan’s medical team rushed on and off the pitch more during this one game than the entire season.
Partizan’s medical team picking the pieces of Miletić
Metalac also tried with an attempt here and there, having a break from chopping Partizan’s players. They made a smaller goalmouth scramble in the 4th minute, in the meantime Leonardo got his own, personal barnacle defender that kept on hanging on the Brazilian for the whole match. Kljajić had his first job in the 7th minute, catching Caicedo’s right cross. He again caught another, distant shot in the 11th minute. From this we started a counter-attack. Janković crossed, Leonardo was blocked by defenders in the last moment, but we still possessed the ball. We kept Metalac’s goalmouth under pressure, with no attempt though.
Janković was kicked to the ground twice within two minutes, both times he had a painful face laying on the grass.
Today was not Janković’s day. Whenever a Metalac-player got next to him, Janković was immediately kicked or elbowed down
Metalac had two attempts in a row. First was in the 17th minute, the second in the 18th minute. First Rovčanin had a distant shot (too high), then Jovanović tried from the goalmouth (corner-kick). We got two free kicks, first in the 23rd minute. Leonardo shot, 20-22 metres from the box. The ball rolled through the penalty area, everyone was way behind it, then it dropped out of the pitch through the baseline. Then in the 30th minute, again Leonardo shot. The goalkeeper had a big save, Leonardo pushed the ball back to the goalmouth, Đurđević headed it, the goalkeeper caught it. In the 35th minute Metalac had an attempt, for our great luck Caicedo missed the cross coming from the right.
I noticed something and it was so great to see that we are starting to act as a TEAM. There is teamwork and harmony, not just 11 players running up and down the pitch the way they just want. They watch each other and most of all, every little detail among them is dovetailed. This is something you must continue to do in the future, too, boys!
On the pitch there wasn’t much action to watch except the many fouls. Finally in the 42nd minute Jevtović made a distant cannon shot, the goalkeeper saved. Then in the 44th minute Janković made a fantastic dribble, Metalac’s player - probably as a sign of appreciation - kicked him to the ground. The whole Partizan-bench got on their feet, everyone was yelling around, the referee obviously lost control of the scene. Finally he gave a yellow card - to Everton.
The Brazilian didn’t do anything this time.
Janković, when he is in action and not on the ground, kicked down
We started the second half with a row of attempts. Đurđić headed it in the 47th minute (too high), right after him Leonardo shot (the goalkeeper saved), then again him in the 51st minute with a distant shot (too high). The pace slowed down a bit, but the game was the same heated and full of clashes like in the first half. Metalac had a chance in the 56th minute, Jovanović shot, too high. Right after that Đurđić had a try again, he headed it, too high.
Then in the 61st minute Leonardo just simply stole the ball from a Metalac-player. He ran up, slalomed himself through the defense line, then made a cannon shot from 20 metres. And scored! 0:1
Leonardo shoots...
...and scores. Watch the body language of the Metalac-player
Saša Ilić was about to join the game as a substitute. He surely didn’t mind waiting a bit more to step on the pitch (he could celebrate anyway)
From then on not much happened. Metalac struggled, they had no useful idea at all, out of chopping Partizan-players ahead. The pace simply disappeared, attempts lacked. Though in the 78th minute Đurđević missed out a huge chance. Miletić crossed to the middle, there Đurđević, seriously, he was only 3 steps away from the box, and he missed it out. Then Mitrović had a 30-metre bomb shot to our box, too wide. For the rest of the game Đurđević was chopped mostly instead of Janković (the latter one was substituted in the 81st minute). Leonardo also got his "package", for his luck he was about to get substituted, so he walked off with the help of the medical team. At the very end Đurđević had one last try, the goalkeeper saved.
Highlights:
Facts:
Venue: Metalac stadium, Gornji Milanovac
Number of spectators: 3000
Official: Milan Ilić (assistants: Milan Minić, Ivica Stojanović - 4th official: Danilo Grujić)
Catastrophal defeat yesterday, flood of idiotism today. Iliev, Vazura and the whole gang overtook the forever-ready-for-some-gossip press and loaded a pile of shit to the by default angry and bitter fans. Iliev told to Mozzartsport (you can read it here if you want...) that
The management is not responsible for the defeat. They did all they could to support the team. They tried to live up to expectations on every field. In my opinion they are innocent. They never caught up in the business part, they always had a positive attitude and ensured excellent circumstances for the team. That's how it should be. Well, unfortunately we had no luck.
Wait, wait, it's still not the end. Here comes the self-polishing. I still take responsibility for my work. I'm expected to give the maximum, so I give the maximum. [...] And again I repeat, we did not lose, we just couldn't qualify.
Yea. Sure. You are not mental either, you just ran out of your medicines, right?...
Afterwards the Fantastic Sports Director told that the management still supports the head coach. Our team is continuously improving, technically, physically and morally.
Don't laugh!...
In the past six months Ivan achieved everything a head coach can achieve, he won the Cup, he finished on the second place of the championship. Now he had an excellent preparation with the team, we could see the result at the first match against the Poles.
Yea, fucktard, absolutely. We did. The problem is that it should have been seen on the second game, you sicko. We can stick the first match right up into our ass.
Unfortunately we are hostages of the final result.
Yes. It did get released like this, publicly. "Nažalost, taoci smo rezultata." He did say this, he had the courage to speak like this. FUCK YOU, ILIEV! GET OUT OF PARTIZAN, NEVER EVER COME NEARBY EVER IN YOUR LIFE! You fucking, mentally retarded Vazura-servant, you can thank your guardian angel if your head won't be torn off by angry fans! (Yet you'd deserve it...)
The best is yet to come.
Vazura threw this up from himself, to the press. I repeat, Europe is not a priority.
Yes. He said that. Europe is not a priority. I put the screenshot here, it's from mondo.rs, you can see it in its original form here, just click.
Take that.
Filip Kljajić, Partzan’s reserve goalkeeper supports Marko Janković walking off the pitch after yesterday’s defeat
(photo: partizan.rs)
It hurts, said Nemanja Mihajlović, one of the tragic heroes of the game according to mondo.rs. I think we were better on both games, but it seems it’s not always enough. We knew we were better but we couldn’t show it on the field.
Son,
I find you a very talented youngster, but the sad truth is that you were all crap. You were fucking not better. Do you know what would have been, if you had really been better? YOU’D HAVE SCORED GOALS, GOALS!!! Not one, not just two, but many!
And now it’s time for superliga. Maybe we can score a few against Bačka Palanka and Napredak. Maybe.
At least half of the starting 11 line-up was totally unknown for me.
Someone should tell me why it’s good to scrounge a bunch of new players that could make up an entire starting eleven. Players you’ve never heard of, and you don’t know who and why wanted to sign them for Partizan. None of them is a class player, none of them has character, yet at the same time we sell out our own youth/cadet players even before they reach the coming of age.
Fans started to chant "Vučiću pederu" before the start. Nothing new, nothing special, just carrying on where we finished in the previous season, right?
Starting line-up
Bench
(photos: partizan.rs)
I’d like to ask head coach Ivan Tomić about why Saša Ilić had to stay on the bench for the whole time NOW, when we play in the Europa League?...
Then the match started and we passed the ball among us. We also kept on passing the ball. We passed the ball here and there. Our ball possession was excellent. We could even reach the Polish penalty area, but we then stopped there. Đurđić was supposed to be on the striker position, yet I could hear his name to be mentioned only once during the first 20 minutes.
Zaglebie played defensive football. They probably wanted to survive this game without getting any goal. The first time they had any mentionable attempt on our goal (and it was really on target) was in the 24th minute. Otherwise Partizan kept on passing the ball. Here and there. With no visible result.
It started to be exciting in the last 10 minutes. First Radović missed out 2 chances in a row, then it was Mihajlović’s turn to miss out an attempt with the ball hitting a defender and by this "ricochet" rolling out of the field missing the target with 2 millimetres or so. Bogosavac too had a great chance, hitting the crossbar, while Đurđić raised to Bojinovian heights, when he screwed up an attempt 3 steps from the goal line in the 41st minute. (Then he had a fight with Todorovski.)
The moment when you realize Euro2016 is over and you have to content yourself with superliga
(photo: partizan.rs)
I think it says all that I was begging for the game to end already in the 50th minute. Numerous attempts were missed out (Đurđić, Radović). Papadopulos got his 2nd yellow card in the 55th minute, from then on Zaglebie played with 10 players.
And we still couldn’t score one single goal. We tried, while the Polish team didn’t pressure themselves too much. They played it defensive. They had one attempt in the 61st minute, they dribbled it so good that they made Everton fall on the ground, then they barely missed it.
The Substitute Of All Times. Đurđić off, Bojinov on. Effectivity is not our cup of tea, is it? Most important is to look fancy on the field, with the trendiest haircut ever
(photo: partizan.rs)
The team seemingly started to get exhausted around the 75th minute. Players slowed down, they fumbled more and more. It was easy for Polish players to tackle them. They even got up to our penalty area
once Gogoua almost headed an own goal
then they quickly ran back home.
Iliev’s facial expression is just priceless. Only he can make such a numbskull face
(photo: partizan.rs)
The team picked themselves together for the last few minutes and attacked the Polish goal line continuously, with no success. Bojinov just had to miss out a chance, kicking the ball to the sky from the five-metre-line in the last minute.
BotoxBiki (aka Biljana Obradović, Partizan’s so-called PR-manager) was staying behind the southern goal line among photographers, bringing a rather polluted aura to the field. If I had been there with the players, I’d have suggested to play target shooting: those who can hit her botoxed head off her giraffe neck, would get extra bonus after the match.
Saša Ilić was surely not happy with the sight
(photo: partizan.rs)
Goalless draw against a team that played most of the second half with 10 players. We must very heavily pick ourselves together for the return match, if we want to be mentioned as a "European team".
Miroslav Bogosavac and Marko Janković were the only ones who had fair performance
This game was in fact a great battle/wrestling in the Banjica swimming pool. The result, this draw and the low number of goals tell it all.
Dimitrije Rističević during the presentation of players
Fair-play handshakes
List of our players
The team is already in the pool, Draško Gogov is focusing
Last discussion before kickstart
(screenshots)
The two teams immediately started a huge battle, they didn’t slow down during the entire game. Both Partizan and the Croatian team attacked heavily for the end. There was barely any attack or attempt that was not in power play. First the Zagreb-based team swam up, but the referees whistled them off. We could come up for a counter-attack, Asanović shot, the goalkeeper saved. Mladost attacked, someone shot, Rističević had a great save. We instantly attacked back, someone from us shot, it was too wide. And so on, and so on... it was going like this, with no stop. Both goalkeepers had 100 % tonight, Rističević as well as Marcelić on the other side, unfortunately.
(screenshot)
Constant goal attempts, constant blocks, we missed out a double power play, meanwhile Stojanović was fouled twice within a short time. Mladost also got into a double power play, they also missed it out. There was less than 90 seconds left from the first quarter, when Mladost got a penalty shot. They scored, why not (0:1). What is more, there were only 18 seconds left, when they scored another, while Gilen’s shot hit a defender, and a bit later the Croatian goalkeeper saved Tanasković’s attempt. We finished the first quarter with 0:2.
In the beginning of the second quarter Drašović scored our first goal (1:2), while Mladost’s player Paškvalin got a red card (I’m not sure if I saw it well, but the Croatian player had to leave the pool). Not much later the steam died.
I could save these two images before it ceased to work
(screenshots)
Desperate search for a working stream - when I finally found one, the standing was 2:3 (our goal was scored by Janković) and there were only 2 minutes left from the first half. Gogov quickly equalized before the end buzz (3:3) and Gilen blocked a Croatian attempt with such a cheeky, amazing movement that it made Average Fan grinning wide. It was high time for some rest.
The third quarter started with a penalty for Partizan. Gilen thanked the chance, shot and scored (4:3). Then another period came with battles, missed out attempts and great saves by goalkeepers.
Timeout in the third quarter
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Mladost’s goalkeeper saved another attempt by us. Croatians immediately swam up for a counter-attack - and they equalized. 4:4
The bitter, fruitless battle continued. Both goalkeepers saved every shot, every attempt and even the fact that Mladost’s player, Pavičić was fouled out, didn’t help us.
Looking at the statistics I realized that Drašović was also fouled out. I swear I don’t remember when it happened.
The fourth quarter started with a cardial arrest. Croatians shot from a very sharp angle on the left side. The ball stopped right on the goal line. Referees shook their head, no goal, it’s still 4:4, a big load was off Average Fan’s mind. Partizan had a counter-attack and the very same scene happened at Mladost’s goalmouth. Someone from us shot, the ball stopped on the goal line, the referees said no. Aaaaargghhh, it’s still 4:4!...
A row of missed out chances came. Both teams attacked tirelessly, bitterly and fruitlessly. Asanović had a distant shot, he missed it out. Tigkas also had a cannon shot from far away, hitting the goalpost. For our great luck Rističević made miracles on the other side of the pool.
One of Rističević’s great saves in the last quarter - do you agree this boy should get into the national team?
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Another Mladost-attack, they even get into power play, and BANG, they score. Damn it, 4:5, while we missed out another attempt. Mladost’s coach asks for timeout. Croatians attack, they’re in power play, but the striker’s hand shakes in the critical moment and shoots it above the crossbar. Yessss, it’s our turn! Big upheaval, we get into power play, only 20 seconds are left... aaaaaaaaand, Ognjen Stojanović scores, what a fantastic goal! 5:5, there are just a few seconds left, Mladost tries with a quick attack, someone shoots, but Rističević saves it with eyes closed. He saved the attempt, we saved one point.
