Summary of summer preparations

The roll call at the foot of the north stand of the Maracana on June 19 marked the beginning of Red Star's preparations for the 2023/24 season, in which our players will perform on three fronts. After three days of work in Belgrade, the red and whites traveled to Zlatibor to do the basic part of the preparations intended for the physical preparation of football players. Extremely hard work awaited Barah Bakar's players on the famous Serbian mountain, and the players were subjected to serious tests in the form of the "bi-bi" test, running and hard work in the gym. A total of nine training sessions were performed by the first team members of our club, along with two friendly matches.

The first control check was played against Selection Uzice and there we won a routine victory with the result 1:3, while the goals were scored by Jovan Mijatović, Aleksandar Katai and Marko Gobeljić. After three days we defeated Borac from Banja Luka thanks to Stefan Mitrović and Vladimir Lučić who shook the net (0:2). The second triumph was followed by a return to the "Rajko Mitić" stadium, and after a two-day break, a trip to Russia.

Then Zvezda arrived in Saint Petersburg with 28 players. This was followed by work on tactical and technical details, which the football players accepted with joy after the demanding training sessions to improve their physical shape. The entire professional staff organized the work down to the last detail, and everything was bustling with the commands of manager Bahar Barak. The players implemented almost all the tasks and tactical settings that the staff wanted to implement, and this was all reflected in the first game in Russia.

Zvezda took part in the "Pari Cup", which was organized by the host and our friendly club Zenit, so that's how we played the first duel against the Russian giant at the "Gazprom Arena". The final score was 1:2 in favor of the red and whites of Belgrade, and we took the lead in the 40th minute of the duel when Mirko Ivanić headed the ball into the net on Stefan Mitrović's cross. With the score tied, a phenomenal transition and action by our team followed when Kings Kangwa was brought down in an illegal manner in the opponent's penalty area. Jean-Philippe Crasso took charge and with a very accurate shot brought three points to our team in the 88th minute.

Crvena zvezda played atomic football against Zenit, while the party against Nefchi confirmed the dominance of Barak Bahar's company. An offensive set-up with three players in the last line with quick-footed wing backs and creative forwards led to a convincing triumph. We scored goals after transition and high pressing, and the opponent's goalkeeper was checked by Mirko Ivanić, Stefan Mitrović, Osman Bukari and Jovan Šljivić (0:4).

The game against Fenerbahçe, also the last match within the above-mentioned tournament, was the real indicator that the maximum commitment and work paid off. Already in 22 seconds, the scoreboard was 1:0 in favor of the team from Serbia, considering that Jean-Philippe Crassot and Peter Olanjinka indicated that they will represent a serious attacking tandem. The same duo was the protagonist of our club's second goal in the 38th minute. Kraso found the tall Nigerian with a surgically precise cross, who just bowed and lowered the ball to Mirko Ivanić, who had no difficulty shaking the net. Although the team from Tuska reduced the advantage in the 78th minute, we quickly returned to a two-goal advantage. Vladimir Lučić showed composure and in a one-on-one situation lucidly executed a shot under the goalkeeper's hand into the very corner of the goal (1:2).

With that, Red Star won the Paris Premier Cup with three victories and decorated the showcases of the Maracana museum. In total, we won nine points, with a goal difference of 9:1, which testifies to our team's style of play. The head of the professional staff - Barak Bahar had a lot of praise for his chosen ones, but he also emphasized that serious challenges await Red Star when the season starts. After 13 days of stay in Russia, our first team arrived in Belgrade, where before the start of the season, tests against TSC (July 22) and Fiorentina (July 26) await us.