Crvena zvezda beat Valletta FC 4-2 on aggreagate after coming from behind yet again to win 2-1 on the night at Rajko Mitić Stadium on Tuesday night. The visitors took the lead through Jonathan Caruana after an early corner, but Mitchell Donald and Aleksandar Katai made sure the red-and-whites recorded a win in their first home match of the season.
Ground: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Attendance: 31,112
Referee: Tore Hansen (Norway)
Goalscorers: Donald 29', Katai 76' – Caruana 11'
Teams:
Crvena zvezda: Kahriman, Cvetković, Phibel, Rendulić, Ibanez, Le Tallec, Donald, Mouche, Kanga, Katai, Vieira. Substitutions: Supić, Petković, Luković, Ruiz, Ristić, Srnić, Sikimić.
Valletta FC: Bartolo, Caruana, Azzopardi, S Borg, Gill, Mifsud, Briffa, Pani, Aguirre, Jhonnattann, Romeu. Substitutions: Santiago, Fenech, J Borg, Suda, Cremona, Ristić, Umeh.
The home team started the game well and had an early chance through Thomas Phibel, but the defender fired over the bar from close range after a chance suddenly came his way in only the fourth minute of the match. After this there were half chances for Hugo Vieira and Pablo Mouche, but they couldn't find a way past Emmanuel Bartolo in the Valletta goal.
It was the Malta champions who took the lead on 11 minutes when their captain Jonathan Caruana scored a header at the near post after a corner.
It took Zvezda players some time to recover, and it was Hugo Vieira who came close on 27 minutes. The Portueguese forward took a few touches and shot from around 20 meters out, but it went wide.
Mitchell Donald did better a couple of minutes later as he lashed a shot in off the post from the edge of the area. The Dutch midfielder raised the roof at Marakana as the fans celebrated wildly.
The red-and-whites continued to attack and Hugo Vieira nearly scored a backheeled goal when he met a Pablo Mouche low cross, but the visiting goalkeeper dived well to his right and managed to keep it out.
The second half started somewhat slowly and it took Miodrag Božović's met 15 minutes to create a notable chance. Aleksandar Katai, Crvena zvezda captain on the night, took a free kick from 20 meters out and hit the post. Vieira had a chance to tuch the rebound home, but he couldn't hit the target from a tight angle.
Even though the visitors had their chances on the counter attack, it was Zvezda who managed to take the lead on 76 minutes when Aleksandar Katai finished calmly from inside the area. This allowed the home side to play a bit more relaxed and they had another couple of chances with Srnić and Katai going close late in the game.
The match finished 2-1 to Crvena zvezda and marked our progress to the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round, where Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad await. Head Coach Božović now has another week at his disposal to prepare the team for another challenge.