Radnik Surdulica claimed a narrow 2:1 victory over Mačva in the Serbian Super Liga's fifth round on Saturday, keeping their top-half ambitions on track. The hosts opened the scoring through A. Pejovic in the twenty-fifth minute, a moment that set the tone for the afternoon. Mačva equalised when E. Quarshie found the net in the forty-eighth minute, and it looked as though the visitors might steal a point. But L. Pejovic's seventy-ninth-minute strike gave Radnik all three points, and here's the thing — it felt like a result earned through patience rather than dominance.
Radnik controlled much of the territory, pressing forward with more attacks and passing into the final third. Mačva sat deeper, waiting for transitions, but their goalkeeper had to make a couple of saves to keep things level. The visitors created two big chances against Radnik's one, yet only converted half of their shots on target compared to the hosts' four. By then, the match had settled into a rhythm where the hosts pushed and Mačva responded, and that pattern held until the final whistle.
The statistics tell a story of control without conversion. Radnik registered fourteen shots total, with only four on target, while Mačva managed four shots with two finding the target. Possession sat at fifty-two per cent for the hosts, who completed 264 passes against Mačva's 249. The visitors had fewer attacks but took more care with their chances, which is why the scoreline feels tighter than the numbers suggest. To be fair, cup football has its own rules, and this was a league match decided by moments rather than volume.
The result keeps Radnik in fifth place on eleven points from seven games, with three wins, two draws and two defeats. Mačva remain in eleventh with eight points after eight matches, a result that extends their run of losses. The hosts had lost 1:2 to Vojvodina in their previous outing, so this victory provides some momentum. Mačva, meanwhile, have lost four of eight — a run that has them staring at the drop if it continues.