Fan blog of Partizan Sports Society (JSD Partizan) in Belgrade, Serbia. Football, basketball, volleyball, handball, ice hockey, water polo, news, players, all that are a matter of curiousity.
A subjective blog. English is not my mother tongue.
English version of http://jsdpartizanfan.blogspot.com/
It seemed so until the very last moment that Partizan cannot take part in the 2015/16 superliga championship. Upon rumours the team could not provide the needed documents and permissions even after the extended deadline. Even approx. 24 hours before the start of the season it looked as Partizan (together with Crvena Zvezda and Železničar 1949) won’t be able to compete in the superliga, thanks to bureaucracy.
Then surely some sort of miracle had happened, because - probably after the very last minute - all three teams could present the needed documentaries, and Partizan could clash with Železničar 1949 in the Banjica Sports Centre.
A clout to the handball association, and a scowl to the handball team. None of them informed the fans, neither on their websites, nor in any other way. (The team is so silent that there are almost no infos even about their summer preparations.) Dear everyone, would you please think of the fans as well?... Just a bit?... Pretty please?...
The available infos about the match are narrow, but upon what we have, we know that Partizan was on the lead in the half time as well (17:15). The hero of the day was Partizan’s captain Igor Mršulja, who scored 10 (!!!!) goals. He is followed by Ivan Popović with 5 goals. Nemanja Živković, Mihajlo Radojković and Stevan Sretenović all scored 4-4 goals. Darko Stevanović joined them with 3, Andrija Đuričić and Aleksa Maksić added 1-1 goal to our victory.
If there’s any photo or video about the game, I’ll upload the post. I bring you the current league table only tomorrow, there is still a game left from this round.
Partizan’s captain Igor Mršulja
(photo: rkpartizan.rs)
Update: photos from the match.
If Ivan Popović speeds up...
...then he is unstoppable, even when the opponent wants to undress him
Mihajlo Radojković shooting
A Popović-bombshot
Unstoppable Radojković
Time-out
"Ivan The Terrible"
Igor Mršulja
The Captain in action
Andrija Đuričić
Update: championship standings after the 1st round
1. Rudar Kostolac 2 points
2. Sloga 2 points
3. Crvena Zvezda 2 points
4. Partizan 2 points
5. Metaloplastika 1 point
6. Požarevac 1 point
7. Železničar 1949 0 point
8. Radnički 0 point
9. Jugović 0 point
10. Morava 0 point
Optimistic version: we woooon!!!!!!
Pessimistic version: yes, yes, we did, but we won’t put this game on display to the vitrine for sure.
15 minutes before the start the stadium was still half empty.
(photo: Twitter)
Thankfully for the end 12 000 people were counted on the tribunes.
(photos: partizan.rs)
The first actual attempt came in the 3rd minute Leković ran up on the left, then passed the ball to the middle, but the goalkeeper caught it. Two minutes later we got a free kick, 25 metres from the goal line, on the left. Babović stood behind the ball, ran up, kicked, but made it in a very awkward way. The ball dropped through the penalty area and rolled out of the field.
Then in the 10th minute we got another free kick. The distance from the goal line was approx. 18 metres. Now Andrija Živković kicked, but it hit the wall. Corner kick. Andrija Živković stood at the corner flag and shot. Aboubakar jumped up and headed the ball into the net perfectly. 1:0!!!! We are leading, after 10 minutes!!!!
(photos: partizan.rs)
This quick goal seemingly made the Dutch team confused. They were desperately trying to attack, almost cramped to equalize. Partizan defenders blocked them every single time, mostly they couldn’t make it even to our penalty area. They possessed the ball for the whole time, we could grab it only once, in the 21st minute, when Aboubakar got a very long pass on the left. He kicked it to the middle, but the goalkeeper caught the ball. The Dutch team got the ball back and they continued to attempt. Still it was only the 23rd minute when they could somewhat endanger our goal line. Hupperts ran up on the right side and passed it to the middle, but the arriving attacker was not fast enough to head or kick it to our goal line. The ball rolled out of the field through the left sideline.
A minute later Andrija Živković got the ball on the right. He passed it to Šaponjić in the middle, but a Dutch defender was faster and headed it away. The ball dropped in front of Balažic, who shot with a bicycle kick, but it was too high.
In the 28th minute Brežančić sent a sudden, distant shot to our goal, from the left. Živko Živković easily caught it.
The match was by default not the fastest of pace, but at this point it definitely slowed down, being on the verge of boring. The only interesting event was when two Partizan-players jumped up at the same time to head, but they clashed and they both needed medical attendance.
In the 33rd minute Alkmaar got a free kick, approx. 25 metres from the goal line on the left. The kick was headed to the middle by their player, right among Partizan-defenders. It happened surely for their surprise, making a goalmouth scramble. The the ball dropped in front of van der Linden. He immediately shot and scored. 1:1
(photo: hotsport.rs)
In the 36th minute Aboubakar got the ball after a throw-in. He forwarded it with a delicate movement. Babović sped up, the assistant did not wave for offside. Babović was all alone, he shot, the goalkeeper saved.
Two minutes later Andrija Živković passed the ball to Vulićević on the right. Vulićević ran up and passed to the middle. Aboubakar thanked and shot the ball right into the net. GOOOOOOAAAAAAL!!! 2:1!!!!
(photo: hotsport.rs)
In the 43rd minute Brašanac got a great pass from Andrija Živković. He shot from the distance, but it was too wide.
Meanwhile the fans were chanting Aboubakar’s name.
Šaponjić surrounded by defenders. It was not his day. He was under man-on-man defense for the entire time, whenever he just touched the ball, his personal defender kicked him to the ground. He spent more time laying on the grass than with actual playing
(photo: partizan.rs)
In the last minute a Dutch attacker woke up Živko Živković (who was most probably having a nap until this point) with a not too powerful shot. And whatever Aboubakar did on the field, fans gave him a great applause.
In the second half Alkmaar kept on trying ahead, while we kept on blocking them. The pace was slow, fans booed here and there, and this was the first time Average Fan was thinking ’what if switching to the France-Spain basketball game’ (which was a very exciting, spectacular game upon reports). But a Partizan-fan, even an average one remains faithful to the team, always and forever.
Maybe falls asleep. But just a bit.
In the 53rd minute we got a free kick. Andrija Živković shot it to the middle of the penalty area. Balažic headed it, but it was too high. Two minutes later again Andrija Živković got the ball.
(photo: partizan.rs)
He ran up in the middle and wanted to pass it to Šaponjić, but goalkeeper Rochet was quicker.
At this point nothing ever happened on the field. Really nothing. Some time around the 61st minute Janssen made a small upheaval with a shot from the left, but it was too high, we could continue our slumber until the 63rd minute, when Gouweleeuw got a pass. The Dutch player headed it, Živko Živković saved, the attempt ended in a corner kick.
In the 65th minute Aboubakar got the ball on the left. He ran up, dribbled and shot, again it ended in a corner-kick. Three minutes later Andrija Živković was wrestling with two defenders on the right side. Finally he could pass the ball to the middle, but the goalkeeper was quicker than Aboubakar.
In the 71st minute Leković passed the ball to Babović from the left. Babović headed it, but it was too high.
Alkmaar players were mostly just assisting to Partizan at this point. As for us, we were on half-speed. The result couldn’t be better, Dutch players seemingly resigned themselves to the defeat.
Then in the 76th minute Andrija Živković got fed up with this boredom. He got the ball and dribbled himself through the right side, making a fool of all defenders there. He passed to Babović, but his shot was sent to corner-kick by a defender.
Saša Ilić warming up
(photo: partizan.rs)
In the 77th minute the Italian referee showed the red card to Hupperts after his 2nd red card.
(photo: hotsport.rs)
In the 79th minute Živko Živković inactivated a Dutch attempt.
I swear I have to scrape up the mentionable moments with a rake, because at this point the game was totally dead. At some points it was a pain to watch it. Sometimes we had attempts, kicking the ball to the middle, but it seemed, we didn’t put too much energy into them.
Then came the 89th minute.
Saša Ilić gave a great pass to Andrija Živković...
...Andrija ran up all alone, with a huge solo...
...then he attempted...
...shot...
...and scored!!!! GOAAAAAAL!!! 3:1!!!
(photos: partizan.rs)
Ladies and gentlemen, Andrija Živković!
(photo: hotsport.rs)
What a great scene it was.
It shook up the Dutch team. In the 90+2nd minute Tanković made a distant shot, though it seemed rather as a desperate attempt. A minute later one of their players were fighting with our defenders on the left. Then he passed the ball diagonally to Henriksen on the right. The Norwegian midfielder shot, and scored. 3:2
It was still a well-deserved celebration at the end
(photo: hotsport.rs)
I would very much like to put here a video with all the goals, but UEFA and its elephant-sized ass made them all unavailable, referring to copyright issues. UEFA should dance polka in a barrel of slugs... here are the Grave Diggers and some match atmosphere.
Facts:
Venue: Partizan Stadion, Belgrade
Number of spectators: 12 000
Referee: Daniele Orsato (assistants: Lorenzo Manganelli, Riccardo di Fiore - 4th assistant: Alessandro Giallatini - goal line assistants: Paolo Valeri, Andrea Gervasoni) - ITA
FK Partizan: Ž. Živković - Vulićević, Balažic, Fabricio, Leković - Babović, Jevtović, Brašanac - A. Živković (Ninković, 90.), Šaponjić (Bojinov, 66.), Aboubakar (S. Ilić, 83.)
Head coach: Zoran Milinković
AZ Alkmaar: Rochet - Johansson, Gouweleeuw, van der Linden, Brežančić - van Overeem (dos Santos, 63.), Rienstra - Hupperts, Henriksen, Haye (Tanković, 73.) - Janssen (Muhren, 73.)
Head coach: John van den Brom
Goal scorers: Aboubakar (11., 39.), van der Linden (33.), A. Živković (89.), Henriksen (90+3.)
Yellow card: Brežančić (23.), Balažic (33.), Hupperts (42.), Šaponjić (66.), Leković (87.)
Red card: Hupperts (77.), second yellow card
Current standing of Group L:
1. Athletic Bilbao 3 points
2. Partizan 3 points
3. Az Alkmaar 0 point
4. Augsburg 0 point
In a short, laconic style: it was a catastrophe. The match was a catastrophe for us, we played catastrophal, with catastrophal tactics (if we had any tactics at all), and it is very painful to say, but we deserved this defeat.
In the 2nd minute Aboubakar could run up with the ball on the right. He did so, he shot, it was too high.
In the 5th minute Kátai got the ball and sped up towards our goal line. He passed it to the middle, where the ball dropped away in the goalmouth and rolled out of the field through the line, thankfully. A minute later Andrija Živković got a huge pass from Saša Ilić on the right. He shot, the goalkeeper saved it, ending the attempt in a corner.
In the 9th minute Portuguese player Vieira passed the ball to Srnić. Partizan’s defense line got dropped behind (Balažic was laying on the ground after being kicked down). Živko Živković rushed out of the goalmouth and saved.
(photo: partizan.rs)
The game was more or less equal in the first 15 minutes with combative battles, sometimes with exciting, spectacular scenes. Then Partizan started to get stuck into their half, around their penalty area slowly but surely. In the 21st minute Petković got the ball on the right side and shot. The ball rolled away, passing through our goalmouth.
Three minutes later we got a free kick, 30 metres from the goal. The kick arrived inside the penalty area, Aboubakar headed it, right onto the side net.
Then in the 27th minute Zvezda attacked in the middle. Vieira suddenly broke out of the defenders’ ring, left them all behind and shot the ball right into the net next to Živko Živković. 1:0
As for us, we made it to the classic bunker football.
In the 29th minute we got a free kick, 25-30 metres from the goal line, in the middle. Babović stood behind the ball and shot it so high that he surely hit a cloud in the sky.
A minute later Zvezda had free kick time. 25 metres, left side. The ball rolled through our penalty area, through the line, out of the field.
Partizan-fans mocking the home team and their management
(photo: Twitter)
In the 34th minute Kátai got a pass on the right side. He shot it to the middle, where Vieira was waiting for it. Živko Živković saved near the right goalpost, just a few millimetres from the goal line.
In the 36th minute we got a corner kick. Andrija Živković shot, Balažic headed it to the goal, but it was too high.
Meanwhile the bunker got more and more suffocative. We got stuck to our half for long minutes. We could break out only in the 42nd minute, when Stevanović sent a fantastic pass to Aboubakar. The Cameroonian striker ran up, kicked the ball to the middle, where Stefanović was waiting. He shot, but it was way too high.
Finally in the 45th minute, almost at the end of the first half Babović forwarded a pass to Stevanović in the middle. Stevanović got it, thanked it and walked into the net with the ball. GOOOOAAAAAAAL!!!! 1:1!!!
(photo: partizan.rs)
Right in the beginning of the second half Aboubakar got the ball and ran up in the middle. He dribbled himself through the defense line and passed to Stevanović. Stevanović shot, the goalkeeper saved. A minute later Srnić got a pass on the left side. The slow motion replay made it look as if Srnić played a bit of handball before shooting, nevertheless the referee didn’t whistle, and Srnić missed out the chance.
In the 49th minute Vieira got the ball. The Portuguese player shot from 20 metres, all of a sudden.
And he scored. The ball dropped into the net as if it was a ripened pear. 2:1, shock, then wild and loud cursing.
(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
And it didn’t stop.
55th minute. Kátai gets the ball
or rather someone from Partizan lost it, Kátai just found it
dribbled - he could do it, nobody ever interfered. Then at 16 metres he sent a bomb shot, right into the middle of our net. 3:1
That’s all, folks. We can even go home now...
Fans of the home team made a bonfire. For this the match was halted for a few minutes, thick smoke covered the field.
We used the smoke-pause to consume some water
(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
In the 62nd minute Zvezda got a free kick, 25 metres from our goal line, in the middle. Ibánez stood behind the ball, he shot, missed.
No need to attenuate it: these two quick goals had the effect of a cold shower on us. Everyone was nervous, kicking Zvezda-players to the ground. Zvezda took control in their hands, they dictated the pace, they fought, so, in a word, however much it hurts, they were better than us. The next 10 minutes were about us trying desperately to attack, and Zvezda deactivating us.
Maybe Ibánez wanted to take Andrija Živković’s jersey home as a souvenir
(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
We were weak, we lacked ideas and as the second half passed by, we got more and more apathetic. Finally in the 72nd minute substitute player Bojinov tried to shake up the team somehow. He shot from 18 metres, the goalkeeper saves with a great movement.
Partizan was struggling and suffering. It was very sad to see, I think you know what I’m talking about.
In the 80th minute Aboubakar got a huge pass from Bojinov. He ran up, all doors and windows were open, Aboubakar shot... and it was too high.
(photo: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)
It was a physical pain to watch this match. Seriously.
Finally, in the 90+2nd minute Leković got a fantastic ball from Ninković, who kicked it across the field. Leković shot, it was too high.
Then it ended.
Grave Diggers during the match. They were much more spectacular than the game
(photos: Twitter)
There are still a lot of burning questions.
I try to be as short as possible.
- What were the tactics the head coach sent the players out to the field with? Have there been any tactics at all?
- What the hell is Babović doing in the team?
- Why did Šaponjić not play at all? Any trainer in the world would give an arm for a player with a quality like him. Here he is molding on the bench, with barely any chance to play.
- What is the reason behind these lot of new players that were brought here recently? Why don’t we put our own players and/or those who worked excellent earlier, but the management either put them on loan or they are used as bench-warmers. Why do Bandalovski, Luka, Ninković, Šaponjić, Bogosavac and the others barely or never get any chance?
- Saša Ilić. I can talk about them only with the highest respect and praise. He can be talked and mentioned only with the highest respect and praise. He is a living legend. Being almost 40 he is still playing at league games. But maybe he too feels that it is soon time to give his place to younger players.
(photo: partizan.rs)
He has all my respect. Really. Whenever I talk about him, I do it with standing in attention, saluting with my hand. But it couldn’t remain unseen at previous games, that Saša Ilić plays it more and more in the pace of a veteran player. Against smaller teams it’s not much a big deal, but at such a game, and especially at European competitions it’s not enough.
- Why is Zoran Milinković still on the bench? Why did he not pack up yet and went back to Voždovac together with his hangers-on?
- Why have the management not left ul. Humska yet and gone to hell, once and for all?
- When will they come back?... :(
At the end, here is the tweet of the day, from Andrija Živković.
Čestitam mojim drugarima i saigračima iz Zvezde na zasluženoj pobedi! Samo ću kratko reći, večeras nije bio moj i naš dan! #derbi#czv#fkp
I swear it wasn’t my idea.
Prva TV uploaded a video to Youtube, where you can see Partizan-players taking part at a fashion photoshoot. There’s nothing special in it, there are a million other examples of sportsmen modeling, or even being the ambassadors of a certain brand. (E.g. Neymar Jr. and Police.)
So, Prva TV uploaded the video on Youtube titled "Stefan Babović - Zavodnik bez premca" (Stefan Babović - The peerless seducer).
The video itself is funny, sometimes even entertaining (except for the trashy background music). There are a lot of excellent, talented football players who tried out what it could be like to be fashion dolls, and they seemingly had fun doing it.
And there’s Babović.
Excuse me for the not-that-presentable question - I try to use my words as delicately as possible - but please, anyone, tell me, who is that at Prva TV, with whom, ahem, well, erm, has a close (sexual) relationship with Babović? Because it is not the first time that this talentless, wooden-legged nobody player was mentioned as "zavodnik".
If I wanted to be very demagogue now, I’d say, luckily the pure talent and commitment is enough at all the other players, so they don’t need any extra grammatical modifiers. But let’s not get into these now. What’s the most important and what has the greatest priority now is that
tomorrow at 18:00
149th eternal derby
Crvena Zvezda - Partizan
The game will be broadcasted live by ArenaSport 1. So far there’s no info that the state-owned TV or any other channel with better coverage would also broadcast.
I could have also gave the title "Nuclear bomb dropped".
In short: after Predrag Danilović resigned, the basketball team of Partizan elected the new team presidency. It has been an open secret for a while that his successor would be Partizan’s former, Minnesota Timberwolves’ current player, 29-year-old Nikola "Pekmen" Peković.
But the real shockbrain haemorrhage surprise was not this.
It was the news that Duško Vujošević has (had to?) left Partizan’s bench.
Dear everyone, dear fellow fans and Grave Diggers, I think we can say that an era in KK Partizan’s history has ended.
We can also say that has been rumoured for a while, namely that party politics have wormed their way into the management of the basketball team.
Duško Vujošević’s successor is Partizan’s former player and second trainer, Petar Božić.
On the photo, from left to right: KK Partizan’s sports manager Dragan Todorić, Petar Božić and Duško Vujošević
(photo: kurir.rs)
The rest of the management is, as follows: KK Partizan's vice president as well as Peković’s general deputy is Miroslav Berić. Other members are: Sanja Lubardić, Maurizio Vallo, Milan Iskrin, Pero Šaranović, Ilija Dražić, Vladimir Vrbaški, Boško Janković, Ratko Čakarević, Velibor Jojić, Ivan Trifunović and Petar Grubor.
Berić (left) and Peković
(photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)
Photo of the day
There was press conference as well, with the usual commonplaces.
It’s very hard to say anything now, being shocked, trying to get used to the fact that Duško Vujošević is not Partizan’s head coach anymore. (The fact that he stays at the club as advisor doesn’t make it any better.) You think back of all those victories, the long list of players who worked with him and who all play now at top clubs, in NBA, in the national team of their countries. (Think of Bogdan Bogdanović and Joffrey Lauvergne.) In these moments "thank you" is just a superficial cliché. There's not enough "thank you"-s and gratitude in this world to express it. Stand up straight and salute. Now.
It’s not that easy.
Monday (31st August) midnight was the deadline of closing the transfer window, and Partizan’s football team was racing with time. On Monday they signed 4 (four) players within 24 hours. The first one was Nikola Leković. The left back is in fact on loan from Polish team Lechia Gdansk for a year. His shirt number will be No. 3...
...another left back, the former captain of Borac Banja Luka, Aleksandar Subić has signed for 4 years to Partizan. His shirt number will be No. 19...
...16-year-old Đorđe Jovanović, player of Partizan’s youth school has signed his first ever professional contract with the team...
...and finally, in the last minute Partizan signed Swiss-born Serbian national team winger Alen Stevanović, whose number will be No. 91.
Besides it was an open secret that Partizan, but most of all Zoran Milinković had wanted to sign Vojvodina’s midfielder, Mirko Ivanić. The team allegedly offered one and a half million (!) euros for him
where would they have taken that money from?...
but Vojvodina just rose and rose the price, finally at two million euros Partizan backed out of the debate. Though Miloš Vazura keeps on waving his flags that Partizan did not give up signing Vojvodina’s young talent.
The only weird part of it all is that nobody asked Marko Ivanić about it all.
Then there were those who left the team. They are out mostly on loan, but Ivan Petrović permanently left ul. Humska and signed to Borac Čačak. Nenad Marinković is on loan (at FK Voždovac), so is Miroslav Bogosavac (Teleoptik). There are rumours, that Novi Pazar was into getting Predrag Luka on loan, but Luka refused to accept the offer saying he rather fights ahead to get into Partizan’s starting eleven.
GIGARESPECT. This is Partizan-heart.
Upon some nasty rumours not only Predrag Luka but also Petar Grbić refused an offer to get on loan - and both players were allegedly punished by the team management for choosing rather Partizan than wearing another team’s jersey. If this is true, then I wish the entire management, every single one of them to get such a nasty diarrhea, in public, that even the closest toilet would be too far for them.
***
There’s a change in the basketball team as well. Milenko Tepić has left KK Partizan. The player’s contract has expired at the end of the previous season, still he started the preparations with Partizan. Now he has found a new team for himself, and it is not else than Greek team PAOK.
As soon as there is any official announcement, I’ll update the blogpost.
Update: fresh, crusty and official. PAOK announced the signing of Milenko Tepić on Facebook.
For the end of the post I serve you with the obligatory PR-grin of football players. Audi, being their official sponsor, offered brand new A3 and A4 cars for the players as well as to Zoran Milinković. After the usual commonplaces the players and the head coach were photographed in the company of their new machines.
