Loznica and Javor played out a 2:2 draw in the First League on Thursday evening. The result leaves the hosts eleventh on eight points, while the visitors climb to fourth with fifteen after nine rounds. To be fair, the table doesn't tell the whole story of what happened on the pitch.
B. Cande gave Loznica the lead in the fifty-sixth minute, but Javor responded quickly. S. Stojanovic equalised for the home side in the seventy-second, and M. Maricic restored the visitors' advantage just two minutes later. And here's the thing — Loznica refused to stay down, finding an equaliser in the eighty-seventh. By then, both managers had already thrown on fresh legs.
Loznica brought on N. Krstic in the fifty-seventh, followed by B. Acquah and L. Micic in the sixty-second. Javor made four changes together in the seventy-sixth, introducing S. Trajkovski, L. Pecelj, A. Radonjic and M. Bjekovic at once. The visitors clearly wanted to control the final third, and the numbers back that up.
Loznica had 43 per cent possession and 97 attacks compared to Javor's 57 per cent and 124. The visitors registered eight shots off target and five on target, while the hosts managed four on target with only two wide. Five yellow cards came against Loznica, one against Javor — the game got physical, but neither side lost a man.
Loznica's form has been uneven of late. They lost 4:0 to TSC Backa Topola on Wednesday and drew 1:1 with Teleoptik before that. Javor, meanwhile, have kept their side in it with three wins and two draws in their last five outings. This result means both teams stay where they are in the table, though the gap between fourth and eleventh is now seven points.