Manchester City - Red Star 3:1 (0:1)

Manchester City - Red Star 3:1 (0:1)

Stadium: Etihad, Manchester, England.

Referee: Zao Pineiro (Portugal).

Scorers: Alvarez in the 47th and 60th and Rodri in the 73rd minute for Manchester City, and Bucari in the 45th minute for Red Star.

Yellow cards: Rodri, Dias (Manchester City), Rodic (Red Star).

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias (from Lewis), Ake, Gomez (from 58. Akanji), Rodri (from 83. Phillips), Nunez, Alvarez, Silva (from 44. Doku), Foden (from 83. Bob) , Holland.

Reserves: Ortega, Carson, Akanji, Guardiol, Phillips, Doku, Lewis, Bob, Lewis.

Red Star: Glazer, Điga, Dragović, Rodić, Mijailović, Stamenić, Hwang (from 82. Kangva), Mitrović (from 77. Lučić), Bukari (from 82. Degenek), Ivanić (from 68. Olanjinka), Endiaje (from 68. Beautiful).

Reserves: Popović, Vasiljević, Degenek, Milunović, Spajić, Kangva, Kanga, Katai, Kabić, Lucić, Olanjinka, Kraso.

From 20:00 local time, i.e. 21:00 Serbian time, Crvena Zvezda started a "lion's" fight in the group stage of the Champions League against the current champion - Manchester City. They opened the Belgrade red-white match very disciplinedly in the opening interval of the match. Barak Bahar's players stood firm and moved the team's lines in sync, while the center kicks and opponent's passes in the penalty area were "collected" by our team's defenders.

The first shot on the Red Star's goal by Rodri in the 14th minute was stopped by Glazer with a great save, earning a standing ovation from the packed Etihad. The goalkeeper of the Israeli national team was perfectly placed when Bernardo Silva tried from the edge of the penalty area after only 60 seconds of the game. On the other hand, our team attacked on the left flank, where Mitrović and Ivanić cooperated the most, along with Endiaje, who led a "trench" fight with the hosts' stoppers. Once again, Glazer made a great save, because it was in the 29th minute that he headed Ake's header from the corner of the goal.

Crvena Zvezda could take the lead in the 31st minute after an excellent counterattack led by Bukari. The fast-footed offensive player quickly pulled the ball from the center of the field and kicked Hwang to the right, and the combative midfielder sent a sharp ball from the first to the penalty area, which Ederson managed to "take off" from Endiaje's leg. Foden's header attempt from the box in the 41st minute seemed indefensible, but not for Glazer, who this time reflexively stopped the opponent's "terrible" opportunity. There is no doubt that the first part of the game absolutely belonged to the Red Star netminder, and the statistics of seven blocked shots into the frame of the goal confirmed that.

At the moment when the fourth referee was supposed to show how much more will be played in the first half, Zvezda took the lead! The 45th minute was played when another good reaction in the middle of the field by Ivanić led to a position where the midfielder from Bački Jark could ideally send a pass towards Osman Bukari. The ball on the "tray" was like a "gift" to the quick-footed winger, and the calmness and routine realization with the inner part of the foot forced Ederson to capitulate in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper of the national team of Brazil.

The home team quickly equalized, practically from the "locker room" when Alvarez used a zicer. Glazer brilliantly stopped Haaland's shot in the 58th minute, but two minutes later, the home team managed to equalize from a direct free kick taken by Alvarez. In the next attack, Zvezda almost scored a second goal, but Hwang, inside the penalty area, shot straight at the goalkeeper of "Građana" on the return pass by Bukari.

Another shot was stopped by Glazaer in the 65th minute, when Haaland again had a chance. In the 68th minute, Ivanić's "linen" step skipped over the grass carpet of the Etihad, because the assistant at the goal of our team traveled almost 60 meters with the ball and endured two duels on his feet, but unfortunately, during the endgame, the ball went over the outside of his boot and ended next to the goal. The footballers of our team defended themselves and tried to get a point through counterattacks, but all hopes were dashed by Rodri with a precise shot in the 73rd minute. Zvezda fought until the end of the match, but the result did not change.