Dejan Stanković‘s men stormed through Novi Pazar and got a cool 4-0 win in front of empty stands by the Jošanica River. Strikes from Sekou Sanogo and Aleksandar Katai were particularly pleasing!
Ground: Gradski stadion
Goalscorers: Dragović 3, Katai 14, Sanogo 20, Diony 67 pen
Referee: Lazar Lukić.
Yellow cards: Pavišić (Novi Pazar), Sanogo (Crvena zvezda).
Novi Pazar: Vujanac, Vlajković (73 Parađina), Kojčić, Pavišić, A Islamović, S Islamović (46 Džamalutdinov), Lončar, Delimeđac (68 Kalezić), Ratković, Nikčević (46 Zimonjić), Aganspahić (79 Kiković).
Substitutes not used: Andrijanić, Handžić, Mladenović, Maksimović, Mihailović, Čečarić.
Crvena zvezda: Popović, Gobeljić, Eraković, Dragović, Rodić (74 Lazetić), Sanogo (68 Petrović), Falco, Ivanić (46 Stanić), Kanga, Katai (46 Živković), Diony (74 Nikolić).
Substitutes not used: S Marinković, Degenek, Pankov, Stanić, Srnić, Vukanović, Bakayoko.
Novi Pazar have a loud crowd, but the blue and whites were forced to play in front of empty stands because those fans were a bit too loud in their last game here. It came as a slight boost for the red and whites – but with a performance like this, no set of loud fans would put the champions off their winning route.
Aleksandar Dragović got his first goal for his favourite club with a third-minute header from a Lois Diony knock-on. It was a perfect start for the red and whites who were determined not to stop with attacks until a win was secured.
Diony was fouled just outside the blue and white area and Aleksandar Katai made the most of it by slamming a sublime free kick into the top corner to double the lead for Dejan Stanković‘s side.
As good as Katai‘s strike was, it still wasn‘t the best goal of the match. Our Ivorian enforcer Sekou Sanogo showed that there is a lot more to his game than just being a rock in the middle of the park when he unleashed a missile from well outside the area past the desperately diving Vujanac. What a strike that was!
The red and whites allowed themselves to relax a bit after the third goal as a multitute od substitutions diluted the play somewhat. Still, there was time for Lois Diony to dispatch a spot kick, albeit from second attempt, to make it 4-0. His initial penalty was saved, but VAR intervened because the goalkeeper had left his line completely. The Frenchman made no mistake at the second attempt.
Our team has got a trip to Bulgaria and a PFC Ludogorets clash in the UEFA Europa League coming up next on Thursday.