Crvena zvezda disposed of Spartak in style by beating the Subotica side 4-0 behind closed doors at Rajko Mitić Stadium. Young striker Dejan Joveljić scored twice to get off the mark in senior football.
Ground: Rajko Mitić Stadium
Attendance: match was played behind closed doors through suspension
Referee: Bojan Nikolić
Goalscorers: Radonjić 6', Joveljić 35'(pen), 63', Ben 43'
Teams:
Crvena zvezda: Borjan, Stojković, Frimpong, Babić, Rodić, Račić, Krstičić, . Ilić, Ben, Radonjić, Joveljić.
Substitutes: Kahriman, Hajdin, Milijaš, Donald, Milić, Srnić, Pešić.
Spartak: Lučić, Shimura, Jočić, Kerkez, Ćalasan, Torbica, Glavčić, Vukčević, Dinđerski, Dieng, Đurčin.
Substitutes: Jović, Pavlović, Lučić, Matijević, Popović, Petrov, Vučićević.
Head Coach Vladan Milojević was allowed the luxury to field a sligtly younger team than usual. It was great to see Dejan Joveljić lead the line after watching him score goals for fun all season playing for the U19s.
Our team looked hungry from the kick off, never allowing Spartak time on the ball and pressing high in search of openings. Such approach paid off early as Nemanja Radonjić maintained his fine form as he found the far corner of Lučić's net with a cool finish.
Radonjić nearly doubled the lead just a couple of minutes later after playing a nice one-two with Joveljić, but he missed the target when he should have scored.
The red-and-whites continued to dominate and were 2-0 up ten minutes before the break. Referee pointed to the spot after Račić has gone down in the box and it was Dejan Joveljić who was given a chance to score for the first time in a senior game. He dispatched the penalty kick with confidence and celebrated the moment that will live in his memory forever.
The visitors have had their chances late in the first half, but Shimura and Torbica lacked composure in Zvezda's box and couldn't convert their opportunities.
Spartak were punished for those misses just before half time as Radonjić slid the ball to Ben who sold a dummy to a Spartak defender before rolling the ball in the back of the net with goalkeeper Lučić stranded.
Second half offered fewer interesting moments as Crvena zvezda protected their hefty lead. Spartak players never gave up despite trailing by three goals and have to be admired for a great sporting attitude. They created a number of half chances, but were unable to really test Milan Borjan, who's had a rather quiet evening in Crvena zvezda's goal.
The best moment of the second period came on 63 minutes. Dejan Joveljić rarely finishes a game with just one goal to his name and he made sure he's grabbed a brace when he cut on from the left and finished strongly into the near corner. It's a real shame the stands were closed for this match as these Joveljić's goals would have been a memory to savour for our supporters.
By scoring two goals against Spartak, Dejan Joveljić has now reached a total of 46 goals for the 2017/18 season. An admirable feat at any level!
The match ended with the champions of Serbia running out deserving 4-0 winners. It was a good day for Crvena zvezda as Head Coach Vladan Milojević confirmed that he is set to sign a new contract and remain at the club following this successful season.