Crvena zvezda played the first match of 2021 and beat Polish side Śląsk Wrocław in a friendly held in sunny Antalya. Two goals from Falcinelli and strikes from Ivanić and Pavkov made it an encouraging 4-0 win over a good Ekstraklasa team.
Ground: Calysta Hotel pitch, Antalya, Turkey
Goalscorers: Ivanić 34’, Falcinelli 44’, 58’, Pavkov 73’
Crvena zvezda: Borjan (46’ Popović), Gajić (59’ Gobeljić), Degenek (59’ Eraković), Pankov (59’ Milunović), Rodić (59’ Odada), Sanogo (59’ Petrović), Ivanić (59’ Nikolić), Kanga (59’ Vukanović), Ben (59’ Srnić), Bakayoko (20’ Gavrić, 76’ Krstović), Falcinelli (59’ Pavkov).
Śląsk Wrocław: Szromnik, Janasik, Puerto, Tamas, Stiglec, Pałaszewski, Sobota, Pawłowski, Praszelik, Zylla, Exposito.
Substitutes: Szczerbal, Cotugno, Celeban, Pawelec, Makowski, Szpakowski, Lewkot, Samiec-Talar, Piasecki.
It’s been a very good workout indeed for Dejan Stanković’s men. After a spell of basic training in Belgrade and in Cyprus, we moved to Turkey for yet more training sessions, but also a few friendlies that should give our team much needed match sharpness ahead of the season restart.
Polish side from Wrocław was our first opponent of the year and the red and whites took this match very seriously. For the most part, this looked like a competitive game. Diego Falcinelli was the star performer with two goals, with his first being the pick of the lot – a beautiful left-footed curling shot that flew into the top far corner of Szromnik’s net.
But it was Mirko Ivanić who’d opened the scoring ten minutes previously as he snuck behind at the far post to poke in from a narrow angle after Śląsk failed to clear a Ben corner. Diego scored just before the break to make it 2-0.
Zvezda continued strongly after the break and Željko Gavrić, on for new boy Axel Bakayoko, thought he’d scored after being played in by Guélor Kanga, but his shot lacked pace and it was cleared off the line by Janasik.
Falcinelli added the third around the hour mark with a simple tap in. The Italian striker’s movement enabled him to score easily after good work from Ivanić and Rodić down the left.
Milan Pavkov came on as one of nine substitutes on the hour and was nearly on the scoresheet just a few minutes later. Śląsk ‘keeper kept him out once, but goal-hungry Pavkov kept on coming and was rewarded with a goal on 73 minutes. The big striker did well to control a pass from Veljko Nikolić and find the net with ease and made it 4-0 to the Serbian champions.
It may not been a competitive game, but the manner of the win and the football we’ve played will certainly open the fans’ appetite ahead of the business half of the campaign.