Partizan defeated Azerbaijani side Neftçi 1:0 in their third pre-season friendly during the training camp in Slovenia.

It was another valuable test for Saša Ilić’s team, not only because of the result but also because of the overall performance. The black-and-whites faced a strong opponent made up of players known for their physical and aggressive style of play, but Partizan responded well. They applied effective pressing and created problems for the Azerbaijani side with quick, direct football.

Partizan were the better team throughout the match, showing greater creativity than their opponents, and their dominance was rewarded in the 48th minute when Erik Kojzek found the net. The young Austria international reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the penalty area and calmly finished to score the game's only goal.

The ten minutes following the goal were comfortably controlled by Partizan until an incident rarely seen in friendly matches occurred. Stefan Milić fouled Basala Sambou, and the English forward reacted angrily, leading to a mass confrontation in which both players ended up on the ground. Members of both coaching staffs and several substitutes entered the pitch in an attempt to separate the players. The interruption lasted around ten minutes before tempers cooled, but both Milić and Sambou were sent to the dressing room early.

Saša Ilić used the lengthy stoppage to make several substitutions, which slowed the tempo of the game. Nevertheless, the black-and-whites comfortably protected their lead and secured another pre-season victory.

Partizan starting XI: Milošević, Samson, Mitrović, Đurđević, Roganović, Alilović, Zubairu, Traore, Vukotić, Seck, Kojzek.

Also played: Ninić, Malik, Milić, Marinković, Zeković, Janković, Aleksić, Trifunović, Lekić.

Partizan will play their next pre-season match in Slovenia on Friday, July 10, against Lokomotiva Zagreb, before facing Nafta 1903 a day later.