Crvena zvezda returned from the winter break with a fine 2-0 win at Čukarički. Veljko Nikolić and Njegoš Petrović scored in the first half to give Dejan Stanković his first competitive win as Zvezda boss.
Ground: Čukarički
Attendance: 3,470
Referee: Danilo Grujić
Goalscorers: Nikolić 5', Petrović 14'
Čukarički: Petrović, Ćirković, Šapić, Puškarić, Veličković, Docić, Kovač, Vidosavljević (Ndiaye 46'), Kajević, Birmančević (Zorić 78'), Tedić (Mićin 62').
Crvena zvezda: Borjan, Gobeljić, Degenek, Milunović, Rodić, Jovančić, Petrović, Nikolić, Ben (Simić 71'), Gavrić (Garcia 78'), Boakye (Pavkov 88').
The red and whites produced a magnificent performance in the first 45 minutes and left Čukarički reeling after two goals in the opening 15 minutes.
Two young midfielders were the scorers on a day when Zvezda looked mean and efficient in every department. Nikolić made the most of a poor Čukarički clearence and bundeled home to make it a perfect start.
But it was Njegoš Petrović who grabbed the spotlight as he controlled a pass, looked up and unleashed a rocket of a strike that flew into the top corner from all of 30 meters out. A simply breathtaking goal!
Miloš Degenek and Marko Gobeljić both came close to scoring as Dejan Stanković's team controlled the game and created more chances in the Belgrade sunshine.
Ben was presented with a golden chance to make it 3-0 in the first half injury time, but his penalty was stopped by Čukarički goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović.
Second half was a notably more quiet as Zvezda put the foot off the gas pedal and elected to preserve the lead. Čukarički could muster their first decent chance some 20 minutes from time, but Milan Borjan was alert and he thwarted Ndiaye's attempt with a well-timed dive.
The final whistle was greeted with cheers from the noisy Zvezda fans who serenated the players and the club legend Dejan Stanković on his return to Serbian football.