Železničar Pančevo claimed a narrow 2:1 victory over Čukarički in the Super Liga's tenth round of matches on Sunday evening. The home side took an early lead through Karel Mustmaa within four minutes, then had to withstand sustained pressure from the visitors who fought back after the break. Nikola Jovanovic's stoppage-time strike ultimately decided the contest.
Mustmaa's opener came early, catching Čukarički off guard. The visitors responded with a flurry of yellow cards in quick succession — Uros Tegeltija went off five minutes in, then Nikola Djuricic, Uros Miladinovic and Mirko Milikic all received cautions around the half-hour mark. To be fair, the away side struggled to create anything meaningful despite dominating possession for long spells.
Three substitutions were made at the interval by Železničar, bringing on Simão Pedro, David Akpan Ankeye and Mamane Moustapha Amadou Sabo. The home side continued to control the tempo, though Čukarički began to find pockets of space as the game wore on. Sambou Sissoko picked up a booking at sixty minutes, and Đorđe Jovanović followed shortly after.
And here's the thing — Čukarički finally broke through through Kwaku Karikari in the eighty-ninth minute, sending the away end into raptures. Železničar responded immediately. Jovanovic struck in the first minute of added time to restore the lead and give his team all three points. The match had everything, right down to the wire.
The statistics tell their own story. Železničar held 77 per cent possession but only managed three shots on target from fourteen attempts, with a meagre fourteen per cent accuracy rate. Čukarički, meanwhile, registered just two efforts on goal from six shots despite having far less of the ball. Eight corners for the hosts against none for the visitors said much about who pushed forward.
By then the result meant Železničar moved to fourteen points in sixth place from nine games, while Čukarički remained in ninth with eleven points from ten outings. The home side's recent form had been mixed, including a heavy defeat to Red Star on Wednesday, but this victory showed character. One moment at the end ended the visitors' hopes and kept Železničar's campaign on track.
