Merci Côte d’Ivoire!

We could hear the rhythmic beats of traditional African drums and some muffled singing as we waited for our visas to be processed. It got louder the closer we got to passport control before we were hit with a carnival atmosphere as soon as the sliding doors opened and we were in the Arrivals Hall. Bienvenue a Côte d’Ivoire! We had arrived.

Our plane had landed from Brussels via Benin, and I had spotted a number of football shirts on board – the green and white of Nigeria, green and red of Cameroon, and the ubiquitous orange of our hosts for the next 10 days.

Another plane landed just after us in Abidjan – the de facto capital of the Ivory Coast – and a sea of men and women clad in the white of Guinea and waving their national flags piled into the arrivals hall behind us. But that wasn’t to prepare us for what we were about to witness.

The live music accompanied with plenty of dancing made us feel like we had entered into another world. Not since the World Cup Brazil 2014 had I received such a welcome at an airport and there was a real feeling that this was a country where football was the order of the day – or month.

It was late at night when we arrived at our neighbourhood of Koumassi but there was no sign that things were dying down.

Open-air bars were packed with punters keenly watching the post-match analysis of the earlier games that night, smoke raised from the street food stalls that served fresh fish and chicken, while shacks were set up on every corner selling an array of football shirts. Cote d’Ivoire, check. Guinea, check. Mali and Senegal? Yep, they had it.

The international media before the tournament emphasised the importance of the hosts going ‘deep’ into the tournament to ensure good crowds but the Ivory Coast – and especially the metropolis of Abidjan – is a melting pot of West African cultures.

The ‘father of the nation’, President Felix Houphouet-Boigny, invited hundreds of thousands of guest workers from neighbouring countries to Cote d’Ivoire in his attempt to build an advanced capitalist society in the 1970s and many of them have stayed, despite successive Civil Wars in the country in the 2000s. As a result, we spotted just as many shirts around the streets of Abidjan of other nations as we did the hosts.

On our way to the cool, beach-front neighbourhood of Blockhauss – overlooked by the diplomatic quarter and the imposing Sofitel (the home of AfCON’s machine for the tournament) – we dived into a local bar after we heard some cheering.

Fans gather for the match against Equatorial Guinea
Photo: Rhys Hartley

We struggled to find a seat but were quickly welcomed to share a table with a group of three, when we noticed that everyone in the bar was kitted out in matching Burkina Faso replicas.

A penalty put them ahead against heavy favourites, Algeria, and the place went wild with dancing, hugging, and a ‘Santè’ in our direction. They thought we’d brought them luck!

It wasn’t to last, as Algeria scored a last-gasp equaliser, sending our new friend across the table into tears. We quickly bade farewell, and I committed to buying a shirt of my new adopted team for the tournament.

While comments from abroad may focus on the lack of crowds in some games (a 2pm Friday kick-off of Cape Verde v Mozambique didn’t exactly capture the imagination – and we must remember that 40% of the population live below the poverty line), each game was watched with the same intensity, no matter who was playing nor the time of day.

Every TV across the country was tuned into French broadcaster Canal Plus’s dedicated channel to AfCON 24/7, and it was clear that football had gripped the nation.

People may roll their eyes at the importance of football but it has been credited with bringing to an end the first Civil War in Cote d’Ivoire. After qualifying for the World Cup in 2006, Didier Drogba – possibly the country’s most famous export – announced that the country’s next match would be played in Bouake, the heartland of the rebellion. A shock move but one that saw opposing forces sit together in the stands and crowds flock the pitch in unison after their 5-0 victory over Madagascar.

The ‘Elephants’’ success has certainly had an impact on maintaining the peace in this divided country since then, being a symbol that everyone can unite behind. That was the impression that the government and wider population wanted to impart upon us visitors and everyone else watching from around Africa and beyond at this year’s tournement.

However, all was not well on the pitch.

In the impressive 60,000-seater stadium in Ebimpe, around 30 kilometres north of downtown Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire played their final group game against unfancied Equatorial Guinea, knowing that a point would probably be enough to get them through.

An expectant crowd grew impatient as a cagey first half an hour passed before a shock goal saw the visitors take the lead. VAR intervened to deny two goals to the boys in orange, who seemed to panic from there on in. They attacked in numbers but left holes at the back, which the experienced Equatorial Guineans used to their advantage to stun the tournament’s hosts.

They ran out 4-0 winners against all the odds, leading to plenty of unsavoury scenes in the stands, on the running tracks, and on the way back into town – we spotted a row of the shuttle buses put on for fans with their windows smashed in completely. It really was more than just a game.

Nobody believed that Côte d’Ivoire would go through, needing results in every other group to go their way for them to be among the best third-placed teams with just three points and a goal difference of minus 3.

It came down to the penultimate night of the group stages. Ghana had a worse record than them, so they just needed one other team to finish in third with a worse record. Morocco to beat Zambia. Easy, right?

In Bouake, the second-largest city, every man, woman and child was glued to the TV, urging the North Africans to do them a favour. A first-half goal eased the tension for a while but the second half dragged on with no further goals.

Cue wild celebrations, with people lifting chairs above their heads and dancing all around the bar. All of a sudden, a group of young men with their shirts off started running past the bar and onto the city’s main thoroughfare, whistling and cheering, as cars beeped their horns. The country came to a standstill as they celebrated their unlikely qualification to the next round.

With the hosts still in the competition, I bade my farewell to the tournament as part of a sell-out crowd at the smaller 30,000-seater stadium in Abidjan.

After walking for hours for two days straight in the 35-degree heat trying to find a ticket, we left it until an hour before kick-off to source a tout in the vicinity of the ground. A late second goal saw the ‘Super Eagles’ of Nigeria kill off the ‘Indomitable Lions’ of Cameroon after a spirited performance, as the Nigerians partied long into and the Cameroonians made plans to return home.

Contrary to the theme of this year’s tournament, this wasn’t a shock result – but there were plenty of those to come. Cote d’Ivoire are somehow still in the competition! They defeated tournament favourites, Senegal, in the Round of 16 before a last-minute equaliser saw them take Mali to extra time with just 10 men, going on to win the tie in the last minute of the additional 30.

Other shocks included World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, and heavily-fancied Algeria bowing out early in a poor tournametn for North African sides.

While a Nigeria v Cote d’Ivoire final may seem expected, a semi-final lineup including South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo was not on anyone’s mind going into the tournament – even less so following the first few rounds of group games! But, in a country where football is taken so seriously, it so fits that the product on offer has been so gripping.

This is the most exciting tournament I’ve been lucky enough to witness (personal Welsh affiliations aside) and the welcome we received from the moment we touched down to the second we left will stay in the mind even longer than the football.

Whatever happens this weekend – Merci, Cote d’Ivoire (and bon chance)!

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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A bank holiday weekend with no football didn’t make for a quiet period for the black-and-white half of Belgrade. Partizan were rocked by the news that leading goalscorer and arguably best player in the league, Takuma Asano, had unilaterally terminated his contract on Sunday morning.

The Japanese winger released a statement in which he said the club owed him a ‘significant’ amount of money and that he’d regularly received his paycheck late. The club hit back saying that they’ll be taking the matter to FIFA and they consider his termination as a breach of contract. They were, it seems, hoping to cash in on his fantastic on-the-field performances in the summer.

Fans took to social media to berate the club for letting this happen. Many pointed to the number of other issues with payments in the recent past, while on-the-pitch results haven’t been up to scratch. The club’s former Vice-President has also taken a swipe in recent weeks, and it seems there will be protests calling for change very soon. 

A number of players also waded into the debate with goalkeeper, Vladimir Stojković, saying Asano had ‘betrayed’ the players. Ex-Liverpool man Lazar Marković echoed his captain’s words suggesting he couldn’t have had the ‘season of his life’ without the rest of the team. 

Manager Aleksandar Stanojević struck a more conciliatory tone, noting that he’d enjoyed working with the winger, and that he was disappointed that discussions weren’t held before it got to the point of no return. Despite his kind words, he couldn’t have been happy to have been left without his star player, and was forced to a change of style as his side took to the field just three days later.

Lazar Marković and Seydoubah Soumah were also missing for the visit of TSC Bačka Topola, so Stanojević had to conjure up a makeshift team with few options on the bench – two players over 35 and seven under 21 were among the 11 reserves. 

TSC Bačka Topola: A rollercoaster ride

TSC made the trip south on the back of an indifferent run of form. However, they’ve stolen the headlines this season for all the wrong – and particularly upsetting – reasons. 

During the winter break, their manager Zoltan Sabo unexpectedly passed away. He’d guided them to promotion to the Serbian top flight and to a spot in Europe during his three years in charge. 

Former Serbia boss, Mladen Krstajić took the reins in difficult circumstances and guided them to five games without defeat in his opening spell. But they’ve been inconsistent since, and have far fallen away from the European places. 

They have a new state-of-the-art stadium in the pipeline, scheduled to open later this year, and rumours have it that Hungarian President Viktor Orban has helped finance it – Bačka Topola being a Hungarian-majority town in northern Serbia. 

Partizan v TSC: A game of two halves

Despite the off-the-field strife for Partizan in the last few days, they went into the match as favourites. The sun shone down on the Stadion JNA on a glorious Wednesday afternoon, and it had the feel of a pre-season friendly – especially knowing that both teams had nothing to play for. 

The visitors survived an early scare as young Nemanja Jović fired wide from a one-on-one – created by the creative maestro, Bibras Natho in midfield. From then on, they dominated proceedings. 

They pressed high into the Partizan half and forced several errors from the on-loan Olympiacos centre-half Svetozar Marković. Nenad Lukić fired wide in the eleventh minute and Djuro Zec had a call for a penalty waved away in the twenty-fourth. 

TSC grew more and more confident and started really exploiting Partizan’s weaknesses. Mihajlo Banjac twice caught Partizan right-back Aleksandar Miljković sleeping and would have put the visitors ahead were it not for the toe of Vladimir Stojković defending the home goal. 

It was all one-way traffic, with the hosts only managing one shot on target – and that from over 30 yards – in the thirty-seventh minute. They had Stojković to thank again just before half-time, as he blocked Lukić from point-blank range. Partizan would have been relieved to hear the whistle.

Managers love to say that issues beyond their control don’t influence the players, but it seemed to anyone watching that Partizan lacked the creativity that Asano brought so often this term. Who knows what Stanojević said during the break, but it seemed to work.

The black-and-whites came out of the blocks in the second half, and Natho was instrumental in pinging the ball over the top of the defence, creating space for the wingers and strikers. Filip Holender tested the ‘keeper within a few minutes and then the breakthrough came on 53. 

Natho linked up well with left-back Slobodan Urošević in an attacking position before deftly chipping the ball through to Miloš Jojiç. The ex-Dortmund man cleverly backheeled it to the oncoming Urošević who was brought down before he could control the ball. Up stepped Natho to add to his series of penalties without a miss since joining two years ago. 

Partizan went on to show that they had the quality to see off their opposition and just 15 minutes was enough to do the job in style. Jojić was denied by the ‘keeper before Vujačić headed wide from a corner.

Just a minute later and Natho expertly intercepted a pass on the half-way line before again sliding a perfect pass through. Holender was alone on goal and couldn’t miss. 2-0 to the hosts. 

They only had to wait another four minutes before wrapping it up. Jović showed his potential as he closed in on goal from another sublime ball from midfield – this time from Saša Zdjelar. The youngster’s shot was parried into the path of Jojić who got his reward for following in eagerly. 

Manager Stanojević’s smile was visible from the other side of the pitch and he quickly rang in the changes, bringing on four of his young subs along with experienced Milan Smiljanić. 

They showed some hunger and almost got a fourth, however they were guilty of trying to walk it in, with each of the five attackers touching the ball but none shooting despite at one stage having just two defenders to contend with.

TSC showed ruthless efficiency as soon as they won the ball back from that chance. Two-touch football all the way up the pitch resulted in the ball ending up with Borko Duronjić. He took one touch to cut inside and fired his second straight into the corner of the net to reduce the deficit.

Despite having just seven minutes to get two goals the visitors showed some fight and looked to take advantage of Partizan’s relative inexperience on the pitch. The hosts looked scared but showed some professionalism as they fouled high up the pitch and kicked the ball long and into touch to break up TSC’s play. 

Lukić fired wide from a good position, which proved to be the best chance of the closing stages. Partizan rode out the final minutes and duly celebrated at the final whistle. They didn’t look too threatened in the second half to need to breathe a sigh of relief but the weight of Asano’s departure has certainly shed a few pounds with that victory.

What next?

Rumours abound as to what Partizan’s real financial situation is. Many newspapers are saying that they’ll need to reduce their wage bill by 50% next term to keep their heads above water. That would surely mean losing Natho, who was so instrumental in this victory, as he has been so often this season.

Other reports suggest Partizan are close to bringing back joint top scorer from their last title-winning season, Leonardo Da Silva Souza. 

One thing is for sure, if they want to compete next season and close the gap on bitter city rivals, Red Star, they can’t afford to scrimp and save. 

The black-and-whites look set to compete in the new UEFA Conference League next season, which is unlikely to attract the same calibre of player as Champions League Red Star will be able to – even if Partizan had the money. 

The two sides face off in the Serbian Cup Final later this month with Partizan hoping to stop it from being two trophyless seasons in a row. They may not be able to rely on 15 quality minutes against stronger opposition to do just that. 

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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League leaders Red Star went into this weekend with 14 consecutive domestic wins (with four Europa League draws and two wins in between) while Partizan in second place, were looking to make it 15 in a row in all competitions.

Just as in Manchester, Partizan faced a city derby, but not against bitter rivals Red Star. They made the short trip up the road (literally) to take on Rad in the suburb of Banjica. 

FK Rad: Form and Fortune

The Sky Blues of Belgrade’s third (or are they fourth or fifth, or even sixth?) team have been flirting with relegation for years, often miraculously escaping with a fine run towards the end of the season as the Relegation Play-Offs take hold. 

But this season there are no play-offs. Due to COVID-19’s impact on last season’s final standings, the league has been extended to 20 teams and everyone plays each other twice. The catch, though, is that six teams will be relegated.

Prior to the Winter Break, Rad were surefire candidates for the drop. However, since the season’s resumption in February, they’d won three of their six games going into the tie against Partizan and a win against the Black and Whites would put them level on points with safety. 

A win against their free-flowing and even freer-scoring opposition may have seemed far-fetched, but Partizan took them seriously. Visiting manager, Aleksandar Stanojevic, talked up the hosts’ chances and named a very strong starting 11 for the tie. Goalkeeper Aleksandar Popovic was the only real surprise, as he took experienced Vladimir Stojkovic’s place between the sticks to make up the quota of two under-21s in the starting lineup.

Stadion Kralj Petar Prvi

The game was to be my saving grace from Serbia’s weekend restrictions. On Friday, the government announced that all cafes, bars, and restaurants must shut from noon on Saturday until Monday morning. And with the sun shining on this March day, it looked like the perfect afternoon for football.

The ground is, to be honest, unimpressive. In fact, it’s a bit of a dive. It consists of two sides – one terrace of six rows behind the goal and a two-tiered stand alongside the pitch that’s yet to be finished.

With no fans allowed, there was none of the usual atmosphere that city derbies usually conjure up and I thought back wistfully to my last few visits when fans were allowed.

I came to the ground on my first weekend after moving to Belgrade in 2015. I stood behind the goal with the Rad ultras, the “United Force.” They were known as one of the hardest, most right-wing groups in the country. I duly kept my mouth shut, as their handful of fans put on a colourful display in a win (I think!) against Spartak Subotica.

The last time I visited, in 2017, I got to see why their fans earned their reputation. I stood with the Partizan fans in the upper corner of the unfinished stand. The Black and Whites came out on top and one fan even climbed up to the top of the scaffolding and found his way onto an outsticking slab of concrete atop the stand and lit two flares!

But it was the actions of the Rad fans that made the headlines. Then-Partizan midfielder, Everton, was jeered with monkey noises and racist abuse from the home fans throughout. Everton responded at the final whistle with a middle finger to the United Force lot, and players, fans and officials all joined in the melee afterwards. 

Thankfully, the lack of fans meant that I was unlikely to witness such ugly scenes this time – although Rad’s Vice President not only condoned the actions of the United Force, she also criticised Everton with a comment I would consider to be racist. She was sure to be present. 

As I made my way from the car park to the ground, I noticed a few young lads in the corner behind the UF’s favoured stand. They had found a spot from which they could see around 60% of the pitch. 

I made my way into the press box and sat on a long metal bench with my notepad.

Rad v Partizan 

The game kicked off with little fanfare, owing to the lack of fans. Partizan immediately looked uncomfortable on the poor pitch, with Bibras Natho, in particular, struggling to control the ball on numerous occasions. Usually the Black and Whites’ Mr. Reliable, even when he did find space in the opening stages, his cross hit a divot and spun away from the target. 

But Stanojevic’s men are patient. During their incredible winning streak, they’ve been happy to wait and tire their opponents, finding the gaps, then the net and then opening the game. And that’s exactly what happened here. 

Just as the hosts looked as though they were able to exploit the space left by Partizan’s attacking full-backs, a misfired crossfield pass was expertly intercepted by Takuma Asano. The Japanese international linked up well with striker Filip Holender and they were away. A perfect pass into the striker’s pass was powefully finished and it was 1-0 to the visitors. 

Holender went close again before Rad mustered up their best chance of the first half. A free-kick from deep was perfectly weighted with the attacker timing his run to perfection to glance it towards goal. It looked as though young Popovic reacted late to claw it from behind the line and the home bench were determined that it had crossed the line. No goal was given, and replays showed that it was the correct decision. 

Rad were made to rue that missed chance right away, as Lazar Markovic battled hard to win the ball in the corner before picking out Natho with a precise cross. All the Israeli captain needed to do was get some kind of contact and he made it 2-0 with ease. 

It was a familiar story, as Partizan reaped the rewards of opening up the game like so often before during this impressive run. On balance, they were fortunate to go in two to the good but it felt like part of the plan. 

The second half started much as the first had finished. Partizan patiently waited for the ball and broke quickly. A lovely move from a quick throw-in saw Natho at the byline in the box. Lazar Markovic called out his name, received the ball, and passed the ball through Holender’s legs to the back of the net to make it three.

With the game seemingly dead and buried, Rad’s manager tried to breathe some life into it by introducing three attacking changes. It almost paid off with a good move down the right ending in a fierce shot across the face of goal.

It was Stanojevic’s wealth of options on the bench, however, that delivered. Partizan’s one-time most expensive signing, Seydoubah Soumah, entered the fray along with young attacker Nemanja Jovic. 

Just minutes after coming on, the diminutive Guinean picked up the ball beyond the half-way line and played a lovely one-two with Jovic. Soumah found himself in the box and turned quickly past two players before firing low from a tight angle. The ‘keeper got a hand to the ball, but there was no way he was stopping it.

Partizan had already lined up three other youngsters to take to the field before the fourth. With the freedom of an additional goal’s cushion, they kept the momentum up, hungry for the ball and more goals for their team. 

They were queuing up on the edge of the box at times and that’s how the fifth came about. Lazar Pavlovic won the ball around 30 yards out and deftly knocked it on to Soumah. He feigned a shot and offloaded wide to Filip Stevanovic who was inside the box. The future Manchester City player could barely miss and fired past the hapless ‘keeper. 

Rad had given up and now Partizan were showboating. They should have made it six on 88 minutes. Jovic was away behind the back four and the outstretched arm of a defender brought him down. The ref was left with no option but to send the defender off, despite the vociferous protests of the home bench.

Soumah hit the bar with the resulting free-kick and the ref drew time on what seemed like another masterclass from Aleksandar Stanojevic and his men. With the memories of 2017 still fresh in my memory, at least, it would have been nice for Soumah to get another one – but the job was already done. 

The Record and Next Steps

With Manchester City’s winning streak coming to an end just after the full-time whistle in Banjica, Partizan may now claim to be the form team of Europe. However, they still sit six points behind their Red Star who have a game in hand too. And that’s all that matters.

The Black and Whites take a break from league action this week, with a cup Quarter Final against another Belgrade outfit, Vozdovac, taking centre stage. With Red Star so far in front it could be their only chance of silverware. The way they’re going, you wouldn’t bet against them.

As for Rad, they looked well off the pace after conceding the first and still sit three points from safety. They face the team directly above them in the table away next week – Javor Ivanjica who only lost 1-0 at home to Partizan a few weeks ago. With the needless red card in the dying moments making things worse, the Belgrade side may be facing an uphill battle for survival this season. 

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

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Stadion Shopping Centar, I kid you not, hosted the evening’s Super Liga match between Voždovac and Partizan Belgrade.

Sounds strange? Well, FK Voždovac represent the eponymous suburb just across the dual carriageway from Red Star’s “Marakana” stadium and play on top of a shopping centre, literally. 

Belgrade loves its shopping centres – or at least it has seemed so during my time living here. In November, the biggest mall on the whole Balkan peninsula opened up in the upmarket Waterfront district. This behemoth adds to the ten or so other temples to consumerism dotted around the city, on top of a long pedestrian street in the centre where all the top brands can be found. 

So, when FK Voždovac looked to cash in on their ground in the mid 2000s, a shopping centre was a natural choice, right? 

Around 150,000 people live in this municipality that’s sandwiched between a dual carriageway and a motorway. Traffic is a nightmare if you’re coming from the centre, so yes, maybe a shopping centre in the ‘hood did make sense. But what to do with FK Voždovac?

From Regional League to National Powerhouse

Formed in 1912, the club had always played second (or third or fourth) fiddle to bigger sides in the Serbian capital. While Yugoslavia was still intact it spent most of its days battling it out in the Belgrade league  before rising up to the second tier in 2004.

A merger in 2005 saw the “Dragons” acquire a spot in the First League. They managed to place in the European spots in 2006 but were still plagued by the financial mismanagement of their predecessors and were denied a spot in the UEFA Cup. 

The new club bounced between the leagues for a few years, before the saving grace arrived.

The prospect of groundsharing is a nightmare for most fans but sharing with a shopping centre is pretty much unheard of. Voždovac’s president used his business nous and teamed up with a German company to redevelop the site of the old, dilapidated, multi-purpose ground. 

They would build a shopping centre, put a ground on top and the club would flourish from the sponsorship of the financial success beneath. 

Far fetched? Well, it seems to be working. Vozdovac have now been in the Serbian top flight for eight successive seasons and seem in no danger of relegation. They’ve attracted a couple of foreign players, their youth system looks strong, and they went into their penultimate match before the winter break in seventh place out of 20 in Serbia’s top flight. 

Worlds Apart from Other Clubs

Off the pitch, things are impressive too. I’d first visited the ground in the autumn of 2015 – not long after I’d moved to Belgrade. For the life of me I couldn’t tell you who Voždovac were playing, but I had to get a peek at one of the few rooftop grounds in the world.

I was impressed then, as I have been every time I’ve visited. It’s a compact ground, where you feel right on top of the action. The pitch seems narrow, but you can hear everything on the pitch and almost smell the sweat and wintergreen. 

However, there is one issue. I’m not sure anywhere in the ground where you can see the whole pitch. Pillars block the view from the fifth or sixth row, while the closer you get to the pitch, the touchline disappears. Maybe it was one for the novelty checklist, after all.

Anyway, I’d been to the ground a few times since, twice to see Partizan scrape a rooftop victory, and once to catch the second half of a match after my old man came to town and stubbornly insisted on heading there instead of coming to Partizan’s JNA, where I had a season ticket. 

This time however, there were no fans. Despite the fact that all games at the Shopping Centar Stadion have a limited capacity due to security reasons – Serbia’s supposed hooliganism problem probably means that we’ll never see a full 5,000 capacity crowd here – this game was to be played behind closed doors. 

Sensing an article may be worth writing, and wanting to see Partizan play for the last time in 2020, I decided to apply for a press pass.

Unlike with other clubs in Serbia, I received a reply by email within a day. They asked me to call if I needed anything and they were very friendly, instructing me to go to Parking level minus two and get the lift up. Frankly, I was glad to not have to hike all the way up on foot again, but I was also intrigued to see what was what behind the scenes. 

I waited patiently behind the Partizan directors as the steward checked everyone’s name before ushering us into the lift up to the fifth floor. When I got out it felt like I was walking into a hotel lobby. A spiral staircase led downwards from the marble floor to what I later found out was the players’ entrance. A porter waited behind the desk for another check of my name and I was ushered into the press box.

It was a pristine, enclosed area with tables laid out and my name waiting for me along with the team sheets. I’d come prepared for the December weather, but the heating was turned on to the max, so I quickly took my coat off, and tried to look the part. 

I plugged my laptop in, logged into the wifi , which worked, and settled down to watch the game (or at least the 95% of the pitch I could see). It was a definite upgrade on most, if not all the grounds, I’ve been to in Serbia.

At half time, they’d even laid on soft drinks and water for us, along with a bowl of snacks to dip our hands into. So much for the COVID restrictions!

FK Voždovac v Partizan Belgrade

Voždovac headed into the game after just one win in five, and fielded a young side including four players under the age of 21. The visitors meanwhile, had won six in a row and despite relying on late goals more than once, looked unstoppable as they hoped to catch up with runaway leaders and big rivals, Red Star.

Over the years the shopping centre has hardly been a happy hunting ground for the black-and-whites. The narrow pitch hampers their free-flowing, expressive game and my last two visits saw narrow 1-0 and 2-1 wins. And since they’d restricted the number of fans allowed in, it had been two defeats in three since my last trip. 

Young Nikola Štulić who scored the late winner last time out against Čukarički, still had to look on from the bench from the outset but Seydoubah Soumah, the architect of that goal,  made his first start in a while. All the pre-match talk had surrounded the diminutive Guinean with manager Aleksandar Stanojević insisting that he needed to see more consistency from his attacking midfielder. 

The hosts edged a poor first half hour and should have taken the lead with a chance early on. Partizan failed to clear a good cross from the right but despite being in acres of space, attacker Pantović could just find the outside of the post. 

Voždovac’s Lithuanian winger, Justas Lasickas, was a constant thorn in the side of Partizan’s makeshift full-back, Macky Bagnack, but the strikers rarely tested young Aleksandar Popović between the sticks for the black and whites. That is until the last action of the first half. 

Young winger Luka Cvetićanin broke down the right and took advantage of the short space until the edge of the box and drew a smart save from the young goalkeeper. 

The second half started much as the first with Bagnack immediately giving the ball away twice on the half-way line, opening the door for a couple of Voždovac attacks. Just a minute later he resorted to a last-ditch foul and took a yellow card for his trouble.

But just one minute later Partizan showed that they needed just one chance to take control of the game. Aleksandar Šćekić expertly won the ball in midfield and threaded an inch-perfect pass through to Takuma Asano, who controlled with ease and slid the shot past the helpless goalkeeper for his eleventh of the season. 

That didn’t alter the balance of play though. The hosts continued to dominate possession and played some nice football. Partizan were sloppy and failed to clear their lines on multiple occasions and it felt as though they were riding their luck a little. 

Bibras Natho’s introduction for Soumah was a controversial one. The Guinean trundled slowly off the pitch and after a brief word with manager, Stanojević, walked down the tunnel. But the change definitely paid off. 

On 78 minutes a quick free-kick in the centre circle saw the Israeli captain in acres of space. He waited for the run of fellow substitute Lazar Marković and played an expert pass into his path which the former Liverpool man cooly put away. 

Both sides made the most of the new five substitutions rule and the game became a real stop-start affair. Partizan saw the game out with relative ease and made it seven wins in a row. Again, they closed the gap on Red Star to six points but that would only last for 24 hours. 

Into the New Year

It’s difficult to assess what this match means for either side. Despite their European exploits, it seems that nothing will stop Red Star on their march towards a third successive title, as they too made it seven from seven in domestic competitions. Therefore, Partizan look like they’ll need to settle for second place again this term. 

As for Voždovac, they showed some promise but always lacked that cutting edge. The benefit of playing on the only artificial pitch in the league and on such a narrow one will only carry them so far. However, it seems that the club is run well from top to bottom, so there’s definitely plenty to be hopeful for. 

Me? I just hope that I can get back to the stands and away from the press box when football returns in February. I miss my mates, I miss singing and I miss not having to hide who I support. But I guess this was better than spending the day shopping.

Follow us on Twitter  @ProstInt 

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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!

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Such is the “new normal” of following your football team during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Then I got a call from another friend. “Want to go to the match?” Kick off was just an hour away, and no fans were allowed. But my journalist mate often has a spare pass and, as has been the case many times when fans were allowed, nobody had taken him up on the offer.

I’d forgotten my mask so had to rush to a pharmacy and pick one up for just 16 dinars (12 pence), and hopped into a taxi looking forward to watching Partizan live for the first time this season. 

Classical music calmly echoed around the taxi and I remembered, no “joyful” music was allowed in Serbia, by law, until Monday. Odd? Yes, I thought so too.

Politics and Football Don’t Mix? Try Religion and Football

The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Irinej, had died the day before and the government had announced three days of mourning for the religious leader. 

No music, but football was okay? My girlfriend explained something about football not being around when the Bible was written. I couldn’t be bothered to check if there was any mention of music in the good book so off I went.

As I stood outside the main entrance to the ground waiting for my mate and the not-so-hottest ticket in town, there was more than just an eeriness due to the lack of fans around the place. In fact, we’re quite used to that at the Stadion JNA – last season the average attendance couldn’t have been more than 3,000 (the ground holds 30,000 officially). 

Usually, raucous punk music blares from the speakers. The fans’ band, Grupa JNA, solely dedicated to Partizan – all sports, not just football – have released three albums to date and all the black-and-white faithful know the words to each song. And then, before kick off, the club anthem “Da Volim Crno-Bele” (I Love the Black-and-Whites) rings out.

But today, nothing. The announcer went through the line-ups, a minute’s silence was observed, and the players had to find some motivation from somewhere.

I made my way through the press entrance to the side of the pitch and back up the stand to the press box – just a few metres away from my usual spot in the East Stand. 

Inconsistent Favourites

Partizan were hosting Proleter from Novi Sad. A win would see the Belgrade side leapfrog the main team from Novi Sad, Vojvodina, into second, pending their game against league leaders Red Star on the Sunday. 

While fighting it out for second spot may sound like something to relish, Partizan fans have bemoaned their team’s performances this season. Fans’ favourite, Savo Milosevic, was sacked at the end of August after lashing out against Vojvodina at a pitchside microphone against Vojvodina, and not everybody is happy with the return of Aleksandar Stanojevic.

While manager Stanojević did guide the black-and-whites to their last Champions League group stage appearance, he was also in charge the following season, when Partizan suffered a humiliating exit from Europe at the hands of Shamrock Rovers. 

Known for his negative style of football, Stanojević prides himself on being difficult to beat, something that doesn’t sit comfortable with a set of supporters that know their team has the budget to outclass every team but one in the league. 

He’s brought back some former players that supporters and journalists alike feel lack the required level to bring success and his results have been mixed in his six weeks or so in charge. 

Exit from the Europa League in the Qualifying Rounds to Charleroi from Belgium meant that Partizan should be able to focus on the league. However, just two games later, they threw away a lead late on against 10-man Metalac. They’ve also suffered defeat in Niš, and been unconvincing in wins in Subotica and at home against Bačka Palanka. 

Now was the time to prove the doubters wrong following the latest international break. However Stanojević had already poured scorn on the idea that the black-and-whites would run out easy victors, praising Proleter for their defensive ‘organisation’ in his pre match conference. 

Partizan Belgrade v Proleter Novi Sad

The hosts did, however, start with a strong line-up, despite a couple of surprises in defence and in goals. The main change seeing young Aleksandar Popović between the sticks, as Partizan looked to fulfill their U21 quota in the absence of winger Filip Stevanović – reportedly on his way to Man City.

The visitors, meanwhile, had no trouble in filling that quota, with four players under the age of 21 in their starting line-up and a further five on the bench.

As was expected, Partizan dominated possession but gave the ball away cheaply in the early stages. Players who are usually reliable, such as Saša Zdjelar, Takuma Asano, and Israeli captain Bibras Natho, were all guilty of losing the ball more than once.

It took until the 30th minute for any real chance of note, as the hosts as they created a few attacks in quick succession. Flowing moves down the right brought Miljković, the full-back, into play. He set up a great chance for striker Holender who fired straight at the ‘keeper, and put in a good cross for Šćekić, who could only tamely head wide. 

Asano then sprung into action on the right, breaking quickly and putting what looked like being a perfect pass into the path of Holender, but a Proleter defender slid in at the last second and just diverted it wide.

After that, the visitors put ten men behind the ball and targeted Asano, giving him no space to run and tacking hard. This was the Proleter that Stanojević had warned about. 

The second half started much like the first. Partizan were again guilty of giving the ball away cheaply while still having the lion’s share of the ball. 

A corner fell kindly at the second time of asking early on, but it fell to centre-half Vujačić who could only sky it high into the empty South Stand, where the raucous Grobari would usually be standing. 

Natho offered the next promising moment, cutting inside on his right and beating three players, forcing a good save from the visiting ‘keeper, who was determined to do everything in his power to stop the home side from scoring. 

That was Natho’s last contribution, as Partizan brought on two players as they looked to up the ante. Seydoubah Soumah, the diminutive attacking midfielder back from an injury sustained in the first derby of the season, and Lazar Marković, back from Coronavirus, ready to breathe new life into the match.

And it almost paid off immediately! The ball bounced kindly to Marković from a cross, but his first touch from a tight angle could only see him fire high and wide. 

Just a minute later, and Partizan broke again. A lovely ball through to Holender saw him awkwardly get a touch to it just inside the box just before the defender could get there, leaving the trailing leg only able to bring him down. Penalty to the hosts.

Holender stepped up in the absence of Natho, looking for his first goal in Partizan’s colours, but his tame shot was comfortably palmed away by the ‘keeper who was staking his claim for the man of the match award. 

A triple change from the visitors suggested they may have thought that they could steal it, but Partizan continued to dominate with the new changes simply reinforcing Proleter’s solid line. 

A rare corner for the visitors in the 90th minute was easily dealt with by Popović, who quickly distributed to Marković to start a counter attack. The ex-Liverpool man took a heavy touch and lost the ball. 

He couldn’t catch his man and did everything in his power to bring down the attacking red shirt, but Jovan Ilić just powered past him and was almost through on goal. A thundering effort came crashing off the bar, evading the on-running attacker for the rebound, and actually providing Partizan with the chance for the counter they initially wanted. 

Directly from that, the black-and-whites broke down the left, a cross in was poorly dealt with by the visitors’ defenders. The ball fell to Miljković on the far side and his cross spun off the back of the defender lying on the floor straight into the path of Holender. The attacker flew to meet the ball with a volley that left the ‘keeper stunned and beaten as it went into the corner of the net.

The Hungarian international raced towards the corner flag in front of us and ripped his shirt off, barely able to contain his emotions at finally grabbing his first goal for Partizan, and atoning for his earlier mistake. 

The fourth official’s board went up, and the five minutes of additional time flew by with Partizan seeing out the game comfortably to see another nervous victory that put them within six points of the league leaders – for 24 hours at least. 

What Next?

Red Star went on to reopen the gap to nine points in comfortable fashion the following day, and so it was back to business as usual then, despite the distractions of Coronavirus and the days of mourning. Partizan know they have a mountain to climb if they are to get even close to the title this season.

Attention now turns to the cup on Wednesday, where the black-and-whites have a strong recent history – they’ve appeared in the last six finals, winning four. 

That game? Against Metalac Gornji Milanovac who managed a point with just 10 men the last time Partizan came to town. Stanojevic will be under no illusions that his side need to improve if they want to lift the trophy once again. 

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A crowd of just 3,000 had witnessed Bulgaria’s Play-Off defeat to Hungary just five days before, so the Nations League encounter with Wales was never going to bring out the masses.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic having staved football fanatics of their weekly fix across the continent for a while, there seemed to be no indication that a 30% crowd would be allowed until just a couple of weeks prior to this encounter.

Had it been later, no doubt a few more Welsh would have made the trip over, and perhaps outnumbered the Bulgarians as they had done in 2011.

As it was, a smattering of ten or so hid their colours and sat on their hands for 90 minutes – or 85, at least..

The Welshmen headed into the game second in the group after Finland’s win earlier in the day over the Republic of Ireland. But without the likes of Gareth Bale and Joe Allen (who were injured), and Aaron Ramsey and Kieffer Moore (who left the camp after the Ireland game), it was difficult to see where the goals were going to come from.

Wales started brightest, however, keeping the ball well, and forcing a corner within the first five minutes. Joe Rodon peeled away at the far post and blasted it over.

The game opened up in the eleventh minute, when Liverpool’s young Neco Williams, who netted the winner against Bulgaria in Cardiff last month, broke down the right. A great cross into Tyler Roberts ended with a looping header into the goalkeeper’s arms, which gave Bulgaria the chance to attack.

A quick break resulted in a throw-in, before the next attack saw Wayne Hennessey forced into action for the first time, punching the ball clear from a cross.

Another attack proved dangerous from Bulgaria, which riled the couple of hundred home fans into a brief chant. This, in turn, buoyed the players who got stuck into Harry Wilson, before Williams returned the favour, threatening to turn the game into a sloppy encounter.

Wilson and Roberts were acting as a front two, interchanging neatly and pressing the Bulgarian defence, hoping to force a mistake. The young Liverpool player, looking for a loan club at the time, got his chance on the 18th minute, with a free-kick in perfect shooting range, but blasted over.

In the eerie quiet of the Sofia night, you could hear Davies – captain for the night – and Hennessey – the oldest player on the pitch – marshalling their team around. The youthful Ethan Ampadu played his part, pointing to his fellow midfielders where to go, as Wales and now Sheffield United fans will be customary to seeing.

After the blistering opening ten or 15, Wales seemed to lull into a possession game, and looked as though they may become as impotent as they were on the weekend against the Republic of Ireland.

Tyler Roberts tried a couple of flicks that didn’t come off, and some poor touches in the back almost let Bulgaria in. But they couldn’t take advantage of the inexperienced Wales defence.

Bulgaria’s best chance of the half came just before the whistle. Yomov cut inside from the left, nutmegging one, and looking like he could take on the rest before being brought down. The resulting cross was headed straight into Hennessey’s arms by winger Despodov.

Half-time, then, and Wales, although having looked the brightest, still no clearer to showing where a goal would come from.

Immediately from the restart, it was clear that Wales were playing a fluid front three, with Wilson splitting Daniel James and Roberts either side, but interchanging when possible.

A couple of bright moves down the right ended up with a corner and a shot over the bar, before tempers once again started flaring in the 50th minute. A yellow card for Wilson was quickly followed by a yellow card for James for a full-blooded challenge right in front of the Wales bench. Brazilian-born Cicinho reacted angrily and was also carded for his part in the fracas.

That seemed to spurn the naturalized Bulgarian into action, as just a minute later he created what was, arguably, Bulgaria’s best spell. Winning the ball in a deep position with a strong challenge, he turned defence into attack twice, resulting in dangerous-looking crosses that turned into nothing.

Cicinho’s Welsh counterpart, however, Neco Williams, also sprang into life and was key in all of Wales’ best moves, as the game started looking more like a tennis match than the calm, possession football we’re used to seeing from Wales.

Rabbi Matondo entered for James, and gave Wales that extra bit of life up top, but also leaving them exposed defensively. On 60 minutes, the young Schalke player cut inside from the right and fired just wide.

Bulgaria went straight up the other end with a flowing move – Nedyalkov, the full-back, linking up well with Yomov, Despodov, and Nedelev, whose shot from distance was well wide in the end.

Wales looked threatening going forward, but vulnerable at the back. But the young Rhys Norrington-Davies, making his debut, barely put a foot wrong, and was on hand to snuff out most of the Bulgarian attacks.

Wilson went down for a couple of minutes, and it seemed to break Bulgaria’s rhythm once and for all, before Wales manager, Ryan Giggs’ changes on 70 minutes swung the pendulum back in the visitors’ favour.

Jonny Williams, one of just four players in the squad to have been a part of Wales’ European Championship squad in 2016, came on for Wilson, with Manchester United’s Dylan Levitt replacing Matt Smith in midfield.

Levitt joined the action straight away, winning a free-quick that Wales took quickly. Roberts broke down the right and put in an almost inch-perfect cross for Matondo who fired over from close range. It looked as though it was going to be one of those nights for Wales.

It could have got worse from there for Giggs’ men, as a terrible backpass way wide of Hennessey forced the Wales keeper to sprint and pull a muscle in the process. Thankfully, Wales did have a couple of subs left. Enter Adam Davies for his first appearance between the sticks.

He was immediately called into action from a corner that reached to the far post, but the stretching Bulgarian attacker could only fire wide.

Wales continued playing with fire, allowing Nedelev far too much room on 81. He played a lovely one-two with Despodov, but the chance went begging.

It was getting desperate. Speculative long balls forward ended with even more speculative flicks from a clearly frustrated Roberts and, at times, confused Matondo. Neco Williams managed a shot from distance that the keeper spilled, that seemed to galvanise Wales once again.

The young Liverpool man was at the heart of the action a minute later, breaking at pace down the right to put in a perfect cross for Jonny Williams to run onto. The diminutive figure still had a lot of work to do, but he expertly connected with the ball to send it flying into the roof of the net.

Williams’ first international goal for Wales in his 25th appearance, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The screams from the player himself and the bench indicated the significance of the goal, as the whole team ran over and piled on in celebration. Two Wales fans nearby broke into a chorus of the popular “Hymns and Arias” – betraying their identity for a second.

It wasn’t over yet, however, and Bulgaria broke at pace from the restart. It looked as though Neco Williams was caught out, only to get a last-ditch tackle in to concede a throw-in on the far side.

Wales’ second-choice keeper had no qualms about taking a yellow card for time-wasting, although the referee was surprisingly lenient. The visitors now playing for time.

Six minutes were added on, and Jonny Williams got his name in the book for a professional sort of foul in the middle of the park to break up a Bulgarian attack.

There was time for another golden chance, this time for Wales. Matondo showed lightning speed as he broke from the middle of the pitch. He had Williams in support for what was sure to be a clear goalscoring opportunity, but the youngster from Schalke waited a fraction too long before releasing the ball, and the goalscorer was offside.

Bulgaria had no time left to muster something up of their own, and the Welsh players celebrated on the pitch, as the Bulgarians slumped at the final whistle. Two more Wales fans made themselves known on the far side of the ground, and the team kindly made their way over to thank them.

It was Wales’ first goal since their last-minute winner over Bulgaria in Cardiff last month. They’ve only scored three this year, and have only been leading for a total of 15 minutes in their group.

But they won’t mind. They go into the final two fixtures – both at home – with a point advantage at the top of the group. A win will gain them promotion to League A. The question remains, will their fans be there to see them try?

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