Crvena Zvezda’s footballers experienced a shock at the start of the Champions League play-off – Cypriot Pafos won 2-1 at “Marakana” and thus gained a big advantage before the second leg.
The match started in an incredible way. Already in the 1st minute, after only 37 seconds of play, Tanković assisted Correa, who fired the ball and defeated the goalkeeper Matheus – 0:1.
The early goal completely shocked the red-and-whites, but the home team quickly recovered and went on the attack.
In the 8th minute, Olayinka had a great chance with a header, but the ball went wide of the post. Zvezda continued to press – Bađo, Babika, and Endiaye all tried, but the visitors’ net remained still. The best chance was seen in the 14th minute, when Bađo shot from the edge of the penalty area, but he did not hit the goal frame.
Pafos played in an organized, stable way and used every opportunity to threaten the red-and-whites’ goal. At that moment, the Cypriots lost Tanković due to an injury, but in the 29th minute, they scored a second goal. However, after consulting with VAR, the goal was disallowed for handball. This seemed to wake up the visitors, and in the final minutes of the half, Bruno Felipe and Correa seriously threatened, but there was no change in the score. The teams went to halftime with a minimal lead for Pafos – 0:1.
The second half brought a continuation of surprises for the red-and-whites. In the 50th minute, Elšnik committed a handball in the penalty area, and the referee Hernandez pointed to the white spot.
Pepe was a sure penalty taker and increased the score to 0:2.
Just eight minutes later, Zvezda was awarded a penalty. Duarte missed, but was the first to get to the rebound and scored with a header – 1:2. This brought hope back to the red-and-whites.
In the rest of the match, the home team went on a total offensive. Ivanić, Babika, and Duarte all missed chances in turn, and in the 75th minute, the referee awarded another penalty for Zvezda, but VAR overturned it. Until the end of the match, Pafos defended themselves perfectly tactically and patiently waited for counterattacks, while Zvezda failed to materialize their initiative.
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Source: Telegraf.rs, Photo: Dusan Milenkovic / ATAImages