National Champions 1951.

Second championship title Crvena zvezda won in 1951. More precisely, on November 4, at around 4:15 p.m., our Zvezda became the champion of Yugoslavia. Crvena zvezda was in the end ahead of Dinamo Zagreb, with the same number of points, but with a better goal difference. Thus, the championship crown was won, with a total of 35 points and a goal difference of 50:21.

In 1951, when the game was primarily played throughout the calendar year, the team led by the legendary Rajko Mitić, the first Star of Crvena zvezda, got off to a great start with three wins, with a goal difference of 13:0. Things then went downhill after a 2:1 defeat to Mačva in Belgrade, and Zvezda finished the spring season in fourth place with 14 points, behind Dinamo (20), Hajduk (17) and Partizan (16).

A few rounds before the end of the championship, Dinamo had what seemed like an unattainable five-point lead. Then, in the penultimate round in Zagreb, real drama happened. Crvena zvezda took the lead with a goal from legend Kosta Tomašević in the fifth minute of the match, only for Dinamo to equalize with a goal from Wolfl from the penalty spot in the 25th minute. The home team attacked fiercely, our team defended well, and at the end of the match, after a counterattack led by Djajić and Mitić, the ball reached Tomašević, who skillfully freed himself from the keeper and hit the target past goalkeeper Stinčić. That key moment in the big derby happened in the 82nd minute. But, before the last round, Dinamo still had a one-point lead, as big as a house.

In the last round, the most dramatic in the history of Yugoslav football up to that point, Dinamo played a hot away game in Belgrade and only drew against BSK (2:2). Crvena zvezda needed a 2:0 or 5:1 victory in the eternal derby against Partizan, in the fight for their first title. Partizan players played as if they were also fighting for the title, but at that time they were powerless against Mitić, Tomašević and their team. Crvena zvezda hosted the match at the JNA stadium in front of 50,000 spectators and with goals from Tomašević and Todor Živanović, brought down their great rival, whose stars were Bobek, Čajkovski, and Valok. When referee Vasa Stefanović blew the final whistle, there was a celebration like no other in Belgrade. Thousands of Crvena zvezda fans celebrated the title even with lit paper torches. The top scorer of the championship was Kosta Tomašević with 16 goals.

- Even now I don't understand... how we held on. Time seemed to stand still. Partizan was becoming more and more aggressive, and we were investing our last atoms of strength. Luckily for us, we held on until the end - said Crvena zvezda captain Rajko Mitić.