Partizan Falls to Vojvodina 3-2, Sinks to Second Last

Referee Pavle Ilic blew the final whistle, and the stands in Humska sent the Partizan players off with whistles of their own. The stadium was well filled, Partizan’s fans had turned out in force despite a string of poor results, but whatever else that day was, it was not one where the crowd went home reconciled. Vojvodina left Humska with a 3-2 win and left Partizan exactly where the club has never historically stood: second from bottom of the table.

Partizan opened the match aggressively. Ze and Simic tested Vojvodina’s goal twice in the first four minutes, but both times goalkeeper Dragan Rosic stood in the way. Then Vojvodina took over the initiative, and that was the moment the match started sliding away from the hosts.

In the 17th minute, Milan Kolarevic latched onto a short corner, stepped into the box and shot, the ball deflected off a Partizan defender and beat goalkeeper Krunic for 0-1. In the 34th minute the same player doubled the lead, this time after a long ball from Lazar Randjelovic and a duel between Mulahusejnovic and Lima, Kolarevic simply waited for the ball and stroked it into the net. The teams went into the break at 0-2, and Humska fell silent.

Ilic tried to change the picture after the break, bringing on Vukotic and Sek to start the second half, and after an injury to Ze, Kojzek was also on the pitch from the 44th minute. It was Kojzek who, in the 68th minute, pulled one back to 1-2 with a turn and finish after a pass from Sek, reviving hope in the stands. Three minutes later he tried an audacious backheel, and Partizan pushed for the equalizer. Instead, the 77th minute brought a cold shower: Sukacev broke down the left, found Randjelovic at the far post, and Milic unluckily deflected his shot into his own net for 1-3. Kojzek added a second goal of his own in the second minute of stoppage time to make it 2-3, but there was no time left for a comeback.

The bottom line after matchday nine of the Serbian SuperLiga is brutal for Partizan. Across eight rounds the club has two wins, one draw and five losses, seven points that leave it second to last on the table. Vojvodina, after nine matches, sits on 21 points with seven wins and just two losses. In the same round, Red Star beat IMT 1-0 in Loznica with a goal from Vasilije Kostov in the 31st minute, moving to 22 points at the top of the table, so the gap between the summit and Partizan is already enormous nine rounds in.

Ilic was calm after the match, perhaps too calm for a coach whose team had just picked up its fifth loss in eight rounds. Speaking to Sportklub, he explained in detail what had gone wrong.

I congratulate Vojvodina on the win, they were much more aggressive than us. They won most of the long balls, and we conceded both goals from headers. Generally, we needed to come into the match much more combative. When you concede two goals in the first half, it’s hard to come back. Can we do better? Of course we can. This team concedes a goal in every single match and that isn’t normal, but it happens. Thanks to the fans for everything, but their patience will run out too, for sure. We’re coming out of a hard period, we are where we are on the table, this has never happened before in Partizan’s history.

Speaking to B92, Ilic was shorter, but the message was the same: “We had forced substitutions near the end of the second half. Vojvodina’s players were more aggressive, and that decided the match.”

On the other side, Marko Savic was celebrating, though without euphoria. With IMT already waiting on Saturday, Vojvodina’s coach turned his attention straight to the next task.

I couldn’t say it was our best performance. A derby is a special kind of match, full of tension. We file it away and move on to preparing for IMT. A lot of things weren’t good, but there was energy and desire. That’s how you play a derby. For that I’m proud of the players, of how they handled it.

What’s Next for Partizan

Ahead of the international break, Partizan travels to face Radnik in Surdulica, a team fighting for survival just like the Belgrade club right now. Vojvodina hosts IMT on Saturday at 5 p.m., from the position of a leader chasing Red Star.

Seven points after eight rounds is not something one away trip to Surdulica fixes, but it is the only chance Partizan has before the international break sets in and leaves Ilic two weeks alone with his thoughts. If the team fails to win there too, the question about patience that the coach himself raised in Humska will no longer be rhetorical.