Two great results there for you, with very convincing score-lines! 
The Red Journey
A story where take a club from one of Europe's lower leagues to make them a worldwide force to be reckoned with!
Red Star comeback to produce historical result
In a European campaign for Red Star Belgrade where they have managed to pull of some of the biggest upsets, beating both Udinese and Spartak Moscow in the Qualifying Rounds, the group stage draw which saw them pitted up against Swansea City, Saint-Etienne and Sevilla, despite being the media touted ‘group of death’, would not have fazed them. However, they, nor the rest of the footballing world expected a result of this stature, when the Serbian side managed to pull off a stunning 4 goal comeback to beat strong British outfit Swansea City, led by a extraordinary performance from star striker Filip Kasalica. The Welsh side left Belgrade shocked at what had happened to them.
The first half however, belonged to the Welsh side. They dominated from the first whistle, and by the 2nd minute, after a clever flick on from Wilfred Bony, Pablo Hernandez hit a powerful shot from a tight angle to give his side the lead. Red Star tried to counter attack, but got no results, and by the 12th minute, after a rash challenge by Martinovic, Swansea had a free kick from just outside the box. Jonjo Shelvey hit it into the top corner to make the score 2-0 and put all the pressure on the home team, whose fans were thoroughly dismayed are were weary of a demolition here. Swansea continued to dominate proceedings, and had lots of shots, but were unable to beat the Red Star keeper, Bajkovic. Vasquez was the most dangerous player for Swansea, and looked a threat every time he received the ball in the box. As the half drew to a close, chances became fewer, and far between, with neither side going all out.
The second half was a thoroughly different tale, with Red Star immediately looking much brighter. A good opening move led to star striker Filip Kasalica prodding home after 48 minutes, to give his side the slightest glimmer of hope. Red Star were now the team who were looking much more deadly in attack, and it paid off, when after 66 minutes, a mix-up defensively was capitalized on by Kasalica, who sped through and slid the ball calmly into the back of the net, to send Red Star fans into ruptures. Swansea were looking stunned and failed to react when, mere moments later, Dja Djedje put a low cross into the box which was met by Kasalica, who tucked it home for his hat trick, and gave Red Star an unbelievable lead. The story was not over then, as straight from kick-off, a great through ball from Gogic found Milunovic, who put the ball into the box, and you guessed it, Filip Kasalica, hit a thumping volley for his 4th goal of the game, and to make the score line 4-2 in the 71st minute. Even after left back Mijailovic was sent off after picking up his 2nd yellow card, Red Star rallied together defensively and held on for a famous victory, in a huge part down to a stunning game from striker Filip Kasalica, which saw the Montenegrin score all 4 of his sides goals.
Amazing performance from Filip Kasalica! Swansea are actually a really good team and you've done so well in beating them!
@Josh - Ikr, they are a great side, especially compared to us, thanks
@fmhunter - He has been so great this season, but this performance stands out by far! And cheers mate
@fmhunter - He has been so great this season, but this performance stands out by far! And cheers mate
Planned Improved Facilities for Red Star
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The improved facilities will be a massive boost to the club's youth development
The board of Red Star Belgrade had announced today, that the club would be investing heavily in improving their youth facilities in order in an attempt to help the club become more self-sustainable in the long-term. To help with this, they have also increased the budget the club will spend on junior coaching over the next few years.
Red Star, who are performing well so far this season, high up in their domestic league, and famously pulling off major upsets against the like of Spartak Moscow and Swansea in Europe, see this as the perfect time for the club to invest in improving the standard of youth, with success seemingly imminent.
The manager, Robert Prosine?ki, was a major factor in this decision being made, as he pushed for this, both to the owner and to the media publicly. He said this in a pre-match press conference a few weeks ago, when he was asked about how he was to use his young squad and whether he would focus on youth in his time as the caretaker, he replied.
‘I am a huge fan of finding and developing younger players into players fit for the first team, and I currently in talks with the board and owner, in an attempt to try and improve our facilities in this area. If this goes through, this could be a massive boost for the club, both financially, and as a football team, as we will be able to mould these young players from an early age to fit into our distinct style.’
His words were taken into consideration, and plans for improved youth facilities and increased junior coaching budget were announced last night, much to the pleasure of the fans. We spoke to the head of the fans associations, who had this to say regarding the planned works.
‘This is a massive leap forward for the club, as we aim to become a real force in Europe. When you look at all the big teams, they had great youth academies producing great quality players regularly, and this is the first big step in achieving that for Red Star. All of us as extremely proud, and we hope this will be a big boost to us going forward.’
The works are reportedly expected to be done by the end of October, before the annual intake of new youth players.
I just read all of this and it is outstanding, your europe perfance is awesome and im definately following
Can't believe I haven't been commenting on this as I should be, I have been loving reading it!
Fantastic win against Swansea and some excellent updates!
Fantastic win against Swansea and some excellent updates!
@Jason - Cheers mate, I'm glad you chose to follow my story
@Pompey - Thanks mate, it means a lot, especially coming from a great writer like you
@Pompey - Thanks mate, it means a lot, especially coming from a great writer like you
Red Star edge tight top of the table clash
Red Star Belgrade just managed to come through as winners against 2nd place side, this season’s biggest surprise package, Radnicki 1923. This match was the first occasion the club had dropped any points this season, and it saw Red Star open up a 1 point gap over them, after a tense affair at the FK Crvena Zvezda.
The first half was end to end, with both sides getting chances, but they were both unable to take them until, after 25 minutes, when Franck Dja Djedje played a clever through ball into striker Onyilo, who applied a clever finish to give his side the lead. The player, who was only in the team due to fitness concerns for star striker Filip Kasalica who was rested for this match, has made a great impact over the last few games, with this goal signalling his 3rd in 5 games. As Radnicki tried to push for the equaliser, Red Star caught them on the break, and a desperate challenge from Nedovic on Pecnik gave them a free kick on the edge of the box. Left back, Mijailovic stepped up, and hit a great curling effort to make the score line 2-0. Red Star began getting more possession, but still were not testing the keeper as many times as they would have liked. The half ended, with Red Star leading by 2 goals, despite not playing as good as they could.
The 2nd half was tenser, with neither side willing to risk it at the start, afraid of conceding. Radnicki were much more positive than in the opening stages, as they began to test Bajkovic, who, on more than one occasion, was forced into making a good save. He was beaten however after 72 minutes by a great shot by Malinic, which hit the inside of the post and went in, to set up a nervy finish. Red Star chose to replace some of their attacking players and went to a more defensive style, as Radnicki pushed even more for a late goal. They threw everyone forward, and had a series of corners cleared away, before Andric missed a great chance to level the match in stoppage time. The match ended 2-1 to Red Star, and it could prove to be a key result when we look back on the season, in terms of the title race.
Great victory mate!
Awesome to see you top of the table and pleasing to beat second place
Awesome to see you top of the table and pleasing to beat second place
@Pompey - Thanks mate It was a really awesome result as it opens up a bigger gap between us
@Pauker - Cheers
It was a really awesome result as it opens up a bigger gap between us @Pauker - Cheers
September Monthly Review
Results
A strong September for Red Star as they managed to win every single one of their games, most with very convincing score lines. Games such as the ones against Novi Pazar and Vojvodina showed their impressive firepower, while the historical result against Swansea will be one savoured by fans for a very long time, a game which showed their teamwork and fighting spirit to come back after two early goals against them. The final game against Radnicki, while it didn’t show their class, was a vital result in terms of their domestic league.
League Table
Red Star are top of the table, but are only ahead of 2nd place Radnicki by 1 point, as will have to make sure they do not drop any points, if they want to stay in 1st. Title favourites Partizan continue to struggle, and are in 8th place, 9 points off the top at this early stage. Also, Napredak are stuck at the foot of the table, a position they did not expect to be at all, with most pundits predicting them to finish inside the top 5.
Stats
Filip Kasalica continues to top the goal scoring charts with 7, despite not playing several games this month due to fitness concerns. Him and fellow team mate, right back, Vesovic, have been playing as the top two players so far this season, according to the Superliga Player Rating System. Several players all have 3 assists so far, including Luka Milunovic, and surprise package this month, Onyilo. Red Star are also the highest scorers in the league, as well as the team most in form.
Player of the Month
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A tough month in terms of who should deserve player of the month, with so many players contributing to a great showing over the last 5 games, however the honour will go to young defensive midfielder, Aleksandar Kovacevic. The 21 year old Serbian has been very solid in his role, as has been a huge contributing factor, both attacking wise and defensively. His best game came against Novi Pazar, where he was a key player in helping the side to a huge 5-0 victory. Honourable mentions have to go to striker Ifeanyi Onyilo, who has performed very well in Kasalica’s absence, and 22 year old Marco Vesovic who has been very good defensively, especially for a player of his age.
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