Red Star won 1–0 away to Vojvodina in Novi Sad and increased their lead at the top of the Serbian SuperLiga to 11 points. The match was from the 15th round, with the winning goal coming in the 87th minute. Mahamadou Baïo scored following a combination between Yuta Nakayama and Tomas Handel.
The visitors had more possession at the start, but Vojvodina created the more concrete chances before half-time. Red Star goalkeeper Matheus made decisive saves from efforts by Dejan Zukić and Marcel Such, while Marko Arnautović missed two opportunities for the Belgrade side.
Baïo Decides the Derby Late On
The match remained goalless until the very end. Baïo came on in the 59th minute in place of the injured Rade Krunić. Five minutes after missing a good opportunity, the substitute received a cross at the far post from Handel and scored the decisive goal.
“Put simply, that late moment decided the match and the winner. We had our chances and the initiative, but we conceded from a set piece,” Vojvodina coach Marko Savić said, as quoted by Radio Television of Vojvodina.
Red Star Win the Autumn Title
Following the victory, Red Star have collected 43 points from 15 matches and retained top spot unbeaten. The team have 14 wins and one draw. Vojvodina remain second with 32 points, while the gap between the two teams is now 11 points. The Belgrade side have also secured the autumn title in Serbia.
“Today we showed, if anyone had any doubts, who the best team in the country is,” Red Star head coach Albert Riera said after the match. He added that his team had controlled the game and had not allowed the hosts to create enough serious chances.
After the league break, Red Star will host Radnik Surdulica on 21 November in a match from the 16th round.
Sources: sportal.bg, rtv.rs, sportklub.rs