Široki Brijeg secured a 2:1 victory over Radnik Bijeljina in the Premier League's third round on Saturday evening. The hosts took an early shock when D. Teodorovic found the net in the third minute, and Radnik looked comfortable for much of the opening half. By then the visitors had already created more chances, but their finishing let them down.
B. Markovina equalised for Široki in the 38th minute, and the home side kept pushing forward. F. Matic then scored the winner in the 51st minute, catching Radnik on the break after a quick transition. And here's the thing — Široki never really looked like surrendering that lead, even when Radnik threw bodies forward.
The statistics tell an interesting story. Radnik had more attacks at 111 to Široki's 88 and edged possession at 51 per cent, yet only managed two shots on target compared to five. The visitors shot eight times wide, while Široki landed seven efforts off target. To be fair, the result reflects efficiency rather than dominance.
Radnik made several changes in the second half, bringing on R. Marijanovic, I. Kraljevic, O. Klenpic and E. Crnko all around the 60th minute. Široki responded with their own substitutions, including F. Matic being replaced in the 73rd minute despite his goal. The game tightened up as both sides tried to manage the final quarter, with yellow cards for D. Virgili and S. Radovic.
The result moves Široki further clear in third place with eight points from five games, while Radnik remain rooted to tenth with just three points. The hosts have won two and drawn twice, whereas Radnik have only managed three draws from their opening five matches. That's the gap — and it makes Saturday's win feel even more significant for the home side.