Superliga, round 22: 156th eternal derby - FK Partizan - Crvena Zvezda 1:1

There was really everything on this derby, like in a good bazaar. Mass fight with gendarmerie, penalty for Partizan (believe it or not!...), tension, yelling and swearing. There was just one thing missing.

Football.

Oh well. Nothing in this life is perfect, is it?

Let’s keep the chronological order.

Zvezda had a strong start. We were stuck around our penalty area, but they ran out of breath after 10 minutes. They had no attempt though, just put us under pressure. Meanwhile it was raining heavily, the atmosphere was so tensed that Tawamba was booked after 5 minutes for complaining. But as I said earlier, Zvezda could keep up the pace only for 10 minutes - then we could have actually attacked, but I guess I tell no secret by saying we didn’t. Instead the two teams were just kicking each other with clenched teeth and usually Partizan’s players came off badly, with Pantić or Everton falling to the ground. (The latter one had a hissy fit, as unnecessarily as possible.) Then in the 15th minute Ožegović ran upfield and shot. Ut was flat and generally a weak one, still it was good enough to show off. The answer came 2 minutes later, Kanga’s shot was too high.

Tawamba some time during the game (photo: partizan.rs)

At this point something strange started going on. Namely only Zvezda-fans were singing, cheering, waving flags and using pyrotechnics. Yet the southern tribune was silent. You get what I mean. Eternal derby, in Partizan’s home. The southern tribune usually prepare for such an event with special banners and choreography and 30 minutes before the start the stands are already on fire. Now there was nothing.

Something was definitely going on, it was obvious.

Meanwhile every link died. Desperate search for a working one, finally I found one from Germany.

Yes. A German sports channel actually broadcasted the Serbian eternal derby.

Stojković saved Kanga’s shot in the 25th minute, meanwhile a camera showed the still silent southern tribune, where there was a mass fight. So that’s why Grave Diggers were not singing… Such fights always have some deep background story and a heavy consequence.

Meanwhile the pace of the game slowed down, just Pešić made some eyebrows rise in the 29th minute with his shot, Stojković had a great save - just like in the 33rd minute.

Stojke (photo: partizan.rs)

Then nothing happened. Minutes walked by very slowly, the game turned from uneventful to boring. Then suddenly, around the 42nd minute all you could see was a group of gendarmerie pulling a few - maybe 6-8 - half-naked, bleeding men while fans were screaming and booing. Photos about the bleeding faces immediately ran through the Serbian internet (no, I won’t post here any, for me it was simply too much), and the good, old guessing game started right there.

Everyone said everything. All that I write here is - right now, on Thursday evening - non-official. All my infos are from the press and non-official sources.

Those men whom gendarmerie pulled out of the southern tribune were all Croatian citizens. All if them had a criminal record, for a few it was a pretty nice and long list. There were former kick-boxers among them. The Croatian press named them all, as the members of a gang in Split. They were joined by 20 Zvezda-fans, and this group could somehow get to the southern tribune and provoked a fight with the members of Alcatraz, who are also well-known for being not easily scared, to say the least.

Well.

It raises a long row of questions.

Who allowed these criminals to enter the country?

Where was the intelligence agency? Why didn’t they know about it? Or if they did, why didn’t they do anything?

Who let this bunch of criminals to the southern tribune?

I’ll be honest, I found the fourth question the most disturbing. Why did the intelligence agencies took no action? I can’t imagine they knew nothing about it. (If they really didn’t know anything, they must be fired right now, all of them, including the minister.)

It means that all authorities were just watching as criminals enter the country and provoke Serbian citizens. Some say that the fact gendarmerie pulled them out of the tribune was the result of an amateurish mistake in the very well-built plan. Otherwise it’s more than sure authorities would have turned a blind eye on them and let them run away.

Let it sink in.

Some people (obviously from the highest political ranges) invite a bunch of criminals to the country to provoke and attack citizens. Then they (are about to) let them flee.

If it doesn't give you cold shivers, then it was probably you giving order to import these criminals.

Let’s return to the game…

The link died again at the beginning of the second half. I could watch it again from the 50th minute, I think there was anything life-changing happening in those 5 minutes I missed out… While Partizan-fans returned back to life, from then on they were singing and cheering for the whole game. In the 52nd minute someone (not sure who it was, all I could see was that it was a Partizan-player) made such an awful, painful air-kick (when they kick the air and not the ball) that would result a two-week ban to the reserve team at better places. In the 56th Kanga shot from 18 metres and even though it was flat, it was dangerous and it was just a little bit too wide.

Then in the 60 th minute an amazing, unexpected, shocking thing had happened.

We got a penalty.

We.

At the derby.

You get what I mean.

The last time Partizan got a penalty on a derby was in 1995. 22 years ago. During these 22 years we suffered all sorts of fouls inside the opponent’s penalty area, but referees failed to give us penalty.

But now, when Ožegović was kicked to the ground by a defender, referee Milorad Mažić immediately pointed at the white dot - and he was right.

We got a penalty at the derby.

Here came another big moment. Soumah stood behind the ball.

Other than that Soumah was again invisible for those 70 minutes he spent on the pitch.

He shot. And scored.

From the penalty.

From that penalty we got.

At the derby.

(1:0)

What made it even more special was that Borjan almost saved it. He went to the right direction, even touched the ball, but couldn’t catch it.

After that not much happened really. The two teams were wrestling with clenched teeth, there was some fight in the 75th minute, Ožegović had a too high shot in the 78th, the in the 84th came the cold shower. Boakye equalized with a cheeky goal. A cross came from the right, defenders wanted to kick the ball downfield, but instead it dropped to Donald. Donald passed to Boakye, who took advantage of the goalmouth scramble and shot. The ball found its way to the box among the legs. (1:1)

As for the rest of the game, let’s just forget it.

Venue: Partizan stadium, Belgrade

Official: Milorad Mažić

FK Partizan: V. Stojković, Vulićević, kopasz Miletić, Ostojić, Antonov, Jevtović (Radin, 20.), Everton, Soumah (S. Ilić, 71.), Pantić, Ožegović (Jovanović, 90.), Tawamba

Crvena Zvezda: Borjan, Le Tallec, Krstičić, Kanga (Milijaš, 90.),  Boakye (Gobeljić, 89.), Donald, Rodić, F. Stojković, Pešić, Srnić (Jovičić, 62.), Savić

Goal scorers: Soumah (62. - pen.), Boakye (84.)

Yellow card: Tawamba (5.), Vulićević (14.), Savić (28.), Ostojić (35.), F. Stojković (51.), Everton (75.), Donald (75.)

End result of the 2017/18 autumn season:

1. Crvena Zvezda 57 points

2. Partizan 48 points

3. Spartak 40 points

4. Radički Niš 39 points

5. Čukarički 38 points

6. Voždovac 36 points

7. Napredak 34 points

8. Vojvodina 33 points

9. Mladost 30 points

10. Radnik 25 points

11. Mačva 24 points

12. Zemun 24 points

13. OFK Bačka 21 points

14. Borac 15 points

15. Javor 15 points

16. Rad 14 points

FK Partizan - Borac 2:1 (superliga, round 23)

Dear everyone,
no beautifying, no cosmetics, no retouch, just the raw honesty: This. Was. One. Fucking. Goddamn. Great. Game.
It was exciting, it had a great pace and most of all, we played very well.
Fans hung this banner before the game supporting Everton after that racist incident. Svi smo mi, Evi - we are all Evi (Everton).

In the first half we controlled the game. Borac got stuck in their half playing bunker football. They crossed the half-line first time around the 13th minute. (But even that didn’t last long.) The first 20 minutes didn’t bring any considerable attempt, "only" very heavy Partizan-domination. Borac sometimes tried with a counter-attack, with no success. Practically all their players tried to make traffic around their penalty area for Partizan-players.
Not as if that would have helped.
In the 26th minute Vulićević crossed from the right. Kosović, who celebrated his 22nd birthday yesterday, arrived at the best time, shot and scored. GOAAALLLL! 1:0

(photo: mozzartsport.com)

Borac tried over and over again with counter-attacks, but they all died off, they didn’t even reach our penalty area. Meanwhile in the 32nd minute Janković had a great solo running up. He shot, the goalkeeper saved.
In the 34th minute we got a penalty kick. Someone among Borac’s players (probably Ignjatijević) pushed Janković down to the ground. The referee immediately whistled it off and pointed at the white spot. Leonardo stood behind the ball...

...and made it perfect. 2:0

Janković again tried with a shot in the 33rd minute, but again the goalkeeper saved it. A minute later after a huge fault of Borac’s defense line Leonardo grabbed the ball, but finally defenders could tackle him.
Borac’s first attempt to mention was in the 41st minute.  After a corner kick (this was Borac’s first corner kick...) Tiago shot, Kljajić saved, then right there Stefan Mihajlović had another shot, Kljajić saved this one as well.

Tawamba was active, if only he could score

In the second half Borac opened and attacked more, played braver, the game become much more open - another thing is that Partizan still controlled the game. There was a penalty-suspicious case in the 54th minute, again Janković was pushed to the ground, but the referee didn’t whistle it off.
In the 60th minute Leonardo dribbled through the penalty area, he shot, the defenders blocked, it ended with a corner-kick. Three minutes later Tawamba got a pass from Leonardo, he made a cannon shot, pity it was too high.
Borac got a penalty kick in the 65th minute. Janković kicked Tiago to the ground inside the penalty area. Stefan Mihajlović stood behind the ball, he scored, 2:1.

Two minutes later Tiago thought to push the limits. He shot, but it was too wide.
We got a free kick in the 73rd minute, about 17-18 metres from the box. Leonardo shot, the goalkeeper had a big save. Nemanja Mihajlović had a great solo in the 77th minute on the left side. He dribbled to the penalty area and passed to Janković, he shot, too high. A minute later again Neca ran up on the left, this time he himself shot, the goalkeeper saved.

Borac had only one attempt, Punoševac had a shot in the 84th minute, it was too high.

Svi kao jedan - All for one

There was a small celebration in the locker room. The team greeted Nebojša Kosović for his birthday -  Kosović scored himself a birthday gift goal, but after the match he got a cake from the Captain.

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade

Number of spectators: 2500

Official: Ilija Brdar (assistants: Svetozar Živin, Jovica Milin - 4th official: Róbert Kis-Csepegi)

FK Partizan: Kljajić, Vulićević, Milenković, Ostojić, Miletić, Kosović, Jevtović, Janković (S. Ilić, 89.), N. Mihajlović (Đuričkovć, 85.), Leonardo, Tawamba (Jovanović, 90.)
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

Borac: Mišić, Ignjatijević, Marković, Drašković, Kostić (Zoćević, 67.), Marčić (Delić, 46.), Marinković, Tiago, S. Mihajlović, Jovanović (Punoševac, 76.), Živanović
Head coach: Mladen Dodić

Goal scorers: Kosović (26.), Leonardo (34. - pen.), S. Mihajlović (65. - pen.)

Yellow card: Marković (55.), Punoševac (90+2.)

Highlights:

League table will be brought tomorrow.

(unmarked photos: partizan.rs)

FK Partizan - Napredak 3:2 (superliga, round 17)

It has been long since a football game freaked me out and racked my nerves this much. Well, Partizan has been trying hard in the past months to try my endurance, but last time I was this done was probably the game Austria vs. Hungary at Euro2016.

That was completely different though. That was magic, miracle, when you can’t sleep for the whole night afterwards. As for this game, I could listen to only some vibraphone jazz on a very low volume, but still had some twitching fits every now and then.

The first attempt was in the 4th minute. Vukanović shot, Kljajić saved. Two minutes later Leonardo had a try with a 25-metre free kick, but it was too high, way too high.
Jump to the 18th minute. Leonardo shot from 16 metres, the goalkeeper pushed it to corner kick with a great save.
Then a minute later N’Diaye and Markovski passed the ball around at our penalty area. It resulted a huge scramble and and almost-fight scene. Finally one of the Napredak-players pushed the ball ahead, right to Gobeljić. Gobeljić very aggressively attacked, literally exploded out from the mass scene and shot the ball into the box. 0:1
It was a very bad, nervous game. Referee Nenad Đokić was in the worst possible shape ever. He handed out a good handful of yellow cards in the first 30 minutes, waved "go ahead" numerous times when he should have whistled it off and he was simply unable to keep the game under control. Players fought with each other, there were many fouls and the level of the match was simply awful.
Bojinov tried the already racked nerves in the 29th minute, when he hit the crossbar from the goalmouth - again. Then Leonardo was dribbling on the left side then crossed to the middle - where everyone was just WATCHING it, with mouth open, as the ball rolled through the penalty area. Nobody made a move. Just nobody. This should have been the moment to stop the game and put the whole team into a line, make them bend over and kick everyone right in the ass. They would have deserved it, all of them.
A minute later Đurđević ran up inside Napredak’s penalty area. N’Diaye was behind him, forcing Đurđević out of the pitch through the baseline, then Đurđević fell to the ground. The slow motion replay showed N’Diaye slightly pushing Đurđević, but that was enough for Partizan’s striker to fall. But referee Đokić had a totally different point of view. For him Đurđević was just acting, probably with the hope to get a penalty kick. He showed Đurđević the yellow card, but Đurđević already had a yellow card - so he was sent off with a red one.

Needless to say it resulted a huge chaos. Partizan-players complained, while Đurđević had to be kept back by a Napredak-player not to do something stupid.

42nd minute. Balažic made a huge mistake, my teeth almost fell out seeing it. The punishment by Napredak was fast and ruthless. Vukanović grabbed the ball, ran away with it towards our penalty area. Kljajić ran out of the goalmouth, Vukanović passed the ball above him, right into the box. 0:2
Bojinov again screwed up an attempt in the 43rd minute. All doors and windows were open, and it was so very painful, that Leonardo (from whom Bojinov got the pass before the attempt) ran to the Bulgarian and started to yell at him with big gestures. Honestly? I could totally understand the Brazilian’s rage. Bojinov has been sinking lower and lower in the past games. An average coach would kick him out of the stadium... I very much hope Marko Nikolić will not allow this talentless sloth into the starting eleven anymore after this horrible performance, not just into the starting eleven, but even to the substitute squad. (By the way, young Vlahović could get more chance. He is a million times more talented and skilled than this stupid brat Bulgarian.)
It was already the extra time, when Leonardo forced our first goal into the box. He got the ball from Saša Ilić at the half-line, ran up wrestling with a defender (the defender fell, and for Leonardo’s great luck the referee just waved "go ahead", didn’t whistle it off), reached the penalty area, passed to Saša Ilić, the Captain passed him back, Leonardo shot and scored. 1:2

There was time one last Napredak-attack, Šarac shot, barely missing it.

Lazar Ćirković was there to watch the game (in yellow hooded sweatshirt)

When the two teams walked out for the second half, there was some boo and hiss from the stands, and not really for the guests... Partizan started the second part with big pace, but the truth is that Napredak played with a much more collected style (so did they in the first half), and they could turn Partizan’s weak points for their own advantage. Other than that they had great and very fast counter-attacks. No wonder they are 4th on the league table.
In the 54th minute Partizan got a penalty kick. Bojinov fell to the ground inside the penalty area, the referee whistled, stood at the white dot, while gave a second yellow card to Leković, so Napredak also continued the game with 10 players.
But before continuing Leonardo stood to the white dot to shoot the penalty kick. He did so, and scored. 2:2

I’m still not really impressed by Leonardo, because Partizan had much better players in the past, and even the not-so-talented, not-so-skilled ones were better than this Brazilian. Still he is the only one right now in Partizan’s current squad who is willing to shoot on target. You can take a look at our statistics, our numbers at "shoot on target" are scandalous. And well, goal comes only by shooting on target. The ball will not roll into the box by itself.

Partizan’s equalizing goal turned everyone into a nervous idiot as much that at a free kick Bojinov started to yell with Janković. (Before that Balažic missed out a chance when heading Leonardo’s cross to the box, just the goalkeeper saved. Napredak made an instant counter-attack, Urošević shot, too high.) In the 75th minute we had another try. Vulićević, who has been as invisible as a ghost lately, crossed to the middle. Leonardo headed it to the box, it was too wide. Then Bojinov again missed out an attempt. Task done for him.
Everyone was waiting for the final whistle, when Stevanović shot out of the blue. It was all of a sudden, nobody expected it, probably that’s why he could score. 3:2, miracles exist.

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 3000
Official: Nenad Đokić (assistants: Vladimir Jovanović, Nemanja Petrović - 4th official: Igor Stojilković)

FK Partizan: Kljajić, Vulićević, Balažic (Janković, 65.), Milenković, Miletić, Jevtović, S. Ilić, Leonardo (Vlahović, 90.), A. Stevanović, Đurđević, Bojinov (Ostojić, 87.)
Head coach: Marko Nikolić

Napredak: Petrović, N’Diaye, Leković, Simonović, Miladinović, Šljivić, Šarac (Jovović, 64.), Markovski, Gobeljić, Urošević, Vukanović (Frimpong, 84.)
Head coach: Dragan Ivanović

Goal scorers: Gobeljić (19.), Vukanović (42.), Leonardo (45+2., 54. - pen.), A. Stevanović (84.)
Yellow card: Leković (17.), S. Ilić (26.), Markovski (32.), Đurđević (34.), Miletić (49.), Milenković (53.), N’Diaye (74.), Miladinović (80.)
Red card: Đurđević (37.), Leković 54.) - second yellow card for both

League table will be brought tomorrow.
Update: league table.
1. CZ 44 points
2. Partizan 38 points
3. Vojvodina 38 points
4. Napredak 31 points
5. Mladost 31 points
6. Radnički Niš 27 points
7. Spartak Subotica 25 points
8. Javor 23 points
9. Metalac 20 points
10. Rad 20 points
11. FK Voždovac 18 points
12. Čukarički 17 points
13. Radnik 16 points
14. Novi Pazar 12 points
15. OFK Bačka 11 points
16. Borac 8 points

(photos: partizan.rs)

Napredak - FK Partizan 2:1 (superliga, round 2)

There's nothing to say about this match.
We were a pile of shit. A pile of soulles, talentless monkeys with no ideas and no balls.
We deserved it.
There's no place for excuses. Nobody cares that the pitch was terrible, nobody cares about the referee's possible mistakes. Normally we should have won with 3-4 goals.

After all, what the hell did we expect? The team has been suffering from a heavy lack of strikers and goals, but fear no more, Ivica Iliev came up with the Big Solution.
He signed another goalkeeper.
Well done, idiot.

The first goal was scored by Napredak from penalty in the 19th minute. Šaranov fouled Gobeljić at the goalmouth, the referee’s decision for penalty was absolutely right. (The slow motion replay confirmed the foul.) Šljivić stood behind the ball, he shot and scored, as it should be. 1:0
Here we kept on trying. At the 23rd minute Mihajlović had an attempt, goalkeeper Petrović made a big save.

He was the only one who had ideas about what to do and how

Other than this Leonardo sent a free kick right to the crossbar in the 44th minute.
That's all about the first half.
The second half was even worse.
There was nothing. NOTHING. No shoot on target. No fight. No winning mentality. No running, no pace, no attack. Nothing.
Well, maybe there was a little bit of attack, or at least something that reminded of attacking (watching from distance with eyes half closed). Mihajlović ran up here and there on the left, but even he couldn’t do miracle among those fumbling handicapped ducks.

Gogoua = a miserable pile of crap
Everton = primitive idiot
Janković = overly neurotic
Leonardo = butterfly fart
Vulićević = getting slower and slower
(this last one especially makes me sad...)

Then the (non-existing) pace slowed down and turned into the most annoying knock-the-ball-around game. Prva Liga feeling... (but I'm sure even in the 2nd Serbian league there are more exciting games than this). And please, someone tell me why Mihajlović had to be substituted and especially why was Bojinov his substitute?...
Napredak’s 2nd goal came in the 71st minute. Projić shot a, well, let’s be honest, a fantastic cannon shot goal from the left corner of the penalty area. 2:0
We had a huge chance in the 82nd minute. Janković shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. Then the last 7-8 minutes were spent with desperate Partizan-atttempts. Its only result was a penalty in the 87th minute, after Šljivić thwarted Saša Ilić at the baseline

an additional assistant referee would have come to hand

and the referee gave us a penalty shot.
Time has come for Bojinov. The Bulgarian kicked the ball into the box. 2:1

After almost 360 minutes we scored the first goal of the season. From penalty.
Well done. Just well done.

As the result of the defeat and especially the terrible, atrocious performance head coach Ivan Tomić has resigned right after the game. There are no infos yet about his possible successor.

I feel for Tomić. Even a level Mourinho coach couldn’t have brought out any better performance from this line-up. This was the only possible step he could make.
Iliev, Vazura, Vučelić, Vuletić, you’re next!...

Update: upon the informations of mozzartsport.com the management would like Marko Nikolić to return to Partizan’s bench. The two other possible candidates are Vuk Rašović and Zoran Milinković.
Okay. Now wake me up, because this is surely a nightmare.

Highlights:

Facts:
Venue: Stadium Mladost, Kruševac
Number of spectators: 7000
Official: Dejan Santrač (assistants: Dejan Petrović, Darko Savović - 4th official: Lazar Tripković)

Napredak: N. Petrović - Simonović, Frimpong, Urošević (Beljić, 85.), Projić - Šljivić, Vulić (Vukanović, 52.), Gobeljić, Varga, Markoski - N’Diaye (B. Petrović, 78.)
Head coach: Dragan Ivanović

FK Partizan: Šaranov - Vulićević, Gogoua, Ostojić, Bogosavac - Everton, S. Ilić - Janković, Leonardo (Radović, 82.), Mihajlović (Bojinov, 63.) - Vlahović (Đurđić, 73.)
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Goal scorers: Šljivić (19. - pen.), Projić (71.), Bojinov (87. - pen.)
Yellow card: N’Diaye (60.), Šljivić (69.),Everton (79.), Leonardo (81.), Varga (90.)

Current championship standings:
1. Mladost 6 points
2. CZ 4 points
3. Spartak Subotica 4 points
4. FK Voždovac 4 points
5. Napredak 4 points
6. Vojvodina 3 points*
7. Radnički Niš 3 points
8. Metalac 3 points
9. Javor 2 points
10. Mladi Radnik 2 points
11. Novi Pazar 1 point*
12. Čukarički 1 point
13. FK Partizan 1 point
14. OFK Bačka 1 point
15. Borac 0 point
16. Rad 0 point

*Vojvodina and Novi Pazar have played 1 game so far

(photos: partizan.rs)

Zaglebie - FK Partizan 0:0 - 4:3 with penalty shootout (Europa League qualifying, round 2, return match)

Well done.
We're fucked by the Poles big time. The world champion, CL-win aspirant Zaglebie Lubin

please, see the irony in it, thank you

labeled Partizan with the "rinky dink" price tag on the European football market. And let's be honest: for 210 minutes we could not score one single goal against them, because we played a brutally low level, soulless game.
It was especially a low blow after those bumptious, stuck-up statements for the press before the match. 'We came to Lublin to win', 'Partizan is the better team', 'we have optimistic expectations', blah blah blah.
Let's start it by making a few important things clear.

ILIEV OUT!!!

VAZURA OUT!!!

VUČELIĆ OUT!!!

VULETIĆ OUT!!!

Ivan Tomić must immediately resign if he still has a little bit of self-respect.
As for these so-called "players", ALL of them must hand down their shirts and jerseys NOW at the team ordnance and all of them continue their career as ditchers. None of you deserve to wear Partizan's jersey, you soulless, talentless fakers!!!
And hereby I declare, that the Polish team did deserve to qualify to the next round. We can thank only to goddess Fortuna that they didn't beat the hell out of us in regular time.
That Zaglebie we saw in Belgrade, that played monotonous, boring bunker football was gone. Instead there was an aggressive, ballsy, fearless Zaglebie on the field, of where the players knew very well what they wanted and how they could achieve it. Apart from a few minutes here and there they kept control in their hands for the whole game. Partizan had no time to pass the ball around or think things over, because Poles instantly tackled them and attacked.

The starting eleven was the same as for the previous game. I bet the tactics were also the same...

Radović freaked me out not just once. He was the weakest link of the team. He was mentioned a couple of times at the beginning, but even those were about how much he was fumbling. Then he stayed invisible until he was substituted (why did that happen so late?...).

Who brought him here and why? A League 5 veterans’ game has more fire and excitement than him. Even Babović was better.

Babović is a Matthäus compared to him...

The Polish team didn’t waste their time. They attacked, ran, had target shots, when either Šaranov had to perform big saves or they missed the target just with a few centimetres. As for us, all we had was Đurđić getting injured on his head after a clash. After he started to bleed, he got a turban made from gauze on his head. That was the mark to show that he is (still) on the field, because he made absolutely no other impression at all.

In the second half Mihajlović had a few moments that are worth to mention.

The truth is that our FIRST attempt was in the 82th minute. It was a 20-metre cannon shoot by Mihajlović.

IN THE 82TH MINUTE.

Our first actual attempt on a competitive game happens in the 82th minute, only 3 days before the superliga starts.

Dissolve the team now. Get out of the pro league, everybody, NOW, and go to the amateur league. We have nothing to do among professionals.

It's a joke. Nothing more.

Nemanja Mihajlović

And then Radović was about to receive a pass, but instead he did the splits down to the grass, like an over-aged ballerina, in the middle of nowhere, being all alone. Nobody was around him. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE, TELL ME IT DIDN’T HAPPEN!

Then came 30 more minutes of this struggle.

Here came the first positive moment, because Saša Ilić joined the game after a long time (substituting Radović). We immediately had a chance afterwards, Brašanac missed it out.

I swear, after a while I was begging for one goal. One single goal. It didn’t even matter to me who scores it, just make this shit end and let’s go back home.

They didn’t score.

Kubicki missed out an attempt, then Vlahović couldn’t find the target (Brašanac had a shot from the left, but his attempt was saved by the goalkeeper. He couldn’t grab the ball, it dropped to Partizan’s young striker, but he missed it out as well.)

Penalty shootout.

First came Brašanac. He shot it too high. 0:0

Then came Janus, he scored. 1:0

Next Saša Ilić. Calm and professional, as always. 1:1

Guldan. Easily. 2:1

Đuričković. Him too. 2:2

Todorovski. Šaranov saved it!!! 2:2

Janković. 2:3

Wozniak. 3:3

Mihajlović. He missed it!... He shot, the goalkeeper could touch it and pushed it to the goalpost. 3:3...

Last man. Vlasko. He ran up... and scored.

4:3

The end. Goodbye, Europe.

You can watch the penalty shootout here. At the end Janković collapsed :(

Facts:

Venue: Stadium Zaglebie, Lubin, Poland
Number of spectators: 7000
Official: Anatoliy Abdula (assistants: Serhiy Bekker, Oleg Pluzhnyk - 4th official: Oleksandr Derdo) - UKR

Zaglebie: Polaček - Todorovski, Guldan, Dabrowski, Čotra - K. Piatek (Tosik, 101.), Kubicki - Wozniak, Rakowski (Vlasko, 61.), Janoszka (Janus, 74.) - L. Piatek
Head coach: Piotr Stokowiec

FK Partizan: Šaranov - Vulićević, Milenković, Gogoua, Bogosavac (Đuričković, 120+1.) - Janković, Brašanac, Everton, Radović (Saša Ilić, 91.), Mihajlović - Đurđić (Vlahović, 70.)
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Yellow cards: Čotra (6.), Wozniak (32.), Dabrowski (57.), Janoszka (72.), Radović (88.), Everton (103.)

(photos: partizan.rs)

FK Partizan - Borac Čačak 2:0 (superliga, round 33 - play-off, round 3)

The day had an excellent start, because early in the afternoon unknown people attacked Miloš Vazura in front of Partizan stadium, when he arrived at the club’s headquarters. The ugly, fat, pig club’s general director could escape, but the attackers injured a security guard, who arrived to help Vazura.
The club made a press release full of empty phrases, where they go into details for long paragraphs about nothing. Meanwhile Vazura had a tour in the entire Serbian sports media complaining that he was threatened with death. He also told the public that he knew well who had been behind the attack.
He even told the name of the (suspected) scapegoat, who is not else than Nenad Bjeković, Partizan’s former class player, who is aspiring for the club’s presidental seat now. Bjeković instantly laughed it off and told Vazura what to do and with whom.
You can get horrified on these events, you can get shocked, you can moralize, search for a scapegoat, or cross yourself, but there’s one thing you can’t do: get surprised. It was in the air for a while. The egg-throwing case was the last drop. After that it was just a question of time when the fans’ fury will manifest in an open attack. By the way, it surely didn’t shock Vazura too much, as he had enough energy afterwards to have a tantrum in the media and hold others suspect.

I’ll be honest: one side of my mind was laughing hard on it and the only thing it was sorry for is that the attackers couldn’t catch this Mangalica. The other side was a bit more sober, it said, even if they had caught him and beat the hell out of him to make him remember it years later, it still wouldn’t have solved anything. The team would still be in a rut, the management would still be dilettant and the players wouldn’t play any better.

One more thing.
The club’s press release was written on the level of a stupid, spoiled teenage bitch. I find its last sentence especially disgusting that says "all those who don’t condemn this attack, is no longer entitled to be called a Partizan-fan".

Dear everyone, fellow fans, Grave Diggers,
Dear Friends,
I owe you a confession. 
I’m not a Partizan-fan.
As you can see, the management of the team thinks they are allowed to determine who is Partizan-fan and who is not. Heart doesn’t matter. Dedication doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that you have been a Partizan-fan since birth and the Team is your life and soul. They will tell you who and what matters.
It means, I’m not a Partizan-fan. 
From now on please, read this blog knowing that it’s written by someone who is not a Partizan-fan. (Obviously I’m writing it only because I have nothing else to do.)

A message to the management and especially to the person who handed this press release out (signed as FK „Partizan“, with quote marks): fuck you all and kill yourselves.

Now about the match.

Southern tribune, right before the start

(screenshot/ArenaSport 1)

One last group hug before the game

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

The first attempt came in the 4th minute. We got a free kick on the left side, from a sharp angle, approx. 25 metres from the box. Mihajlović kicked it to the goalmouth, the defenders headed it out.
In the 7th minute Saša Ilić forwarded the ball to Bandalovski in the left. Bandalovski crossed it to the middle, but everyone else were far behind to catch the ball.
In the 11th minute Saša Ilić passed to Bojinov in the middle. Bojinov forwarded it to Golubović, he shot, missing the box with a few centimetres.

This was the first real attempt. Otherwise we tried to build up attacks, Borac was stuck in their half, but we didn’t mean any danger for their goal line.

In the 18th minute Bojinov crossed to Golubović from the left. Golubović headed it to the box, it was too high. Then in the 24th minute Bojinov got the ball from Brašanac. He ran up, dribbled a defender (which was a big surprise, because so far Bojinov could operate only with attempts when the ball is served to him on a golden plate), shot, the goalkeeper saved.
Borac could reach to our penalty area only in the 28th minute, but the referee whistled it off, because they were on offside.
Other than this nothing really happened. The pace was slow, Borac passed the ball forth and back, sometimes tackled Partizan’s players, but they couldn’t make it up to our goalmouth. We kept on attacking (or at least trying), but we were blocked most of the time.
Partizan looked to be in pieces. The players were just wandering all around on the field, they seemingly had no idea what to do.
In the 34th minute Everton got the ball in the middle and passed it to Bogosavac. Bogosavac forwarded it to Saša Ilić, he sent it ahead to Bojinov. Bojinov shot from 20 metres, it was way too high.
In the 27th minute we got a free kick from 30 metres, on the left. Mihajlović stood behind the ball, crossed it to the middle. There Bojinov shot, the goalkeeper had a great save. The ball dropped to Golubović, he shot from the five-metre-line, but he sent the ball up to the sky.
In the 39th minute came Šaranov’s usual "show": he wanted to do a goal-kick, but he screwed it up. Vujaklija was hanging around there, he grabbed the ball and shot. The ball hit Miladin Stevanović, ending it in a corner kick. After the kick we made a counter-attack. Bandalovski crossed from a sharp angle into the middle. Brašanac shot, it was too wide.

His facial expression says it all

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

In the 45+1st minute Mihajlović shot to the box after a throw-in. The goalkeeper again had a great save. The ball dropped to Golubović again, and the young player didn’t miss it out this time, but shot it into the middle of the net. 1:0

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

For the beginning of the second half Borac seemed to come back to life. In the 51st minute Maslać shot after a corner kick. (The ball hit Bogosavac before flying out through the baseline, but still the referee whistled for goal-kick. Oh well. Not as if I wanted to complain.)
In the 55th minute Mihajlović ran up on the left side and crossed to Brašanac in the middle. Brašanac shot, it was too high.
Two minutes later Kostić crossed from the left, Šaranov easily caught it.

A Notts County-flag above Gate M

(photo: partizan.rs)

The two teams were running up and down on the field without building up one single attempt. Finally in the 63rd minute Mihajlović sent a 35-metre-long free kick to the box - but instead it landed right in the hands of the goalkeeper.
In the 64th minute Zec suddenly appeared at our goal and it could have been dangerous, but Bogosavac made an end to it. In the 69th minute Borac got a free kick. Kostić got the ball, he passed it out to the left. A cross came from there, Šaranov caught it.
In the 72nd minute we got a penalty.
Mihajlović was kicked to the ground inside the penalty area. The referee immediately pointed at the white spot. Brašanac stood behind the ball and calmly shot it into the box. 2:0

(photos: partizan.rs)

After the penalty the match just died. Nothing happened, just nothing. There were a few substitutes, sometimes Borac appeared at our penalty area (they had one counter-attack to mention, Bangura headed the ball to the box, if I could see well, but it was too high).

(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 1500
Referee: Dejan Anđelković (assistants: Nemanja Petrović, Vladimir Čađenović - 4th assistant: Marko Dimitrijević - goal line assistants: Milorad Milićević, Igor Kocić)

FK Partizan: Šaranov - Bandalovski, M. Stevanović, Jovanović (Kosović, 75.), Bogosavac - Brašanac, Everton, S. Ilić - Golubović (A. Stevanović, 72.), Mihajlović - Bojinov (Vlahović, 67.)
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Borac Čačak: Bajić - Tanasin, Krstić, Maslać, Kostić - Balabanović (Adžović, 71.), Petrazzi - Jovanović, Zorić (Bangura, 82.), Zec (Sotirović, 86.) - Vujaklija
Head coach: Tomas Vasov

Goal scorers: Golubović (45+1.), Brašanac (72. - pen.)
Yellow card: Kostić (19.), Vujaklija (36.), Bandalovski (42.), Balabanović (51.)

Current standing of the play-off:
1. CZ 42 points
2. Čukarički 36 points
3. Partizan 31 points
4. Radnički Niš 29 points
5. Vojvodina 27 points
6. Surdulica 25 points
7. Borac 23 points
8. FK Voždovac 21 points

FK Partizan - Mladost Lućani 4:0 (superliga, round 30)

This was that match when I seriously asked myself why I’m doing this. Why I undergo this torture over and over again to watch terrible, awful football games, where nothing ever happens out of boredom. Why I’m watching stuck-up, talentless monkeys and fumbling little beginners, when I could watch a thousand times better games with much higher standard, professional players and professional coaches. And especially why I’m getting upset and mad over and over again by the disgusting level of the games, the absolutely amateurish attitude of players and managers, while I should just look around to find countless other football matches, where everything is about the fans and to make them feel good and special.

I’m very seriously considering to give up writing about football matches for a while. I’m fed up with this amateurism and I’m not willing to write about it, while the team is on the level of garbage, mentally and morally. I’m not willing to give my (nick)name to this, nor to invest any more energy into it than it deserves.

Of course I’ll keep on watching football games, I just won’t write about them.

Even at the beginning of the game the team was like eleven sloths on the field. They were slow, they were fumbling, they were just passing the ball here and there, even at this point it came to my mind that I should switch to another stream link where a Bundesliga-derby was running.

To all those who are about to yell me off: I’m a Partizan-fan and Partizan above all, but I’m not that perverted to deliberately torment myself.

Then in the 5th minute a miracle happened.
Šatara wanted to tackle Mihajlović, but instead he kicked Partizan’s player on the ground inside the penalty area. The referee immediately pointed at the white dot.

(photo: partizan.rs)

Bojinov stood behind the ball. The teammates probably allowed him to do so just because to be able to score and then to celebrate himself on Instagram.

He scored. 1:0

(photo: partizan.rs)

It did not make the pace any faster, nor - God forbid - the level any higher though.

Why would it?...

In the 7th minute Mladost got a free kick, approx. 25 metres from the box. If I could see well, it was Gavrić, who shot. Šaranov saved.

In the 13rd minute Everton got a pass on the right side from Gogoua. He ran up, shot, missing the goal line just with centimetres. A minute later we started a counter-attack after a Mladost-attempt. Everton tried again, but he was tackled. We still wanted to continue, but Bojinov (as usual) got stuck in an offside position. 

Then an incident happened. (I’m not sure though if it was at this point or later during the first half.) In the western stands fans attacked the team’s management sprawling sitting in the VIP-lounge. Literally they attacked them. Suddenly they jumped up and started to throw eggs on the presidency, while others were chanting "Uprava napolje".

(photos: Twitter)

They deserved it.

There’s a video about it, too. (It’s worth to watch and listen, even if you don’t speak Serbian, you can hear other fans cheering as the management gets showered by extra protein.)

Seriously, this was the top moment of the match.
Otherwise, nothing ever happened. We attacked, we possessed the ball more than the opponent, but we couldn’t build up one single useful attempt. The pace was very slow, it all looked like both teams hated it and wanted to get over it as soon as possible.
In the 21st minute someone headed the ball too wide after a Partizan corner kick. In the 27th minute Gogoua sent a painfully imprecise cross ahead. He wanted to forward the ball probably to Kosović, but the goalkeeper caught it with no special effort.
In the 29th minute Everton had the ball and could run up. He passed to Bojinow, who forwarded it to Mihajlović. Mihajlović attacked, the goalkeeper threw himself into the way.
In the 31st minute Mladost had a very weak attempt. Jovanović tried with a shot-alike action, but it died away in Šaranov’s hands. A minute later Bojinov possessed the ball and ran up towards Mladost’s goal line. Then Mihajlović continued with the ball, he shot, the ball hit the goalkeeper, corner kick.
In the 36th minute Mladost could have scored a goal, but Milosavljević touched the ball with his hand before shooting, the referee invalidated the score.
In the 42nd minute Kosović tried with a terribly weak shot, it was way too high. Then in the 45th minute Everton ran up with the ball on the right and served it with a cross (on a golden plate, wearing tuxedo and bow tie) to Bojinov. The Bulgarian just had to walk into the box with it. 2:0

Hey, people! A miracle happened! He scored a goal! Never mind it was a "sitter" one, but there is his name among the goal scorers, even twice! What a great dude, isn’t he?...

(photo: partizan.rs)

In the second half, at the 48th minute Bogosavac got the ball after a corner kick. He crossed it to the middle, but nobody knows what he wanted with it, because it was way too weak for a goal attempt, and way too imprecise for a pass. Finally the goalkeeper caught it.
In the 54th minute Bogosavac tackled a Mladost-defender and forwarded the ball to Mihajlović. Mihajlović ran up, shot, the goalkeeper had a great save.
A minute later Miroslav Vulićević appeared at the sideline as a substitute player. He joined the game after a long time of absence.

It was high time for this

(photo: partizan.rs)

In the 57th minute Mladost’s goalkeeper again had a great save, now it was Bojinov’s try.
Almost immediately Bogosavac ran up with the ball on the left and crossed to the middle. There Bojinov forwarded it ahead

Bojinov is so great in forwarding the ball. Can anyone tell why he plays striker then?...

to Saša Ilić. Saša Ilić adjusted the ball a bit, then shot among the defenders who fell onto each other, right into the box. 3:0

(photo: partizan.rs)

The next action came in the 74th minute, but then it was another goal. Everton ran up again with the ball, crossing it out to the left. It arrived back from there to the middle. Vlahović got it, he forwarded it to Saša Ilić, and the Captain calmly shot it into the net from 16 metres. 4:0

(photo: partizan.rs)

Mladost had something that looked to be an attempt in the 78th minute, but it caused absolutely no headache for Šaranov.
The end was a physical pain to see. Nothing ever happened, only total boredom.

I swear, if I wasn’t a Partizan-fan, I’d say it was a bribed game. Not just this one, but even the previous ones. We won with goals on terrible games. I can’t believe Mladost (and the other opponents) couldn’t attack us with a blood-thirsty grin seeing us fumbling around, without any ideas. Seriously, did nobody notice that our opponents practically let us win?
Just one more thing: next week will be derby week, as the first round of the play-off. Nobody should ever try to tell me that this ass-scratching and fumbling will be enough against Crvena Zvezda. Either we pick ourselves together or it will end up in a huge fiasco, because those in the neighbourhood want our blood and scalp.

In the 87th minute it could be considered as an event that Mladost’s goalkeeper had to undergo a small medical assistance. The guests had two more attempts, the first in the 88th minute, when they sent a 30-metre free kick up in the sky. Then they had something looking like a try in the 90th minute. Finally, after 3 minutes of extra time the referee ended our sufferings.

(photos: partizan.rs)

Highlights:

Facts:

Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 3000
Referee: Aleksandar Vasić (assitants: Vladimir Čađenović, Matija Olajos-Nagy - 4th assistant: Dragan Bogićević - goal line assistants: Novica Anđelovski, Igor Stojilković)

FK Partizan: Šaranov - Bandalovski (Vulićević, 55.), Milenković, Gogoua, Bogosavac - Kosović, Everton, Saša Ilić - Mihajlović, M. Golubović (Lukić, 70.)  - Bojinov (Vlahović, 69.)
Head coach: Ivan Tomić

Mladost Lućani: Krznarić - Šatara, Živanović, Rakočević, Saničanin - Luković, Protić (Vajan, 56.) - Gavrić, Milosavljević (Lepović, 62.), Jovanović - Čečarić (S. Golubović, 86.)
Head coach: Nenad Milovanović

Goal scorers: Bojinov (5. - pen., 45.), Saša Ilić (57., 74.)
Yellow card: -

End result of the regular season:
1. CZ 82 points
2. Partizan 54 points
3. Čukarički 53 points
4. Borac 46 points
5. Vojvodina 46 points
6. Radnički Niš 45 points
7. FK Voždovac 40 points
8. Surdulica 38 points
9. Javor 35 points
10. Metalac 35 points
11. Mladost 33 points
12. Novi Pazar 31 points
13. OFK Beograd 28 points
14. Spartak Subotica 26 points
15. Jagodina 26 points
16. Rad 26 points

The first 8 teams qualified to the so-called winners’ stage, where they’ll play against each other by the same system as in the regular season and the first place team will win the championship title. Those teams on the 9-16th places will play for the losers’ stage, the last one will be dropped out. Games start next week, and as I said earlier, it starts right with the eternal derby. It will take part on Saturday from 18:00, ArenaSport 1 will broadcast it from 17:00 starting with an one-hour warm-up programme.