The magic of the (Serbian) Cup, maybe

Many people I’ve spoken to who’ve attended games without fans have said that they’d never do it again.

I, on the other hand, enjoyed my experience watching Partizan beat Proleter by a goal to nil in front of empty stands that I simply had to make the hour-and-a-half trip south the following Wednesday to see the Black and Whites in cup action.

Like Partizan, I have a good relationship with the cup. Maybe it was growing up with the FA Cup Final being the pinnacle of the season, or seeing Cardiff get there against all the odds in 2008. Perhaps I’m trying to cling on to some relic of a past footballing age.

Or maybe it’s because Partizan have made the final in each of the years I have been in Serbia, winning four times and losing on penalties last season. With the team already nine points behind leaders, Red Star, maybe I’m clinging to the hope that the cup is the only chance of not going two seasons without a trophy.

Gornji Milanovac: A town with a ground and not much else

Partizan’s Second Round opponents were Metalac from Gornji Milanovac. An old industrial town of around 25,000 in central Serbia, Gornji Milanovac doesn’t have much to offer. Other than its bizarre Hollywood sign on one of the mountains overlooking the town and its even stranger Norwegian house, shaped like a boat, that cost the city €11.9 million to repurchase, that is.

I may be being a bit harsh. The city is surrounded by the luscious rolling hills of Šumadija and is a great place to escape to in spring and summer. The drive from Čačak, where I’d watched an early kick-off in the second tier of Serbian football, was simply stunning as the leaves were turning on this cold November day.

My first visit to the town was also for a cup game back in May 2016. The Stadion Metalac, which holds just 4,400 spectators, was inexplicably chosen to host the Serbian Cup final between Partizan and Javor Ivanjica.

A friend and I decided to make the trip down on a wet Wednesday afternoon, only to get there and find that, of course, tickets were sold out. We found a tout and paid double the price (1000 dinars instead of 500 (£7 instead of £3.50), and headed back into town for a pre-match beer.

When we returned not long before kick-off, we noticed hundreds if not a couple of thousand Partizan fans huddled around the entrance to the stand. We stood for a minute until we saw an opening on the far side where they were letting fans with tickets in. We moved just in time, as the crowd got irate at not being let in, and the police charged with batons. We’d got in and watched on as the chaos unfolded outside.

The thousands of locked out fans did make it in sometime before half time. There was an enormous crush and the leaders of the Ultras, usually taking no notice of safety, looked visibly scared as they ushered everyone to spread out along the terrace. My mate and I duly followed orders and found a quiet spot further down where we could finally catch our breath.

But what a ground

Thankfully, this time there was no chance of that happening, with the government still insisting that football games be played behind closed doors. I’d emailed Metalac on Monday and got an immediate answer confirming my space in the press box.

The ground is located on the main road through town – formerly the main road between Belgrade and Montenegro. It dwarfs the town, with a large stand on one side, two smaller stands, and four monstrous floodlights that lit up the whole of Central Serbia, it seemed, as I arrived at dusk.

Having opened in 2012, it’s a modern stadium but its three-sided stands makes it feel like a ‘proper’ ground. Also, unusually for Serbia, it doesn’t have a running track around it, so the view is fantastic wherever you are.

As I made my way up the three flights of stairs into the press box, I was in awe of the modern tiling, plush surroundings and actual heaters that kept the whole place cosy on a bitter November evening. This was a world away from Partizan’s press box at the Stadion JNA, where you have to enter from the stand, and you never know if the electricity will work.

I took my seat in the comfortable, old-school padded seats that looked as though they’d been lifted from Partizan’s ground – navy and red, the old colours of Partizan, much like the ones at the JNA. I plugged my laptop and phone in, and even logged onto the wifi. This was a novelty.

A group of teenagers sat to my left, talking about the Metalac players as if they knew them, while a man on his laptop occupied the three seats to my right editing some video clips that I couldn’t make out. And we all settled down to watch the match.

Metalac Gornji Milanovac v Partizan Belgrade

My pre-match notes focused heavily on Partizan and noted that they made just two changes to the side that struggled to beat Proleter on the weekend. Slobodan Urošević was in at left back and Nemanja Stevanović was between the sticks. A known penalty specialist – he saved a late penalty to give Partizan the win just a few weeks ago in Subotica – I was concerned that the visitors were getting ready for a draw.

After all, the last time they visited Gornji Milanovac, they threw away a lead late on against 10-man Metalac, in what manager Aleksandar Stanojević branded the worst performance since he took over in September.

The hosts were on a good run and were fresh from having a weekend off. They were unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competition while Partizan had struggled to one-goal wins in their last two outings, failing to look convincing in any. Was this the best time to face the Black and Whites?

The opening stages were cagey. In truth, it was a poor first half. Partizan tried to rush long balls, and looked far less dangerous in doing so than when their build up was patient. Metalac were restricted to counter attacks, utilising the rapid winger, Mbongo, down the right.

They frustrated the visitors, forcing them into long-range efforts, with Bibras Natho, Takuma Asano, and Filip Holender all trying from distance.

Natho was at the heart of Partizan’s best move as he played a one-two with Miloš Jojić who cut inside and fired over.

It looked as though we were heading in to the break with the score at 0-0 until a moment of brilliance from Asano put the visitors ahead. The Japanese winger picked up the ball from a loose clearance and ran at the defence. He had options to his left but went alone and sent a thundering strike to the back of the net.

While they had dominated the half, Partizan were fortunate to go in a goal to the good.

The Black and Whites came racing out of the blocks in the second half, with Asano and Natho looking a cut above the rest, as they were involved in every good move. Jojić again went close this time forcing the ‘keeper into a fingertip save wide.

Metalac changed shape, pushing Mbongo forward to hassle the visitors’ defenders. And it almost worked. His speed tricked the defence leaving a gap for Antonijević – a Partizan youth product – to shoot. His powerful effort was spilled and a last-ditch tackle from Vujačić stopped a certain equaliser.

Partizan kicked on after that scare and should have made it two. Natho linked up well with Jojić in the middle again but he missed from close range.

Metalac in turn, went up the other end and almost made Jojić rue his missed chance right away. A blocked shot at the edge of the box was followed by a deflected attempt that just went beyond the far post.

Both teams started playing some nice football and the hosts started thinking they could get something. A double change sought to sway things. with two new strikers entering the fray. However, Partizan got back on top and Šćekić and Holender both had chances to double their team’s lead from the edge of the box.

As Metalac threw on another two players Partizan began dropping deeper and deeper, and it seemed as though they may be inviting a similar ending to what happened the last time they played here. Bringing winger Lutovac on for striker Holender indicated that the manager was happy for them to sit back and see it out.

Soumah’s introduction provided a glimmer of excitement for the visitors, but he was asked to do a lot up front on his own and it was Nikola Štulić’s cameo that gave Partizan the strength and confidence to see it through. The young forward was a wall in holding the ball up, and the majority of added time saw him hold the ball near the corner flag.

The final whistle blew and I, along with the Black and Whites’ players breathed a huge sigh of relief. A third consecutive one-goal win saw Partizan in the hat for the Quarter Final of the cup. It was a better performance than on the weekend but they still lacked the comfort that the fans will be looking for.

What next?

Metalac’s manager and former Partizan player, Žarko Lazović, was full of praise for his opponents, conceding that his side were outplayed. His opposite, Stanojević, also praised his side’s play. However, without the magic of Asano and efficiency of Natho, it’s tough to see how Partizan are truly progressing.

Yes, Metalac are a tough team to break down – their record shows that – but a team like Partizan needs to start converting those chances into goals. If recent matches around the world have shown us, goals win matches, not just possession. The Partizan faithful will be hoping that it’s just taking time to click, and nothing more. As for the cup? I’m still dreaming of it!