RB Leipzig - Red Star 3:1 (1:0)

RB Leipzig - Red Star 3:1 (1:0)

Stadium: "RB Arena", Leipzig, Germany.

Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain).

Scorers: Raum in the 12th, Simmons in the 59th and Olmo in the 84th minute for RB Leipzig, and Stamenić in the 70th minute for Red Star.

Yellow cards: Henriks (RB Leipzig), Điga, Rodić, Stamenić, Hwang (Red Star).

RB Leipzig: Blaswich, Henricks (from 57. Klostermann), Simakan, Lukeba, Raum, Schlager, Kampl, Forsberg (from 57. Baumgartner), Simmons (from 75. Olmo), Poulsen (from 82. Werner), Openda (from 82. Šeško).

Reserves: Gulaci, Lenz, Olmo, Haidara, Seiwald, Baumgartner, Klosterman, Carvalho, Werner, Sesko.

Red Star: Glazer, Điga, Dragović, Rodić (from 65. Nedeljković), Mijailović, Stamenić (from 81. Katai), Hwang, Mitrović (from 65. Lučić), Ivanić, Olanjinka (from 46. Bukari), Endiaje (from 65. Mijatović).

Reserves: Popović, Nedeljković, Degenek, Spajić, Kangva, Kanga, Bukari, Kabić, Katai, Lucić, Mijatović.

Zvezda showed at the start of this match that the counter is the main weapon of our team, so in the third minute after the combination of Endiaje and Ivanić, the ball stayed with Hwang, and he shot from 25 meters just past the post. However, the home team quickly took the lead through Raum, who found himself in front of Glazer in the 12th minute and scored accurately.

Glazer stood out with two fantastic saves, when in the 17th minute he first stopped Poulsen's shot from the edge of the penalty area, and then practically "took" Simakan's header out of the net and sent it into the corner. Ivanić almost took advantage of Lukeba's mistake in the 23rd minute, but Blasvić came out in time and cut the corner. But even from that corner, Zvezda seriously threatened when Rodić was the highest in the jump and properly tormented the goalkeeper of the home team.

Sanchez scored a penalty for our team in the 28th minute after a duel between Olanjinka and Lukeba, but after intervention from the VAR room, he overturned his decision. Zvezda acted equally in the continuation, even had the initiative on the field against the favored host. Endiaje fought with the rival stoppers, and from one situation Mitrović also shot over the goal in the 40th minute.

Zvezda started violently in the rest of the game, and it seemed as if our players relaxed and realized that they could compete with Leipzig on an equal footing. It was the 55th minute when the fresh Bukari shot, and the ball whizzed through the box and almost reached Endiaje, who would have had the easier part of the job. However, Simmons entered the scene and in the 59th minute hit the crossbar from 25 meters, doubling his team's advantage practically out of nothing.

Bahar decided to put Zvezda's children on the field - Nedeljkovic, Lucic and Mijatovic, who brought extra energy to the field at the start. Glazer also stood out in the 67th minute when he brilliantly saved Simmons' shot. Mijatović failed a little earlier in a dangerous attack by our team, but Marko Stamenić did in the 70th minute, reducing the score. Dragović shot, and the ball bounced straight to the New Zealand representative who sent it into the net from the penalty box and thus further spoiled the fans of our team who came in large numbers to support Zvezda. At the end, Bahar gave Katai an opportunity, but the home team managed to score another goal in the 84th minute, and with that Olmo set the final score. It would have been a great debut in the Champions League for Nedeljkovic if he had scored in the 85th minute, but the post prevented him from doing so, although he shot well and the ball caught Simakan.