Our team ensured the unofficial “Autumn champion” title as three points won at Zlatibor ensured that we’ll head into winter break as Superliga’s leaders. Even though it seemed like there was going to be plenty of goals in this match, it was the sole Richmond Boakye strike that settled it.
Ground: Gradski stadion Užice
Referee: Danilo Grujić.
Goalscorer: Boakye 18’
Zlatibor: Čubraković, Jezdimirović (66’ Miličić), Anđelković (85’ Vidić), Stamenković, Đakovac, Đokić, Petronijević (46’ Poček), Radović (46’ Živanović), Janjić (59’ Nikolov), Krstić, Islamović.
Substitutes: Savić, Poček, Nikolov, Vidić, Glišović, Mirković, Miličić, Ćirović, Živanović.
Crvena zvezda: Borjan, Gobeljić (66’ Gajić), Pankov, Eraković (46’ Milunović), Degenek,Petrović, Nikolić, Spiridonović (46’ Falcinelli), Radulović (66’ Simić), Vukanović, Boakye (75’ Kanga).
Substitutes: Popović, Gajić, Milunović, Sanogo, Simić, Kanga, Bačanin, Falcinelli, Krstović, Lazetić.
Our team started brightly in Užice and Superliga new boys looked like they were in for a long, hard shift trying to keep the liked of Boakye, Spiridonović and Vukanović quiet. Radulović and Spiridonović gave the hosts many problems down the flanks early on.
Richmond Boakye hit the crossbar with a header on 16 minutes and showed that he was going to be a major threat. He had an easy task of prodding from just a couple of meters out two minutes later and he duly tucked it away as he pounced on a loose ball.
At that point it seemed that Zvezda were going to score a few more, but efforts from Vukanović and Spiridonović were dealt with by goalkeeper Dušan Čubraković.
Very cold and windy day in Užice did little to boost this match as players found it hard to control the ball and find their targets with anything other than short low passes.
Kanga had the best chance for Zvezda in the second half as he closed the Zlatibor goalkeeper down and managed to partly block his clearance. But the goalie recovered just in time and dived to prevent the Gabonese playmaker from scoring from tight angle.
Despite the lack of goals that would have given us a bit more breathing space, Zlatibor rarely tested Milan Borjan and Zvezda made it to the finish line with some ease to put another three points on the board and open up a nine-point lead at the top of the table.