Red Star beat Inter Escaldes 2-1 despite Katai red card
The captain was sent off in the 35th minute, the visitors from Andorra went ahead in the 62nd, and Nakajama won it in the second minute of stoppage time. Riera promised consequences for Katai.
Aleksandar Katai apologized to the north stand and walked down the tunnel. It was the 35th minute, and Red Star, at home in Belgrade against the Andorran champions, were down to ten men. Winning 2-1 took another half hour of ten-against-ten football, a goal for the visitors and a shot from Juta Nakajama in the second minute of stoppage time.
The third matchday of the Conference League league phase was played on Thursday, November 5, at the Rajko Mitic stadium. The first half ended goalless and the fans whistled the players off. According to an account from the stadium, the attendance was surprisingly small.
How did Katai lose his head in the 35th minute?
Katai put the ball in the Inter Escaldes net in the 32nd minute, but the goal was disallowed. After a VAR review, referee Henrik Nalbandjan of Armenia ruled that the captain had struck the opposing centre back Hernandez in a tussle for position. Hernandez went down, and the referee showed a straight red card. By the count of the portal Srbija Danas, Serbian champions have had players sent off in three of their last four European matches.
What changed after the break?
Albert Riera brought on Bamba Dieng, Osman Bukari and Derek Lukasen at once in the 46th minute. In the 50th minute Dieng was clean through on goalkeeper Javi Diaz and shot straight at him. A minute later the visitors lost Domi Berlanga: already booked, he got a second yellow card for protesting a throw-in decision, so it was ten against ten.
A cold shower came in the 62nd minute. Borja Arellano, on the pitch for just two minutes, took a cross-shot from Mauricio Poquetin and finished from two metres at the far post to put Inter Escaldes 1-0 up.
The reply came in the 79th minute. Vladimir Lucic, who had replaced the injured Dieng, sent the ball under the bar after an assist from Rade Krunic. In the second minute of stoppage time Juta Nakajama struck the ball, it bounced off the post, then off Diaz’s back and into the net. The official record credits the goal to Nakajama, while some sources log it as an own goal by the goalkeeper.
What did Riera say about Katai?
The Spanish coach admitted at the press conference how much one move had cost his team:
“I like matches like this as a coach, it all came from one action. We were left with ten players, this is why we went out of the Europa League and we keep making the same mistakes. We cannot dream. Today was a match we had to win, we have to put in a triple effort.”
Asked what he had told the captain, he answered that he had said nothing, because Katai left the pitch on his own. He then added:
“It’s not about which player it is, it’s that nobody can do this. Because of it we almost didn’t win. I don’t like to repeat myself three times, once should be enough. I won’t kill anyone or say a bad word… Of course there are consequences. If nothing happens, nobody learns. Especially if you are the captain, you have to set an example.”
On playing with ten men, Riera said: “We played with ten players and so you have to change the way you play.” He congratulated the players on “how they finished the match”, and said the substitutions were a risk, because Red Star needed a goal and speed.
What did Krunic say about the crowd?
Krunic, who provided the assist, spoke about the nerves that crept in among the players:
“Emotions are mixed. I am proud of the lads and of the reaction after the red card and the goal we conceded. […] We all know what our crowd is like, it doesn’t tolerate bad moves, mistakes, the grumbling starts… The difference in quality is obvious, in the future we should see out matches like this more easily.”
How much is the win worth?
After three rounds Red Star have four points: a defeat in Lugano (3-2), a draw with Copenhagen (2-2) in Belgrade, and this win. Riera says he is not calculating: “I’m not thinking about points. What matters is scoring a lot of goals. We are in a better position, nine points are still in play.”
The win also has a cash value. UEFA pays 400,000 euros for a league phase victory in the Conference League and 133,000 euros for a draw. According to an estimated breakdown from the portal HotSport, Red Star’s European revenue this season now stands at about 6.53 million euros, of which around six million is guaranteed by the placement and the club coefficient. The gap to the stronger competitions remains large: Red Star went out of qualifying against Hapoel Beer Sheva and Viktoria Plzen, and so lost the chance of the Champions League and the Europa League.
What is next for Red Star?
Dieng left the pitch injured. After the match Riera said: “We’ll see tomorrow, it doesn’t look good. He definitely won’t play at the weekend, we’ll see after the international break.”
Next is the Superliga: on Sunday, November 8, Red Star play second-placed Vojvodina. “An important match, first against second,” Riera said.
