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)

News

Vladimir Volkov has signed to Belgian football team KV Mechelen. The news was confirmed on the team’s website. Volkov’s contract with Partizan has expired, there have been rumours for long time about him signing to a team abroad. Finally he chose Mechelen, where he signed for 2 years.

(photo: kvmechelen.be)

***

Branko Ilić has also left Partizan. SOS Kanal brought the news, referring to "informers from the management of Partizan". Ilić signed to Kazakh team FC Astana - Partizan was reportedly paid 300 000 euros for the defender. Upon rumours Partizan’s management didn’t do much to keep the Slovenian - his 160 000 euros/year salary was too much for the team budget.

***

It seems, players leave Partizan one after the other... The basketball team has to prepare for the next season without Boris Dallo. The player returned to France - there are no other informations available.

***

In the meantime Aboubakar joined the football team in Slovenia.

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

FK Partizan - Spartak Zlatibor Voda 1:0 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 27)

Warming-up is always the most important, especially if you can do it in a joyous mood.

(photo: pafteq)

Spartak players were wearing an eye-killing orange jersey on the match. I don’t know which of their sponsors’ request it could be, but they looked like 11 marker pen on the grass.
In the 4th minute Grbić got the ball from Brašanac at the left corner of the penalty area. He dribbled two defenders then shot from 16 metres. The goalkeeper had a great save, it ended in a corner. Two minutes later Babović got a marvellous pass, but his shot was too weak, the goalkeeper didn’t even have to make an effort.
The 9th minute brought the first Spartak-attack. The ball departed from their half to arrive at Torbica, who passed it to the middle. Maksimović arrived and sent a bomb shot from 17 metres, but the ball flew out above the crossbar.
In the 12th minute Maksimović ran up towards our goal. After a great solo he passed to Ivanović on the left. Ivanović shot, barely missed. A minute later again Spartak had a chance. Torbica got the ball on the right side and passed it to Mrkela. A Partizan-defender tried to head it out, but the ball dropped to Stefan Ilić. With an elegant movement he got it down, then sent it to our goal line from 12 metres. Živko Živković could touch it with his fingertips - with this action he distracted the ball from our net, then our defenders cleared the area.
In the 18th minute we got a free kick, about 17-18 metres from the goal line on the right. Drinčić stood behind the ball.

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

He kicked it into the goalmouth. Volkov jumped to head it to the goal line, but he missed it, with only one step.
In the 20th minute Spartak got a free kick, 20-22 metres from the goal line on the right. The shot dropped to the left side, and a shot was directed immediately to our goal, but the ball left the field above the crossbar. In the 26th minute Mrkela tried with a flat shot, but it caused no headache for Živko Živković.
The truth is, we played as if we were bloodless. Spartak shamelessly used it for their own benefit. We played safe, they blocked our attempts always in the last minute. For our luck their counter-attacks were weak.

Volkov is running up with the ball

(photo: pafteq)

And I swear, sometimes I did not get why referee Mažić waved "go ahead" numerous times instead of free kick.
In the 35th minute Bandalovski kicked the ball to the goal from 16 metres after a nice solo, but a defender blocked his shot. Then in the 42nd minute it was him again who got fed up with the fumbling and passed the ball into the goalmouth from the right. Grbić was waiting there, he headed the ball to the goal line, but it was weak, the goalkeeper caught it. A minute later Andrija Živković passed to Babović in the middle, but he missed it. Finally, in the 45th minute Drinčić got the ball from Andrija Živković. He shot from 30 metres, but the ball hit the defenders and dropped to Brašanac. He headed it ahead to Babović, Babović shot from 16 metres, but the flat kick rolled out of the field near the right goalpost.

Fans remembered Dawid Dziedzic, a Polish football fan who died earlier that week after a policeman shot him on the neck with a rubber bullet

(photo: Facebook/Гробари ЈУГ!!!)

A banner in Polish language against police brutality

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the second half the 53rd minute brought Mrkela getting the ball after a goal-kick. He ran up immediately on the left and passed to Ivanović. Ivanović got the ball, he even fell on the ground (3 Partizan defenders were watching it from a few steps away...), then shot. Živko Živković had a giant save.

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the 55th minute Drinčić sent a bomb shot to the goal line from 35 metres, but it ended as a corner. A minute later he passed to Andrija Živković on the right. Živković dribbled himself through the defense line, stopped in the middle and shot, but the ball flew out above the crossbar.
It was more and more awful. Our tryings were all in vain. We fumbled too much during attacks, and we messed them up always in the last moment. Players were running up and down, sometimes they seemed to have no idea about what to do, while Spartak players collapsed, one after the other, having heavy muscle cramps.

Volkov and Antonić. Referee Mažic is trying to calm them down, without much success

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the 63rd minute Brašanac got the ball from Volkov at the side of the penalty area. He run to the goalmouth, but his shot ended on the side net. Meanwhile Spartak slowly switched to bunker football.
In the 72nd minute Drinčić sent a free kick from 20-22 metres to Spartak’s goal line, but it was too wide. Two minutes later Kojić got a pass, but he headed it above the crossbar.
Then in the 75th minute Andrija Živković got a FANTASTIC pass from Drinčić. The midfielder ran up, leaving behind a Spartak-defender who slid and fell on the ground and shot a bomb goal. But the assistant waved offside, referee Mažić invalidated the goal. A minute later Andrija Živković passed to Kojić with a marvellous Oxford trick. The striker ran past the goalkeeper who tried to throw himself into the way and shot, but missed. Another minute later again Andrija Živković passed to Drinčić. Drinčić passed the ball to Saša Ilić in the middle, who shot, but a defender standing just a few steps ahead of him blocked the shot. The ball dropped to Brašanac, he shot from 18 metres, too wide.
At this point our pace sped up. The fumbling was over, we were besiegeing Spartak’s bunker on full blast. The atmosphere was tensed, players and sometimes the entire Partizan bench was yelling at the referee, fans were whistling. In the 81st minute again Brašanac had an attempt, he got a high pass from the right and shot from 10 metres, but the goalkeeper caught it. Two minutes later Bandalovski got the ball and ran up on the right side. He dribbled the defender in front of him and passed the ball to the middle, where Volkov was waiting, but an arriving defender prevented him. They both fell on the ground in the goalmouth, the ball flew out above the crossbar.
In the 87th minute we got a corner kick. The entire Partizan bench jumped up, but the attempt ended with the ball in the goalkeeper’s hands.
Then came the 89th minute. Another corner kick for us. Drinčić kicked the ball to the goalmouth, Brašanac made just a tiny pass, and Ninković, who was standing behind him, kicked it into the net. GOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAL, oh, my God, what a goal! 1:0

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

The entire stadium exploded, players made a happy pile on the ground.

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Even Živko Živković ran up from the other side of the field to celebrate.

The team had reserve energies even in the 90+2nd minute. Saša Ilić passed to Kojić. Kojić ran up, while two defenders tried to make a sandwich of him. He shot, but eventually missed.
The celebration at the end was absolutely well-deserved.

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the locker-room there was even some modest pre-championship title celebration. Saša Marković and Branko Ilić raised cuteness to another level.

(photos. Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 4500
Referee: Milorad Mažić (assistants: Milovan Ristić, Dalibor Đurđević - 4th assistant: Goran Stanojević - goal line assistants: Dejan Anđelković, Momčilo Marković)

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, Balažic, B. Ilić, Volkov - Drinčić, Brašanac - A. Živković, Babović (Ninković, 72.), Grbić (Saša Ilić, 56.) - Šaponjić (Kojić, 60.)
Head coach: Zoran Milinković

Spartak Zlatibor Voda: Mirković - Farkas, Antonić, Kovačević, Milošević - Jočić, Maksimović - Mrkela, Torbica, Stefan Ilić - Ivanović
Head coach: Stevan Mojsilović

Goal scorer: Ninković (89.)
Yellow card:  Jočić (23.), Bandalovski (57.)

Current championship standings:
1. Partizan 66 points
2. CZ 58 points
3. Čukarički 54 points
4. Vojvodina 43 points
5. Novi Pazar 40 points
6. Rad 40 points
7. OFK Beograd 39 points
8. Mladost 34 points
9. Radnički Niš 33 points
10. Borac 32 points
11. Jagodina 31 points
12. FK Voždovac 30 points
13. Napredak 28 points
14. Donji Srem 26 points
15. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 25 points
16. Radnički 1923 15 points

Vojvodina - FK Partizan 0:4 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 26)

The game started with a minute of silence, remembering Vojvodina's former player, Dobrosav Krstić, who passed away the day before.

In the 2nd minute we already attacked, but Šaponjić was on offside. Then in the 5th minute came the first attempt by Vojvodina that brought cardial arrest, heart attack and screaming, after Pekarić and Gaćinović were passing the ball to each other at our penalty area. Pekarić passed the ball to Gaćinović with an Oxford trick, Gaćinović passed it back, then Pekarić shot from the goalmouth. Živko Živković had a great save.
In the next 3 minutes we survived two other dangerous Vojvodina-attacks. The home team kept us under heavy pressure in the first 15 minutes. Their very quick counter-attacks were dangerous and they did not keep themselves back from full contact clashes. Both teams fought hard, then in the 15th minute Brašanac sent a shot to the goal from 16 metres, the only problem was a defender standing right in the way of the ball.
A minute later Balažic wanted to run up, when Ivanić appeared out of the blue, tackled him and headed towards our goal with the ball. Our entire defense line ran back in all haste, Ivanić dribbled everyone and passed to Čurko. Volkov arrived and saved everyone’s life, in the last moment.
In the 17th minute we got a free kick, almost at the half-line. Drinčić stood behind the ball and kicked it inside the penalty area. There was Šaponjić waiting for the ball, he headed it, but the goalkeeper saved, while the assistant waved his flag for offside.
In the 20th minute we got a free kick, now about 30-35 metres from the goal line. Again Drinčić shot, now instantly to the goal line, but goalkeeper Žakula caught the ball. A minute later came another cardial arrest situation. Gaćinović passed the ball to Ivanić on the left side. Ivanić burst into Partizan’s penalty area and shot. Živko Živković saved it, but the ball dropped to another Vojvodina-player standing in the goalmouth. He immediately shot, but Branko Ilić was right there and inactivated the attempt, then Brašanac cleared the area by kicking the ball out.
In the 22nd minute Andrija Živković was dribbling, then he shot from 20 metres, but the ball flew out above the crossbar. Two minutes later Drinčić was tackled and Vojvodina immediately started a counter-attack. Ćurko shot from the right side, but it was too wide. We made a counter-attack. Andrija Živković ran up and passed to Bandalovski. The Bulgarian defender passed the ball to the middle to Babović. Babović shot from the penalty area line, Žakula had a giant save, the attempt ended in a corner. Two minutes later Babović passed the ball to Šaponjić from almost the half-line. Šaponjić shot, too wide.

In the 29th minute Vojvodina got a free kick. They were standing at the penalty area line on the right side. The ball flew in to the penalty area, Ćurko missed it with 1 millimetre (if he had headed it, then Vojvodina would have been on the lead at this point...), still the ball was dangerously close to our goal line. In the 30th minute Andrija Živković got the ball after a corner. The midfielder shot, right onto the side net.
In the 36th minute we got a free kick, at least 40 metres from the goal, almost at the left sideline. Drinčić kicked the ball inside the penalty area. There Volkov rose up from the mass and headed the ball into the net. GOOOOAAAAAAL!!! 0:1

Even Živko Živković ran out to celebrate with the teammates

This goal made the pace even quicker, even though it was very fast by default, with quick switches and counter-attacks, that made the scene change almost in every second.
Then in the 42nd minute Gaćinović ran up on the left side with the ball. He was inside our penalty area when Balažic tackled him. Vojvodina players complained for penalty, but the referee whistled goal-kick instead.

The scene was replayed numerous times, from different angles, from frame to frame. I’ll be honest: if I was a neutral viewer, I would maybe say it was indeed a penalty. But I’m not a neutral viewer. Other than this, I can’t just not forget about the last season’s match against Vojvodina, when we were leading to 1:0 and the referee whistled a penalty against us in the 92nd (!!!) minute, that was clearly NOT penalty. Karma is a bitch.

Nevertheless in the 44th minute Vojvodina got a free kick, but they shot the ball out of the stadium.
Second half, 47th minute, Vojvodina had a new attempt. They ran up to our goal line, passing the ball to the middle. Bandalovski missed it (he kicked into the air), finally the dangerous scene was missed out.
Our attempts at this point ended with offside. Vojvodina practiced offside-tactics with high efficiency. Meanwhile Partizan fans made wildfire on the tribune.

In the 59th minute Andrija Živković got the ball on the right side, after heavy wrestling. He passed the ball inside the penalty area to Šaponjić. Šaponjić shot, right into a defender. Brašanac grabbed the ball immediately and wanted to shot, but two defenders started to pull and tousle him, while the referee whistled offside.
In the 62nd minute Babović passed to Andrija Živković. The midfielder tackled himself through Vojvodina’s defense line and shot. The ball hit a defender, finally the goalkeeper caught it.
In the 71st minute we got a corner kick. Ćirković headed the ball down to the ground. It dropped in front of the goalkeeper who desperately tried to catch it, all in vain. Volkov arrived, shot and the ball landed in the middle of the net. GOOOOAAAAAAALL!!! 0:2

Lukač joined his teammates from the bench to celebrate

In the 75th minute Stojanović ran up with the ball towards Partizan’s goal line. Živko Živković ran out and performed one of his amazing saves. In the 78th minute Babović passed to Andrija Živković. Živković ran up, tackled and shot, the goalkeeper had a great save.
At this point Partizan clearly dominated the game. Vojvodina’s pace was slowed down by the two goals. They got to our penalty area again some time in the 80th minute. Ivanić shot, from 8 metres, but the ball flew out above the crossbar.
In the 86th minute again Andrija Živković tackled himself up to Vojvodina’s penalty area. Bandalovski got the ball, he passed it to the middle, the goalkeeper caught it.
We were in the last minutes of the match, in the 90th minute. Grbić passed to Babović on the left.

Babović passed it to the middle.

The ball hit a few defenders and dropped right in front of Ninković who sneaked up to the goalmouth. Džigi didn’t waste a moment, he shot, the ball tore the net into tiny pieces. GOOOOAAAAAAALLLL!!!! What a goal!!! 0:3

The coup de grace was still left.
90+1st minute, probably everyone was waiting for the final whistle. Partizan players were passing the ball to each other, then Andrija Živković, the nuclear reactor of Partizan got the ball. He ran up to Vojvoidna’s penalty area, passed the ball to the middle, where Brašanac arrived in synchron with Živković. He thanked the pass and walked into the net with the ball. GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! 0:4

Super exclusive video, only now, only to you: 12 minutes of massive ecstasy, right from Novi Sad.

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Karađorđe Stadion, Novi Sad
Number of spectators: 5000
Referee: Dejan Dimitrijević (assistants: Milovan Ristić, Dalibor Đurđević - 4th assistant: Jovica Milin - goal line assistants: Igor Stojilković, Róbert Kis-Csepegi)

Vojvodina: Žakula - Vasilić, Pekarić (Novaković, 85.), Babić, Nastić - Sekulić, Rogac - Luković (Asani, 65.), Ivanić, Gaćinović (Stojanović, 73.) - Ćurko
Head coach: Zlatomir Zagorčić

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, Balažic (Ćirković, 46.), B. Ilić, Volkov - Drinčić, Brašanac - A. Živković, Babović, S. Ilić (Ninković, 64.) - Šaponjić (Grbić, 74.)
Head coach: Zoran Milinković

Goal scorers: Volkov (35., 71.), Ninković (90.), Brašanac (90+1.)
Yellow card: Luković (34.)

Current championship standings:
1. Partizan 63 points
2. CZ 58 points
3. Čukarički 51 points
4. Novi Pazar 40 points
5. Vojvodina 40 points
6. OFK Beograd 38 points
7. Rad 37 points
8. Radnički Niš 32 points
9. Jagodina 31 points
10. Mladost 31 points
11. Borac 29 points
12. Napredak 28 points
13. FK Voždovac 27 points
14. Donji Srem 26 points
15. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 25 points
16. Radnički 1923 15 points

(Photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

OFK Beograd - FK Partizan 1:3 (Jelen SuperLiga, Round 22)

OFK players were holding a banner while walking out of the tunnel. The banner had a Cyrillic script that said "Rešenje za Omladinac - hitno" (in English: Help Omladinac - urgently).
Omladinski Stadion is the home of OFK Beograd, they play all their home matches there. Or, better said, they used to play. The stadium’s condition is disastrous and the team have no financial resources for a renovation. The story is not new, the building has been ruining for 3 years now. It has been so dangerous that OFK plays their home matches in Obilić Stadion, in the Vračar district of Belgrade. They get no help, everyone pushes their head into the sand like ostriches

again something that could be solved with privatization, dear melon-headed idiots up there in the skupština

and the team took this step by sheer desperation.
Before the starting whistle the banner was hung at a visible side of the stadium. It stayed there until the end of the match.
In the 2nd minute OFK defenders lost the ball

this was a mistake they made quite a few times during the match, and they had to pay the price for it

Šaponjić grabbed it, but the goalkeeper was quicker.
In the 4th minute Drinčić’s free kick came in from the left. Volkov was standing in the goalmouth, he even made an attempt to score, but the goalkeeper kicked the ball out (!) almost to the half-line.
Meanwhile residents of the surrounding blocks appeared at the windows and on the balconies to watch the game.

It’s amazing. No matter how many times there is a match on this Vračar field, residents always watch it through their windows or come out to the balconies. It always has a fantastic, mellow and peaceful atmosphere. The sun is shining, brave young men kill each other on the field, fans are singing and chanting, residents have a smoke and a coffee watching the game, while gossiping. One more reason to love Belgrade.

In the 5th minute OFK got a chance that almost ended in goal. Živko Živković saved, but couldn’t catch the ball appropriately. It dropped away from him, finally defenders cleared the area.
In the 11th minute Volkov passed the ball ahead. Šaponjić ran for it, but goalkeeper Čupić was again faster. A minute later Andrija Živković was terribly knocked down to the ground. The midfielder was rolling on the grass with painful face, he couldn’t even stand up. Finally he walked off the ground with the help of two medicals to get proper treatment. Referee Glođović

yes, we got this holy madman again... We surely made some major sin in the past that God punishes us with him

didn’t whistle.

He probably found no reason to whistle.
Yet just a minute before he did whistle a foul on Šaponjić, reasoning that the young striker attacked goalkeeper Čupić. I’m sure nobody saw this foul, only the referee (maybe the Heavenly Father, but maybe even He didn’t see anything). What actually happened was that the goalkeeper jumped up to catch the ball. Partizan’s striker was standing in front of him, also jumping up for the ball. They didn’t even touch each other, but the referee saw it as Šaponjić attacking Čupić... The headlines include this scene, at 1:08.

Then in the 15th minute OFK got a free kick, about 30 metres from the goal line. It ended as a Partizan counter-attack. Saša Ilić passed the ball to Andrija Živković. The young midfielder, who looked like a war crippled hero just a few minutes ago, now ran up, had a giant solo, then kicked the ball into the net, lobbinb it above the goalkeeper. 0:1

Volkov arriving from the right: priceless

In the 25th minute OFK got a free kick. The ball was placed about 25-30 metres from the goal line. The kick flew in to our penalty area, Savić rose up and headed the ball to the goal. Živko Živković jumped and caught it.
In the 30th minute an OFK-player was fooling around with the ball at our penalty area. Two of our defenders were watching him from close, then he suddenly shot from 18 metres. Živko Živković had a great save.
In the 42nd minute we got a free kick, about 25 metres from the goal line. Drinčić shot, Balažic headed it, but it was too wide. (He was also on offside, well, at least for Glođović it was offside.) The last action of the first half happened in the extra time, but even that was about the referee again, taking a Partizan goal-kick as an OFK corner. Thankfully it was missed out, we could go and have a 15-minute break.

Darko Brašanac, some time during the match

In the beginning of the second half Babović was dribbling around the penalty area of the home team, without much success. Then in the 50th minute Šaponjić got the ball at the half-line. He immediately started to run up with it, but an OFK-player stopped him with a bodycheck. The striker fell and was just laying painfully hunched-up. Glođović again didn’t whistle, but Brašanac lashed out of nowhere, grabbed the ball and ran up fast to the goal line. Inside the penalty area he passed it very selflessly to Andrija Živković, who was sneaking up behind the goalkeeper’s back

Fair Play Award for Darko Brašanac!

Živković thanked and shot the ball into the net with the inner side of his left foot. 0:2

In the 53rd minute fans started to chant "Jer je Sale samo jedan". Saša Ilić appreciated it.

A minute later Živko Živković again demonstrated his outstanding reflex skills while saving Aksentijević’s shot.
In the 63rd minute OFK defenders made a big mistake. Volkov ran up, Janković tackled him, then he wanted to pass the ball to their goalkeeper. Šaponjić suddenly appeared out of the blue and grabbed the ball. He ran up to the goal line and shot, first right into the goalkeeper. The ball dropped back from Čupić, back to Šaponjić. Now he didn’t miss the chance but kicked the ball into the net lobbing it above the goalkeeper, who was laying on the ground. GOAL! 0:3

In the 68th minute Paločević sent a sudden, distant and powerful shot to our goal line from 20 metres. It was again foregone by long scenes of pass-the-ball-here-and-there-to-make-us-look-as-we-are-out-of-ideas, but no wonder Partizan have Živko Živković at the goal line, the ball couldn’t touch the net.
Then Volkov had to come off, because he got injured. Nemanja Petrović joined the game as his substitute.

In the 71st minute Zdjelar made Partizan-fans upset with another distant shot, but it was too wide. In the 77th minute Drinčić’s corner was pushed out by the goalkeeper, but we still possessed the ball. Drinčić got it again, shot again, the goalkeeper saved again, with his fingertips. Finally defenders cleared the area.
Then in the 85th minute, no one knows how

it was like a power blackout in Partizan’s defense line or something

Zarubica got the ball. He didn’t waste time, but shot it from 7 metres. 1:3
But victory is victory and our advantage is still 5 points.

Match highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Obilić Stadion, Belgrade

Number of spectators: 3000 (+ residents)

Referee: Vlado Glođović (assistants: Uroš Stojković, Srđan Kaurin - 4th assistant: Bojan Stanojević - goal line assistants: Aleksandar Vasić, Dejan Dimitrijević)

OFK Beograd: Čupić - Aksentijević, Liščević (Antić, 61.), Savić, Antonov - Zdjelar, Gajić, Dautović, Janković (Zarubica, 76.) - Dražić - Jovanović (Paločević, 61.)

Head coach: Dejan Đurđević

FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Bandalovski, B. Ilić, Balažic, Volkov (N. Petrović, 70.) - Drinčić, Brašanac - S. Ilić (Grbić, 66.), Babović, A. Živković - Šaponjić (Ninković, 80.)

Head coach: Zoran Milinković

Goal scorers: A. Živković (15., 50.), Šaponjić (62.), Zarubica (85.) 

Yellow card: Liščević (52.), Antonov (55.), Šaponjić (55.), Janković (74.)

Current championship standings:

1. Partizan 53 pont

2. Crvena Zvezda 48 pont

3. Čukarički 43 pont

4. Vojvodina 37 pont

5. Novi Pazar 36 pont

6. OFK Beograd 32 pont

7. Rad 31 pont

8. Jagodina 30 pont

9. Mladost 29 pont

10. Spartak Zlatibor Voda 24 pont

11. Napredak 23 pont

12. Radnički Niš 22 pont

13. Donji Srem 21 pont

14. Borac 20 pont

15. FK Voždovac 18 pont

16. Radnički 1923 15 pont

(Photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)