Crvena Zvezda and Sartid in final
Wednesday, May 8, 2002
Article summary
FK Crvena Zvezda and FK Sartid will go head-to-head in the final of the Yugoslavian Cup.
Article body
FK Crvena Zvezda and FK Sartid are through to the Yugoslavian Cup final on 29 May after ending the hopes of FK Vojvodina and FK Zeleznik.
Penalties needed
Crvena Zvezda needed penalties to dismiss Voljvodina after drawing 1-1 in normal time. Mihajlo Pjanovic put Crvena Zvezda ahead on 23 minutes on a night when their goalkeeper Ivan Randjelovic had a superb game.
Randejelovic's revenge
He was finally beaten by Igor Bogdanovic's 80th-minute penalty after a Nemanja Vidic handball, but Randejelovic gained revenge in the shoot-out, saving Voljvodina's first attempt from Milan Vukelja as Crvena Zvezda went on to convert all theirs for a 5-3 win.
Mirosavljevic the hero
Nemanja Mirosavljevic was Sartid's hero with two goals to help the team from the northern town of Smederevo into their first cup final with a 3-2 victory at Zeleznik, ensuring the Belgarade-hosted showpiece would have a side from outside the capital.
Half-time lead
Mirosavljevic got his first on ten minutes, and from that point Sartid never lost the lead. Man of the match Dejan Kekezovic made it 2-0 in the 37th minute with a shot from outside the box, but within seconds Slobodan Markovic pulled one back for Zeleznik.
Win sealed
However, Mirosavljevic sealed the win with another goal midway through the second half, ensuring that Nenad Majstorovic's late strike for Zeleznik was only a consolation.
'Life-long ambition'
Sartid's 35-year old captain Goran Bogdanovic, who retires in the summer, admitted: "It has always been my life-long ambition to go hold the cup aloft. Hopefully, that will now happen come the end of season, and would be the highlight of my career."