Marin Recalls 2019 Copenhagen Shootout, Calls for Marakana
Red Star host Copenhagen on Thursday at 6:45 p.m. in the Conference League, and Marko Marin, captain in 2019, asks for a full stand and recalls the shootout at Parken.
Marko Marin sent the ball to the far post, and Boaci only had to put it in the net. That is how Red Star scored against Copenhagen at Parken in 2019, in a second leg that was settled only on penalties. Seven years later Marin is talking about Copenhagen again, this time as the club’s technical director, two days before the new meeting.
Red Star host the Danish side on Thursday, October 22, at 6:45 p.m. at the Rajko Mitic stadium, in the Conference League, UEFA’s third-tier competition.
What does Marin remember from 2019?
Marko Marin was Red Star’s captain in the Champions League qualifiers that year. The red-and-whites got past Copenhagen and reached the elite competition for the second time in a row, having waited two and a half decades for it before that. In the second leg at Parken, Red Star played part of the match without Milunovic, who was sent off.
“Copenhagen left a nice memory for all of us,” Marin said. He went on to describe the weight of the occasion: “There was enormous pressure, but from the start we believed we would reach the play-off.” He speaks briefly about his own assist, as a space that opened up: “At the goal, space opened up for me to send the ball to Boaci, and he reacted brilliantly at the far post.”
The hardest part of the night came after the red card. “After Milunovic’s red card it was not easy, but we managed it,” Marin said. He saved most of his words for goalkeeper Milan Borjan:
“Special praise goes to Borjan, who was one of the heroes of the match. With brilliant saves in the penalty shootout he made a great contribution to Red Star’s historic win.”
What does he expect from Copenhagen?
Red Star’s technical director does not underestimate the opponent. “Copenhagen is an organized and stable club,” Marin said, adding: “They regularly take part in group stages, so a very demanding match awaits us.”
In an interview for the club’s website, Marin also laid out what Red Star must do on Thursday: “In matches like this, details decide, so it is important that we stay focused for all ninety minutes.” Earlier he said that Red Star know how Copenhagen play and that he believes the team can impose its own rhythm. We wrote about who will referee the match and whose availability is uncertain in the piece “Red Star and Copenhagen: Petrescu to Referee, Lukasen Doubtful”.
Why does Marin call fans to Marakana?
The second part of the interview was turned toward the stands. Marin spoke both as a former Red Star player and as someone who now sees the support from inside the club:
“We all know what Marakana means in European terms and how hard it is for any opponent when they step into our stadium. As a player I experienced that incredible energy from the stands, which gives you strength even when it seems you have run out, and today, from this position, I see how much that support means to our boys. The fans are our twelfth man and they recognize every important moment. I call on all Red Star supporters to come on October 22, to fill the stands of Marakana and create the atmosphere only they know how to create. With a full Marakana and the true Red Star energy, I am convinced we can achieve another big European win.”
The message is clear and comes with a specific date: Red Star count on packed stands on Thursday, October 22, when Copenhagen visit in the Conference League. The match starts at 6:45 p.m.
