Naftagas took all three points against Graficar in the First League regular season, winning 2:1 on Monday evening. The result keeps both sides at the bottom of the table, tied on four points after six games. And here's the thing — two teams with identical records meeting always carries weight, even when neither side has looked convincing so far.
D. Anokic opened the scoring in the 40th minute, giving the home side a lead they wouldn't relinquish. S. Ilic picked up a yellow card three minutes later, a sign of the edge in proceedings. Graficar pushed for an equaliser but couldn't find the breakthrough before half-time.
V. Siladji levelled matters in the 52nd minute, catching the visitors off guard. To be fair, Naftagas had controlled the tempo up to that point, and the goal came at a moment when the home side was still looking for a second. The game opened up after that, with both sides willing to take risks.
What happened next decided everything. M. Stevanovic converted a penalty in the 90+1 minute, ending a barren spell for his team. By then, the momentum had shifted, and the referee had no choice but to award the spot-kick after a challenge in the box. The goal closed out a match that had been tighter than the scoreline suggested.
There were plenty of changes on the sideline, with five substitutions recorded on each side during the second half. M. Arsovic and S. Ilic were among those replaced, while D. Saric and L. Rochester came on together in the 61st minute. Things came to a head late on, with four yellow cards shown after the hour mark alone.
Both teams remain in the bottom two, tied on four points from six games. The victory gives Naftagas a psychological edge over Graficar in what promises to be a difficult season. The support of the fans could be called devoted, but that's an assessment, not a fact. What matters is the result — and the home side took it when it counted.