The Serbian football (soccer) team drew with Denmark in Leskovac with a 0-0 score, a match marked by a huge number of missed chances for our national team. Due to this result, the “Eagles” will find themselves in the relegation play-off for the elite division of the Nations League, while the Danes will advance to the quarter-finals.
Right from the start of the match in Leskovac, it was clear that the “Eagles” had not come to defend, but to give their all to win and reach the quarter-finals. The first chance of the match fell to Dušan Vlahović in the second minute, when he shot wide after a cross from Aleksa Terzić from the left. However, the Danes also had no intention of sparing themselves, so Đorđe Petrović made his first save in the very next attack, after a long-range shot from Gustav Isaksen.
Vlahović had another chance in the fifth minute, when he shot on the counter-attack. The Juventus striker aimed for the far corner from the right, but Kasper Schmeichel reacted brilliantly. The experienced goalkeeper then made another great save in the seventh minute, when Andrija Živković tried to catch him out with a drop-kick after the ball fell to him just a few meters from the goal.
— OvoOno (@OvoOnoX) November 18, 2024
The “Eagles” were then harshly punished in the eighth minute of the match, when Viktor Nelsson handled the ball in his own penalty area. The Danish defender was hit on the hand by the ball, and referee Felix Zwayer did not point to the spot, while to everyone’s surprise, the VAR room confirmed his controversial decision.
Serbia captain Aleksandar Mitrović shot from the edge of the box in the 13th minute, Schmeichel was caught off guard, but luckily for him the ball went just wide of the post. Shortly afterwards, the Al Hilal centre-forward threatened again, this time with a header after a cross from Živković, but once again he was off target.
The Serbian national team then appealed for a penalty in the 19th minute after Živković’s shot hit one of the Danish players, but this time there was definitely no handball. Over the next 120 seconds, the goal was “hanging in the air”, but the net did not bulge. First, Jannik Vestergaard blocked Lazar Samardžić, then Strahinja Pavlović shot straight at Kasper Schmeichel, and finally Aleksandar Mitrović sent the ball high over the crossbar.
This was followed by a somewhat quieter period of the game, interrupted by two huge chances for the Danes. First, Mikel Damsgaard shot in a crowd after a free-kick, Đorđe Petrović got a slight touch to the ball, which was then cleared off the line by Aleksandar Mitrović. Shortly afterwards, the goalkeeper of our national team made another fantastic save, as he denied Yussuf Poulsen in a one-on-one situation.
Dušan Vlahović had another great chance in the 34th minute, when he cut into the penalty area from the left, but did not shoot well, got tangled up and Kasper Schmeichel saved again. Before the end of the half, the “Eagles” had two more chances, both of which were missed by Aleksandar Mitrović. The popular “Mitrogol” first shot inaccurately from a long distance in the 36th minute, and then headed over the crossbar after a cross from Andrija Živković.
The opening minutes of the second half did not bring any new chances, and the most important detail was an injury to one of the visitors’ best players, Yussuf Poulsen. From that moment on, Denmark coach Brian Priske set up a defensive tactic, as he brought on Brentford defensive midfielder Christian Nørgaard instead of a striker.
After a quarter of an hour into the second half, the first attempt by the “Eagles” was seen. Vlahović shot from a free-kick, but was not accurate. A few minutes later, the same player threatened with a great shot from distance, but Schmeichel made a phenomenal save to prevent the ball from hitting the net. In the continuation of the same action, the striker from the Turin “old lady” tried another shot, but the ball went past the post.
— Ricardo Kaka (@rikardons) November 18, 2024
Both teams had one big chance in the period that followed. First, Christian Eriksen shot just wide of Đorđe Petrović’s goal from the centre of the box in the 70th minute, and then Aleksandar Mitrović headed over the crossbar again after a cross from Andrija Živković in the 75th.
Dušan Vlahović had another great chance in the 79th minute. The striker of our national team finished a counter-attack with a shot from his weaker, right foot, but sent the ball over the goal. Shortly afterwards, he also suffered an injury, forcing him to leave the field, and he was replaced by Kosta Nedeljković.
In the end, in the last minute of added time, Serbia were left with one less player, as Strahinja Pavlović received his second yellow card and had to go for an early shower. That was also the last detail worth mentioning from the Dubočica Stadium in Leskovac.
READ MORE:
GRUESOME CRIME: Brutal murder in Novi Sad, son hacks mother to death with a chainsaw!
Source: Sportal Photo: Pedja Milosavljevic / STARSPORT