Radnički Niš - FK Partizan 0:2 (superliga, round 28)

I’m here, still alive. So is the blog. In the past weeks I either had no energy to post or I was sick, but I keep on trying to update it as regularly as I can.
Okay. Enough of private life. Let’s see the game.
We had an "in medias res" start and attacked Radnički so hard from the very first minute, that they had to work overtime to find their breath. Already in the 4th minute we had a free kick, Janković shot, it was too high. A minute later came Everton and his (also too high) shot. In the 8th minute Tawamba crossed the ball to the middle, Đurđević made some magic (dribbling all around), but he was tackled. Three minutes later Janković’s cross arrived, Leonardo got it, all doors and windows were open, but he was blocked by defenders, and it was also flag up. And so on. We continuously attacked in the first 20 minutes, we didn’t allow the home team even to collapse for the lack of oxygen. There was a suspicious scene in the 22nd minute, Janković fell on the ground inside the penalty area of Radnički. The referee whistled, but not for penalty, instead he gave a yellow card to Janković for acting.

Volkov and Janković. Volkov is still a damn good player, may the Almighty collapse the sky to all the imbecile idiots in Partizan’s leadership for not running head over heels to sign Volkov - and Kojić - back to Partizan, instead they let them sign to Radnički

Then the pace slowed down a bit, but Partizan still controlled the game. In the 31st minute we got a free kick. Leonardo shot it to the box, the goalkeeper had a great save. In the 35th minute Đurđević was dribbling in the penalty area, the goalkeeper saved in the last minute, ending the attempt with a corner kick. Radnički’s first chance to mention was in the 37th minute. Travančić ran up with the ball, dribbled himself through Ostojić, then shot, barely missing the box. Two minutes later Kojić

aaaaarrrggghhhh, it was terrible to see him and Volkov not wearing Partizan’s jersey

crossed to Stojanović. Stojanović shot, it was saved to corner kick. Finally in the 41st minute Radnički had a counter-attack, again Travančić ran up, he shot, it was too wide.

Grave Diggers

In the second half we continued our "attack continuously"-tactics, possessing the ball, the goal was visibly around the corner for us. We had two huge chances in a row, Đurđević shot (and missed) both, first in the 47th minute, when the goalkeeper saved in the last moment, then a minute later he was dribbling and dribbling, then shot, Average Fan almost screamed "GOAAALLL", but instead the ball hit the side net.

Seriously, he missed the box with half a millimetre only. I will have to have a defibrillator at hand for such cases. I’m getting too old for this.

In the 51st minute Kojić missed a shot with millimetres.

Other than this Radnički had no mentionable action in the second half. Kljajić surely got bored to death in the box. Hopefully he had at least some crossword puzzles with himself or something.

Two minutes later Volkov saved from Tawamba in the last minute.

Tawamba was slowly turning into Bojinov. Don’t take me wrong, I like this Cameroonian guy a lot - he is much more likeable than the Bulgarian -, but it was Bojinov who made so much missed-out-barely attempts like Tawamba at this game. I hope though Tawamba will score goals. A lot of goals. 

We attacked, though we started to get more and more tensed. It was a very hard job to break through Radnički’s defense line - well, if Volkov is in the defense line, you can’t break through even with a tank - the home players were ruthless, sometimes on the verge of being unsportsmanlike. Then finally came the 69th minute. Janković crossed from the left, Ostojić pushed it with the head, Đurđević got it, shot and scored. And I’d bet on anything that Volkov let the ball go, just a little bit. Nevertheless a big high five to him. A Grave Digger will always be a Grave Digger. 0:1

Post-goal celebration. Deep in the mass of players you will find Đurđević somewhere

The pace slowed down after the goal. There were barely any attempts, and even those were all missed out. The game was fragmented. The only scene to mention was when Kojić - after he collided with Ostojić and fell on the ground with a painful scream - yelled off the referee, and I don’t say that Kojić was wrong. (The scene happened right at an ambience microphone, everything could be heard clearly.) Then it was already the extra time, everyone was wating for the final whistle, everyone calmed down knowing we made it, when Leonardo got a pass from Kosović and shot it right there. The distance was at least 35 metres (some sources talk about 40), it was visible on the shot that Leonardo probably didn’t mean it too seriously. Yet the ball fell into the net. WHAT A GOAL, WHAT AN AMAZING GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! 0:2

A well-deserved celebration

These images were made after the game. I have no idea where Tawamba got these sunglasses from, but they were surely great to wear in the reflectors’ light (or not)

"Svi kao jedan"

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Stadium Čair, Niš
Number of spectators: 8000
Official: Lazar Lukić (assistants: Milan Mihajlović, Dragan Bogićević - 4th official: Danilo Grujić)

Radnički Niš: Zogović, Volkov, Živković, Stojanović, Travančić (Apostolović, 74.), Arsić, Petrović, Tomić, Noma (Mrkić, 68.), Kojić (Jovanović, 90.), Perendija
Head coach: Milan Rastavac

FK Partizan: Kljajić, Vulićević, Ostojić, Milenković, Miletić, Jevtović (Kosović, 65.), Everton, Janković, Leonardo (Đuričković, 90+3.), Đurđević (Radin, 90+3.), Tawamba
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

Goal scorers: Đurđević (69.), Leonardo (90+2.)
Yellow card: Janković (22.), Perendija (43.), Milenković (45+1.), Volkov (78.), Kojić (86.)

Current championship standings:
1. CZ 73 points
2. FK Partizan 67 points
3. Vojvodina 57 points
4. Napredak 46 points
5. Mladost 44 points
6. Radnički Niš 43 points
7. FK Voždovac 40 points
8. FK Javor 39 points
9. FK Spartak 37 points
10. Čukarički 36 points
11. Rad 32 points
12. Metalac 26 points
13. Radnik 24 points
14. OFK Bačka 24 points
15. Novi Pazar 20 points
16. Borac 18 points

(photos: partizan.rs)

Nemanja Kojić signed to Gaziantep

Nemanja Kojić has signed to Turkish second league team Gaziantep BSB.

(photo: Facebook/Partizan is life)

As soon as I get to know any detail, I’ll update the blogpost.

Update:

Mondo.rs informed that Kojić signed a 1-year contract with Gaziantep, with the possibility to extend it.

@GBBSpor Partizan Belgrad takımından 25 yaşındaki forvet oyuncusu Nemanja Kojic ile 1 + 2 yıllık anlaşma imzaladı... pic.twitter.com/hOZ4PSeh13

— Osman TOPR4K (@avosmantoprak) August 10, 2015

Novi Pazar - FK Partizan 3:2 (Jelen SuperLiga, round 3)

This was once again a match we won’t put on display.
Yes, I get it, of course I get that 90 % of the team consisted of young players (Zoran Milinković probably wanted to save the top guns for the upcoming CL-qualifying). I get that the football association sent Glođović as a referee, who is not the model of impartial judgement, to say the least. I get it, too, that Partizan-fans were not allowed to the match, yet the extremely violent, blood-thirsty, vindictive ultras of Novi Pazar were there all over.
But never mind, because Kojić

my jaw dropped on the floor when I saw Koja Vitez in the starting eleven. So, despite all rumours Kojić still plays for Partizan, hoorayhoorayhooray

tried the reflexes of goalkeeper Zečević right at the beginning. The trying ended in a corner, while local fans threw firecrackers to the field. It was so heavy that Glođović paused the game for a short while.
Later, in the 5th minute Novi Pazar attacked, but Bogosavac cleared the area quickly and well. A minute later we got a free kick, about 30 metres from the goal line. Ninković stood behind the ball, he shot, but the goalkeeper caught it.
In the 7th minute again Novi Pazar led an attack on the left side. It was dangerous, but Živko Živković threw himself to the way, pushing the ball to corner. The kick was headed out by Partizan’s defenders.
In the 9th minute Grbić was pushed to the ground very roughly (he was just laying there, Partizan’s physicians picked his pieces and put them together like a puzzle game, and took the enervated striker off the field to give him medical assistance). Then in the 13th minute Lukić ran up on the left side and passed to Saša Ilić, who was standing at the other side. The Captain forwarded it to Grbić, who was back in his full power again. Grbić shot from 5 metres, but the goalkeeper saved. The ball dropped to Trujić, he didn’t waste his time, but shot it into the net near Zečević, who was slowly falling to the ground. 0:1, we’re on the lead!

At this point ArenaSport’s broadcast had a constant hiccup. No, not the stream, but the live broadcast itself. First the timestamp from the upper left corner (that shows the elapsed time of the match) disappeared, so in the next approx. 8 minutes I had no idea when happened what. A Novi Pazar-attack came from the left side, Radivojević shot from 8 metres, Živko Živković had a great save. We made a counter-attack, Kojić passed to Grbić, but he lost the ball. Ostojić threw himself into the way of another attack...
...and at this point the broadcast died. There was only an error message by ArenaSport on the screen.
And it was like so for a while.
And of course the live broadcast returned just in the very moment when Novi Pazar equalized. Like in an especially bad screenplay of a sports drama full of clichés.
The home team equalized from penalty. What else.
Later I could put together what happened. In the 22nd minute Novi Pazar attacked again. Aškovski ran up with the ball on the left while wrestling with Lukić. Then the player of Novi Pazar slid inside our penalty area

I swear, I watched it again and again (x+1) times, and even then I didn’t see Lukić pushing him or kicking him

nevertheless Glođović was so amazed that he whistled penalty. Predrag Pavlović stood behind the ball. He shot and scored. 1:1
After this Kojić tried with a counter-attack, but the goalkeeper caught the ball.
Two minutes later Trujić missed out a great chance. He got an excellent pass and wanted to shot form the goalmouth, but the ball rolled out of the field about half centimetre near the goalpost.
In the 25th minute the referee again gave a penalty shot to Novi Pazar. The scene was almost the same (if not totally the same) as previously. Again Aškovski ran up with the ball and fell inside our penalty area

just this time he made it with an elegant arch, earlier he just fell on his ass

and Glođović immediately pointed at the penalty spot. Aškovski stood behind the ball, ran up...
...AND ŽIVKO ŽIVKOVIĆ SAVED IT!!!!
My God, what a scene it was.
Yet 5 minutes later Novi Pazar did score, goddamn it.
Siniša Stevanović ran up on the right and passed it to the middle. There Aškovski jumped up and headed the ball into our net. 2:1

Do you know what really infuriating is?... Aškovski is actually a player of Partizan. He is on loan in Novi Pazar, because head coach Zoran Milinković didn’t need him. 
I’m not an expert, I have no trainer certificate, but I still think it was a big mistake, a very big one.

In the 28th minute we got a free kick, 30 metres from the goal line. Ninković stood behind the ball, he kicked, but his shot was headed out. Two minutes later Ostojić tried at a corner kick, but he headed the ball out of the field.
It wasn’t a heart-warming match. Novi Pazar’s players were quick and very aggressive. And there was referee Glođović as the aggravating circumstance, who immediately whistled if a Partizan-player just sent a mad look at anyone from Novi Pazar. In the 32nd minute Radivojević ran up on the left side all alone, only one defender was following him. For our greatest luck Živko Živković was at his place and performed a fantastic save.
Two minutes later Grbić dribbled himself through the defense line and passed to Ninković. Ninković shot, but it was too high. A minute later Vuković sent a shot to our goal line from 20-22 metres, thankfully this one was also too high.
The pace was still fast, the match itself was aggressive, even violent. There were many rough kicks that ended on a shin or foot instead of the ball, and the referee whistled only when he was in the mood to. Novi Pazar was more aggressive, they attacked more and the it striked back that Partizan had a lot of players with no routine.
In the 40th minute Kojić had a try, but goalkeeper Zečević caught the ball. A minute later again Koja got the ball. A defender immediately put himself into action. The ball hit his hand, but Glođović was just watching it with poker face, no whistle.

The slow motion replay clearly showed the ball hitting the defender’s hand. Thanks, Glođović. We won’t forget this to you.

In the 45th minute Predrag Pavlović started an attack from the half line. He ran up to Partizan’s penalty area, leaving defenders behind him. Živko Živković ran out of the goalmouth, finally, for our luck Pavlović was dribbling too long and the ball rolled out of the field.
In the 46th minute Kojić and Saša Ilić were passing the ball to each other in the goalmouth, then Partizan’s striker took the chance and walked into the net together with the ball. 2:2!!! We equalized!

In the second half the referee kept on whistling for every (seemingly) suspicious movement of any Partizan-player. For Novi Pazar he was much more gracious.
In the 53rd minute Radivojević was wandering around our penalty area, again all alone. Thankfully Živko Živković was still at his place. We made a counter-attack, Ninković shot, missed.
In the 57th minute Ninković ran up on the left and passed to Saša Ilić. Saša Ilić was then kicked to the ground, but nobody gave a damn. Especially not Glođović, even though the Captain was complaining heavily.
In the 58th minute young Glavčić debuted in the senior team as the substitute of Grbić.
Around the 60th minute the pace slowed down. Players kept on passing the ball among each other, then in the 63rd minute Miladin Stevanović got a great pass and ran up towards the goal line. A defender pushed it to corner. It turned into a counter-attack, with Živko Živković kicking the ball up to the tribune at the end.
In the 65th minute Trujć passed the ball to the middle from the left, but the goalkeeper caught the shot. Two minutes later Ninković was brutally pulled to the ground in front of the penalty area. Needless to say, the refere again didn’t whistle. In the 68th minute Bogosavac had a distant, not too powerful shot, but it was too wide.
In the 69th minute Saša Ilić passed to Ninković to the right side. Džigi shot from 16 metres, the ball flew out above the crossbar.
In the 71st minute another youngster debuted: Golubović joined the team as the substitute of Trujić.
Despite Partizan’s pressure in the past minutes Novi Pazar took the lead in the 72nd minute. After we lost the ball, they started immediately an attack towards our goal area. Kostić got the ball on the right side and passed it to the middle, where Predrag Pavlović immediately shot. Živko Živković saved it, but the ball dropped in front of Aškovski. He pushed the ball into the net with a soft movement. 3:2
Then came Šaponjić as a substitute for Kojić

Did I hear well that the absolutely unsportsmanlike fans of Novi Pazar started to curse Šaponjić at this point?...
I hope very very much that I didn’t hear it well.

In the 80th minute Ninković got the ball (from Saša Ilić?...) and shot from 14 metres. The goalkeeper saved.
In the 82nd minute it was unbelievable to see that the attackers of Novi Pazar kept on passing the ball among themselves inside our penalty area, without being interrupted. It ended in a corner, then someone kicked the ball way too wide, out of the field.
In the 88th minute Golubović dribbled fought like a lion on the left side. Finally he kicked the ball to the middle to Šaponjić, but it was too long for Partizan’s striker. Two minutes later Lukić passed to Šaponjić. Šaponjić headed it to the goal line, but missed it.
In the 90+3rd minute Lukić passed to Ninković. Ninković forwarded it to Šaponjić, but the goalkeeper threw himself into the way.
Finally, in the last minute (90+4th) we got a free kick 35 metres from the goal line, in the middle. Ninković ran up and shot, but it ended in a corner. The corner kick was cleared by the defenders and at this point referee Glođović ended the match.

Facts:

Venue: City stadium, Novi Pazar
Number of spectators: 6000
Referee: Vlado Glođović (assistants: Dejan Petrović, Jovica Milin - 4th assistants: Darko Savović - goal line assistants: Novica Anđelovski, Ilija Brdar)

Novi Pazar: Zečević - S. Stevanović (Petar Pavlović), Vuković, Tintor, Kostić - Kadrić - Vusljanin, Predrag Pavlović, Aškovski (Adriano, 81.), Šarac - Radivojević (Obrovac, 68.)
Head coach: Petar Kurćubić

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - M. Stevanović, Ostojić, Ćirković, Bogosavac - Ninković, Lukić, Ilić - Grbić (Glavčić, 58.), Kojić (Šaponjić, 76.), Trujić (Golubović, 70.)
Head coach: Zoran Milinković

Goal scorers: Trujić (12.), Predrag Pavlović (21., penalty), Aškovski (26.), Kojić (46.), Aškovski (71.)
Yellow card: Tintor (5.), Lukić (21.), Glavčić (58.), Ninković (89.)

Current championship standings:
1. Borac 9 points
2. Partizan 6 points
3. Javor 6 points
4. Crvena Zvezda 5 points
5. Čukarički 4 points
6. Rad 4 points
7. Mladost 4 points
8. Novi Pazar 4 points
9. Radnički Niš 4 points
10. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 4 points
11. Vojvodina 4 points
12. Metalac 4 points
13. FK Voždovac 3 points
14. OFK Beograd 3 points
15. Surdulica 2 points
16. Jagodina 0 point

(Photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

News of all kind

Boris Dallo signed to 2nd division French basketball team Antibes Sharks for 2 seasons. The team confirmed it on Twitter.

Boris Dallo (@1Bobo2) s’est engagé pour deux saisons avec les @SharksAntibes ! http://t.co/W0lvcZ82qr #SharksFans pic.twitter.com/ThlTfGcgrF

— Sharks Antibes (@SharksAntibes) July 12, 2015

***

Danilo Pantić is at Duch football team Vitesse on loan. Pantić is officially Chelsea’s player, but since yesterday he can be found at the Duch team’s training camp in Austria. Duch officials say, there is only paperwork left to be done - there is no official information yet about how long Pantić will stay in the Netherlands.

Danilo Pantic traint tijdens het trainingskamp van Vitesse in Oostenrijk mee met de A-selectie. Pantic, een 18-jarige...
Posted by Vitesse on Monday, July 13, 2015

***

It very much seems so that Nemanja Kojić also leaves Partizan. The striker is heading to Turkey, negotiating with a still unnamed team in the A league. Rumours say it is only the question of time to sign the contract.

Absolutely wonderful, especially that there are just a few hours left until the Champions League qualifying. To make it all even more surreal, Brazilian defender Fabricio will not be able to play at the Tuesday game for administrative reasons.

***

Nikola Milutinov has returned from the USA where he was negotiating with the management of San Antonio Spurs. It seems he stays in Europe for a while, but almost surely not at Partizan. Some say he is heading to Panathinaikos, following his ex-teammate Saša Pavlović.

***

Grupa JNA released a new single titled "Crno-beli randevu".

With lyrics, of course.

Crno-beli sunčan dan pravac Hram, ja odlazim

Na Topčidersko brdo gde igra moj tim

Crno-beli randevu sve je lepo k’o snu

Sa tribina ori se moj Partizane

Oooo Partizane Oooo Partizane

Volim te, bodrim te, pevam ti, sanjam te

Svaku noć i svaki dan živim za te

Oooo Partizane Oooo Partizane

Bio dan ili noć sunca sjaj ili sneg

Sa tobom sam uvek tu, moj Partizane

Reflektora toga sjaj meni daje čudnu moć

Gde god igra Partizan ja uvek ću poć’

Crno-beli randevu sve je lepo k’o snu

Sa tribina ori se, moj Partizane

Oooo Partizane Oooo Partizane

Volim te, bodrim te, pevam ti, sanjam te

Svaku noć i svaki dan živim za te

Oooo Partizane Oooo Partizane

Bio dan ili noć sunca sjaj ili sneg

Sa tobom sam uvek tu, moj Partizane

Čukarički - FK Partizan 2:2 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 20)

This again won’t be a match to remember. To be precise, it is that kind that makes nightmares even weeks later.
Čukarički attacked us heavily right from the beginning. Yet, in the 5th minute Kojić got a pass from Bandalovski in the middle, but the shot was too wide, it flew away above the striker’s head. We still possessed the ball, Andrija Živković sent it to the middle from the left side, but the chance was again missed. But the ball was still in our possession, Kojić headed it to Grbić, but the goalkeeper ran out and caught it. Čukarički could immediately run up for a counter-attack. It was dangerous, finally it ended as a corner. The ball dropped to Bojić, he sent a too wide shot to our goal line, but the ball was still theirs. Finally it rolled out of the field. Goal-kick.
Then in the 8th minute Slavoljub Srnić was dribbling among Partizan-defenders. We couldn’t tackle him, even though Drinčić made a slip-in trick to grab the ball (while Čukarički’s midfielder fell on the ground). Bojić got the ball, he didn’t waste his time, but shot from 25 metres. The ball flew into the net passing by Živković, who tried to threw himself into the way of the shot. He couldn’t. 1:0

The sad truth is, it was only a question of time when would Čukarički score their first goal. They were aggressive, both their defenders and attackers were very fast and they immediately noted the smallest gap on Partizan’s defense.

Partizan bench

A minute later Drinčić sent a free kick from about 22 metres, but the ball left the field, rolling out near the goalpost.
In the 12th minute two Partizan-players were kicked to the ground near the penalty area line, in front of referee Mažić. The referee still didn’t whistle. What is more, Čukarički could go to a counter-attack, for our luck they missed it out.

Mažić was not in top form, to say the least. There were cases, not just this one, when he misjudged the situation - whether he had just bad luck or made it on purpose, only he knows the answer... - as Partizan-players were kicked down, often by an aggressive foul of a home team player. He never whistled. But when anyone from Čukarički fell on the ground, free kick always came automatically. Plus he answered players’ complaints in a very impatient, sometimes arrogant way, once he was seen to pull Andrija Živković by his arm.

In the 14th minute Kojić’s pass arrived at Grbić from the right. Grbić passed to the middle, Babović got it and sent a perfect shot to the goal-line. 1:1

So, in the first 15 minutes we died and resurrected.
Well, I definitely did.

At this point the match was stopped for about 4 minutes, because a firecracker was thrown onto the field. Mažić could be seen then for the first time he was out of himself. He was running up and down, being seemingly upset, gesticulating. Then the game could go on, with Babović being immediately knocked down to the field.
In the 23rd minute Čukarički ran up for a counter-attack that quickly turned into a re-counter attack by us. Grbić passed the ball to Andrija Živković waiting on the other side of the field. From him the ball got to Ninković. Ninković shot, but the ball flew out above the crossbar.

Andrija Živković played again excellent

In the next few minutes we survived a few dangerous counter-attacks, Mažić’s demonstrations of self-importance, then in the 30th minute Grbić’s shot flew out above the crossbar and ended as a corner. Two minutes later Volkov’s throw-in was sent to the goal line by Kojić, it was dangerous, but the goalkeeper caught it. Then in the 39th minute Grbić kicked with the outer instep - my, if this shot ended in the net... But goalkeeper Stevanović caught it. In the 40th minute Kojić shot the ball from the left, just the angle was too sharp and the goalkeeper caught it easily.

Kojić was one of the players who ran the most during the match.

Čukarički immediately started a counter-attack, it was dangerous again, finally it ended as a corner.

Former teammate Miloš Joić was watching the game from the tribune

We started the second half with a free kick, from approx. 25-28 metres, but Čukarički defenders headed it out. In the 50th minute Kojić was brutally kicked down, right in front of Mažić, but of course he didn’t whistle, just waved "go on".

There were too much of this kind of scenes during the match.

Čukarički was like a bad dream, with too fast and too aggressive players, and their counter-attacks were life-threatening. Their defense line closed up within moments, plus it seemed so as if every defender had their "man" whom they put into a sort of clamp whenever that player was trying around their penalty area. The pace was fast, but still the game wasn’t nice, because even though they ran a lot, there were too many fouls, rough ones, and the referee did nothing to keep them back. (And this brought extra courage for the home team to continue killing Partizan-players.) No wonder they are 3rd on the league table.
Then the 53rd minute brought a chance that made Average Fan scream and have a cerebral haemorrhange. Čukarički ran up for their (n+1)th counter-attack and Stojiljković shot from a sharp angle. Thankfully it was too sharp and the chance was missed out, well, barely. A few minutes later Slavoljub Srnić had a distant shot, it was too wide. In the 61st minute Stojiljković tried with another, distant but powerful shot, Živko Živković saved it.

The moment Saša Ilić joins the game: Babović gives him the captain’s armband

In the 66th minute substitute player Brašanac missed out a chance. The ball came from Bandalovski on the right side. Andrija Živković headed it down and served it to Brašanac, but the midfielder’s shot hit the defenders. A minute later Babović’s shot flew out above the crossbar.
The 71st minute brought Drinčić’s free kick, but it hit the wall instead of the goal line. Corner. Kojić got the kick, he shot immediately, right into the goalkeeper. Čukarički had an instant counter-attack, thank God Stojiljković missed it out, barely again.
Then two minutes later he didn’t.
Stojiljković got the ball in the middle, headed it to the goal line and it flew into the net passing by Živko Živković. 2:1

Cold shower.

But there was no time to stop, in the 78th minute again Brašanac had a try. Bandalovski threw the ball in, Kojić took it and served it to Brašanac, the midfielder’s shot was too wide. Two minutes later Babović fell on the ground inside the home team’s penalty area. No, Mažić again didn’t whistle. Čukarički ran up quickly for a counter-attack, it was very dangerous, but ended as a corner. The kick was shot to the goal line by Regan, but the ball left the field above the crossbar.
In the 85th minute Volkov tried with a shot, but it was too wide. Two minutes later we missed out a very big chance. Though even the goalkeeper ran out, finally Čukarički defenders cleared the area.
Then in the 90th minute we got a corner. Drinčić kicked it in, Branko Ilić headed it, the ball fell into the net. 2:2
For the moments of extra time we sped up. In the 90+2nd minute Bandalovski gave the ball to Kojić, he kicked it in from the right, but the angle was again too sharp. A minute later we ran up for a counter-attack. Šaponjić got an excellent pass, he shot, but the goalkeeper saved. The last chance came in the 90+4th minute, Bandalovski shot, but the ball flew out above the crossbar.

I swear we can be happy with this draw.

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Čukaričkog na Banovom brdu Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 3000
Referee: Milorad Mažić (assistants: Milovan Ristić, Dalibor Đurđević - 4th assistant: Bojan Stanojević - goal line assistant: Marko Popović, Igor Stojiljković)

Čukarički: Stevanović - Stojković, Rendulić, Ostojić, Brežančić - D. Srnić, Regan (Ukah, 90+1.), Bojić - S. Srnić (Janković, 90+2.), Stojiljković, Mandić (Mirosavljević, 61.)
Head coach: Vladan Milojević

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, Balažic, B. Ilić, Volkov - Drinčić, Babović - Grbić (S. Ilić, 66.), Ninković (Brašanac, 63.), A. Živković (Šaponjić, 79.) - Kojić
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

Goal scorers: Bojić (6.), Babović (13.), Stojiljković (73.),  B. Ilić (90.)
Yellow card: A. Živković (33.), Stojiljković (76.), Regan (85.), S. Srnić (86.), Šaponjić (88.)

Current championship standings:
1. Partizan 47 points
2. Crvena Zvezda 45 points
3. Čukarički 37 points
4. Vojvodina 34 points
5. Novi Pazar 30 points
6. OFK Beograd 29 points
7. Rad 28 points
8. Jagodina 27 points
9. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 24 points
10. Mladost 23 points
11. Boarc 20 points
12. Napredak 20 points
13. Donji Srem 20 points
14. Radnički Niš 19 points
15. FK Voždovac 18 points
16. Radnički 1923 14 points

(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)

FK Partizan - FK Rad 2:0 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 19)

Marko Nikolić returned to the bench today after long suspension.

The match started with a minute-long silence to remember the victims of the helicopter tragedy.

Rad didn’t waste much time. They didn’t get scared of the powerful opponent, nor from the "lion’s cave" stadium of ul. Humska. They attacked in the 3rd minute already, but Živković saved the dangerous shot coming from the left side. In the 8th minute they could be found again in our penalty area. One of them headed the ball to our goal line, but missed. A minute later Bandalovski’s shot arrived at Rad’s goalmouth. Kojić was waiting for it there eagerly. The striker made a tricky shot, but even this try was too wide.
The 10th minute brought the match’s (and Partizan’s) first corner. The chance was missed, but we still possessed the ball. Ninković had a try, he wanted to pass the ball from the left, but it again ended in a corner. In the 14th minute Kojić ran up and wanted to kick it to the goal, but the goalkeeper threw himself into the way in time. Rad immediately started a counter-attack, when Balažic threw himself with a hazardous movement, saving the day. Players of the guest team complained for penalty, but the referee sent out everyone from the penalty area and waved for goal kick. (The slow motion replay confirmed that Balažic didn’t play handball.)
Rad was still an equal opponent for Partizan at this point. They ran a lot, attacked a lot and they had dangerous counter-attacks. In the 16th minute their striker Mihajlović had a shot from 18 metres, but it flew out above the crossbar. A minute later it was all the very same, now with Đurić sending a shot to our goal, similarly from approx. 18 metres, and the ball flew out above the crossbar just the same way. In the 18th minute we fumbled too much with an attack. We ran up to Rad’s penalty area, but there we started to pass the ball here and there instead of shooting, finally guest defenders cleared the area.

I swear they were telling jokes to each other in the meantime.

In the 21st minute it was Bandalovski who got a great pass. He ran up, dribbled himself through the defense wall and shot. Pity he missed, it could have been a great goal.

At this point Rad’s defense line worked excellently. It was impossible to reach their goalmouth, therefore Kojić tried rather a distant shot in the 25th minute, but it flew out above the crossbar.
Two minutes later Average Fan had a screaming heart-attack, when Saša Ilić got the ball around the half-line and passed it to Ninković. Džigi ran up on the left and served it on golden plate to Kojić, who was about to score the goal of his life. Koja wanted to shot with a bicycle kick, but goalkeeper Radunović made the save of his life instead, about 1 mm in front of the goal line. Ninković even tripped over him.
In the 29th minute it was almost 0:1, but thank God the assistant was waving for offside way before Rad’s player shot.
A minute later we got a free kick. Jelić pushed Babović to the ground. It happened about 22 metres from the goal line. Drinčić stood behind the ball. He ran up...

...and made a bomb shot. 1:0

In the 39th minute again Bandalovski ran up on the right side, it ended in a corner. Then two minutes later we got a free kick again, now 30 metres from the goal line. Again Drinčić stood behind the ball, but this time the goalkeeper saved.
We were in the extra time, when Ninković got a great pass from Kojić. He made a huge solo, dribbling Rad’s defense line to pieces, then kicked. The shot hit the goalpost.

"Ej, bre, alo, bre"

Champy, the mascot

In the second half, at the 49th minute Jelić got the ball from the right and shot with a bicycle kick. It was dangerous, but Živković saved.
A minute later Kojić got a ball from the depths and passed on with head. Grbić sped up and grabbed it, then gave it to Ninković, who was waiting in the middle. The midfielder shot and the net tore to pieces. 2:0

In the 54th minute Kojić ran up on the left and passed to Bandalovski at the other side. The Bulgarian defender shot, the goalkeeper saved, with great luck. Two minutes later Drinčić had a distant shot, but it was too wide.
The 65th minute brought the next attack. Mihajlović, Rad’s striker (Rad was playing with a much less pace at this point) sent a distant bomb shot to Partizan’s goal line, Živković had a great save.
Three minutes later something interesting happened. At the southern tribune a banner appeared.

Then this one:

And finally this one:

In short about the banners: in the previous round of the SuperLiga the match between Crvena Zvezda and Vojvodina brought a 3:0 victory to the neighbour team. One, but rather two of these three goals were scored from brutal offside, but still the referee validated them. The video about the match circulated around the Serbian sports media, everyone analyzed them all over, some demanded to chop the head of the referee as well as the leadership of FSS, others tried to explain it away, without much success. Partizan fans messaged to FSS leadership with these banners to make them sure everyone knows their mafia methods, their "phone calls" to blackmail and threaten referees to "influence" the result of the matches the way they want.
You can see the highlights of the match here, if your stomach is strong enough.
What made it all even more interesting was that referee Jeremić saw the transparents, got hysterical and stopped the match. He said, the match would not go on until those "insulting" banners can be seen.

Dear Mr. Jeremić,
What’s this servile attitude? Not you were the referee of that match. How on Earth do you know what these banners were about? What do you mean by "insulting"? Do you think the leaders of FSS are not big boys enough to stand up for themselves, if needed? Or did you maybe also got such a phone call? Dear Mr. Jeremić, those banners did not contain hate speech, racism or politics, they were within fair play. As fans have no other forums to tell their opinion to be seen by those in charge, they have to use banners on matches to be heard.
So, dear Mr. Jeremić, please, go to hell.

Finally the match could go on in the 72nd minute, but fans were chanting heavily.
In the 76th minute Rad had a shot after long fumbling, but it was too wide. A minute later Kojić got the ball. He passed it to Grbić with a brilliant "Oxford" trick. The midfielder got the ball, finally it ended as a corner. Afterwards Balažic grabbed the ball, he even shot, but the ball left the field above the crossbar.

In the 79th minute the ball was again at Kojić. He sent a great pass to the middle, but there was nobody in the goalmouth. Finally Grbić arrived and passed the ball back to Kojić, who quickly ran to the middle. His kick was too weak, the chance was missed out.
In the meantime wildfire covered the southern tribune.

(photo: Twitter)

In the 88th minute Babović sent the ball to Petrović on the left. Petrović passed it to the middle, but his shot went to corner. In the extra time Šaponjić got a fantastic pass from Babović, but his shot hit the right goalpost.

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 5000
Referee: Milan Jeremić (assistants: Milan Mihajlović, Jovica Milin - 4th assistant: Dragan Bogićević - goal line assistants: Ilija Brdar, Siniša Sremac)

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, Petrović, Balažic, B. Ilić - S. Ilić, Ninković, Grbić (A. Živković, 80.), Babović (Brašanac, 90+2.), Drinčić - Kojić (Šaponjić, 88)
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

FK Rad: Radunović - Milošević, Đurić, Maraš, Obradović - Gnjatić, Rodić (Nenadović, 74.) - Simić (Mladenović, 62.), Raspopović, Mihajlović - Jelić (Marković, 82.)
Head coach: Milan Milanović

Goal scorers: Drinčić (30.), Ninković (49.)
Yellow card: Jelić (29.)

Current championship standings:
1. Partizan 46 points
2. Crvena Zvezda 42 points
3. Čukarički 36 points
4. Vojvodina 33 points
5. Novi Pazar 27 points
6. Jagodina 27 points
7. OFK Beograd 26 points
8. Rad 25 points
9. Mladost 23 points
10. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 21 points
11. Borac 20 points
12. Napredak 20 points
13. Donji Srem 20 points
14. Radnički Niš 18 points
15. FK Voždovac 18 points
16. Radnički 1923 11 points

(unmarked photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Donji Srem - FK Partizan 1:2 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 18)

The team ran out to the field and immediately grabbed Donji Srem at their throat. Right in the 3rd minute Ninković got a chance. Drinčić had a free kick on the right side, the ball was tossed out by defenders. One of the Partizan-players (Branko Ilić?) caught it and kicked it back to the goalmouth. Ninković was waiting there, made a movement trying to flick the ball into the net, but the goalkeeper made a great save.
The home team slowly got stuck on their own half and stayed there for most of the first half. Partizan kept on attacking, in the 14th minute Balažic sent an excellent pass to Saša Ilić. He dribbled himself through the defense line of Donji Srem up to the penalty area and gave the ball to Kojić, who was waiting there. Kojić shot, but goalkeeper Belić was right in the ball’s way. Two minutes later Babović got the ball from Ninković. He shot, but the goalkeeper saved this one, too. We still possessed the ball. Ninković got it, he tricked Donji Srem’s defenders with marvellous "umbrella" dribbles, then made a distant shot to the goal line. Pity it was too wide, it could have been a giant goal.

Ninković was one of the best players of the match. On this photo one of the little ball-boys is giving him the ball

The 17th minute was the moment when Donji Srem could reach Partizan’s penalty area for the first time. But even then it was just some minor demonstration by them, Živko Živković had absolutely nothing to do.
A minute later Saša Ilić ran up on the left side and wanted to pass the ball to Grbić, but a defender was faster and headed the ball to corner. In the 20th minute we got a free kick, about 22-25 metres from the goal line. Kojić headed the shot towards the goal line, but he missed it, yet we still possessed the ball. Ninković was dribbling around the penalty area, it ended with a corner.

Forever young Zvonko Varga. I always have the impression he could still play quite a few youngsters off the ground

In the 23rd minute again Ninković rushed up and passed to Saša Ilić. He sent it to Kojić, the striker wanted to shot the ball into the net with a cool "Oxford" trick, but this chance was missed as well. In the 29th minute Ninković gave a fantastic pass to Babović, who missed it from the goalmouth. A few seconds later Volkov sent a shot again from the goalmouth, right onto the side net.
In the 33rd minute Donji Srem was again seen around Partizan’s penalty area, but Branko Ilić soon made their fun to an end.
And then came the 36th minute.
Ninković ran up on the left side and sent a giant pass to Kojić. Kojić thanked and walked into the net together with the ball.
GOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!! 0:1!!!

For the rest of the first half there was a missed chance by the home team, saved by Živko Živković as well as a Partizan free kick that also missed the goal line.

A little ball-boy

At the very beginning of the second half Saša Ilić got a chance, but his shot flew out above the crossbar. Meanwhile Donji Srem started to break free from the bunker, slowly but surely. They possessed the ball more and more and appeared around Partizan’s penalty area. They had a dangerous attack in the 56th minute

I almost got a heart attack

the ball arrived from the right, our luck was that everyone missed it and it rolled out of the field through the line.
In the 57th minute we had a short smoke break, a firecracker flew onto the field. The game continued a minute later with a free kick by the home team. Košutić was trying around the penalty area, his shot was too wide.
The next approx. 10 minutes were spent by Donji Srem trying more and more brave. Still Partizan controlled the game, but the home team could run up to our goal line more and more often. Then in the 68th minute Kojić ran up with the ball on the right side and passed it with a fantastic movement to Ninković. It ended as a corner. Three minutes later Donji Srem was trying, but the referee whistled offside.

Živko Živković

Then in the 74th minute Saša Ilić got the ball and passed it ahead (to Babović?). Then Volkov got it, who started to run up and served the ball on red carpet, with golden plate to Kojić arriving in the middle. The striker nodded, the ball landed in the net. 0:2
In the 77th minute Donji Srem reduced the difference. A not much precise pass arrived from the left in the middle of the penalty area. Yet, Špalević was at the right place in the right time. He made a shot with a half-turn and the ball flew into the net near Živko Živković, who tried to throw himself inot the ball's way, unsuccessful. 1:2

I'd say it was a beautiful goal, but I won't, because it wasn't scored by Partizan.

In the 79th minute Andrija Živković substituted Saša Ilić

The fans were singing and chanting "Jer je Sale samo jedan".
A minute later it was almost 2:2, and I don’t say our defense line would have been innocent... Finally they cleared the area, it ended in a corner. In the 83rd minute we got a free kick, about 18 metres from the goal line, on the left side. The goalkeeper was flying through the air to save it.

In the meantime it happened twice that a Partizan player was pushed to the ground inside the penalty area. No, the referee didn't whistle...

In the 88th minute Drinčić had a free kick bomb, Balažic headed it ahead, but the ball flew out above the crossbar. In the 90th minute Donji Srem got a free kick, after one of their players theatrically threw himself on the ground.

The, ahem, foul happened at the penalty area line, but Živko Živković made a great save.
We were in the extra time when someone from the tribunes was trolling, imitating the final whistle. There was a big chance for Donji Srem left, then the final whistle could really come together with the well-deserved celebrating.

Match highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Karađorđe Stadion, Novi Sad
Number of spectators: 5000
Referee: Bojan Nikolić (assistant: Srđan Milutinović, Milan Minić - 4th assistant: Jovica Milin - goal line assistants: Majo Vujović, Ilija Brdar)

Donji Srem: Belić - Lakičević, Prjević, Vukobrat, Josimov - Košutić (Stanković, 69.), Šarac - Abubakar, Jelić (Hristov, 85.), Obuobi  (Sinđić, 85.) - Špalević
Head coach: Zlatomir Zagorčić

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, Balažic, B. Ilić, Volkov - Drinčić, S. Ilić (A. Živković, 78.) - Grbić, Babović, Ninković (Brašanac, 69.) - Kojić (Šaponjić, 90+2.)
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

Goal scorers: Kojić (35., 73.), Špalević (76.)
Yellow card: Abubakar (18.), Josimov (43.), Babović (59.), Volkov (80.)

Current championship standings:
1. Partizan 43 pont
2. Crvena Zvezda 39 pont
3. Čukarički 35 pont
4. Vojvodina 33 pont
5. OFK Beograd 26 pont
6. Rad 25 pont
7. Novi Pazar 24 pont
8. Jagodina 24 pont
9. Mladost 22 pont
10. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 21 pont
11. Napredak 19 pont
12. Donji Srem 19 pont
13. Borac 17 pont
14. Radnički Niš 17 pont
15. FK Voždovac 17 pont
16. Radnički 1923 11 pont

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)