The opening match of this year’s “Bratski Kup” in Russia between Partizan and CSKA Moscow ended with a 3:1 (1:0) victory for the home side.
It was a high-quality and valuable learning experience for Srđan Blagojević’s team. The Partizan players delivered a solid performance against the reigning Russian Cup champions and were unlucky not to achieve a more favorable result.
However, since it was a friendly match, the final score is less important than the overall display over the 90 minutes. Compared to their last meeting with CSKA a few months ago in Belgrade, Partizan showed noticeable improvement and, without a doubt, deserved more than a defeat.
The players brought great energy to the match—aggressive, mobile, and motivated. Unfortunately, bad luck played a role in both of CSKA’s opening goals. The first came in the 15th minute when a deflection off Ognjen Ugrešić fell kindly to Kirill Glebov, who scored. The second, in the 57th minute, was an unfortunate own goal by a young Partizan defender trying to clear the ball.
Between those two goals came the highlight of the game: Bibars Natho delivered a corner, and Milan Roganović met it with a stunning volley from the edge of the box to level the score.
Partizan dipped slightly midway through the second half, during which Matvei Kislyak scored CSKA’s third. However, the final 20 minutes were high-tempo and filled with promise. Partizan created several strong chances and showed encouraging signs as coach Blagojević continues preparing the squad for the first Europa League qualifying match against AEK Larnaca, scheduled for July 10th in Cyprus.
Before then, Partizan will face Dynamo Moscow on July 4th in their second and final match of the “Bratski Kup.”
