Čelik secured a 3:2 victory over Radnik Bijeljina in the seventh round of the Premier League on September 11th. The hosts moved clear of the visitors in the table with three points from the match. Aleksandar Masic was the decisive figure, scoring twice in the first half and adding a second-half strike to complete his contribution.
And here's the thing about the opening exchanges — Čelik started sharp. Masic opened the scoring in the ninth minute and doubled the lead by the twenty-sixth. Radnik responded through Damir Teodorović, who pulled one back in the thirty-ninth before Teodorović levelled in the fiftieth. By then the momentum had shifted, though Čelik regained control when Masic found the net again in the fifty-eighth.
There were interruptions throughout. Husein Sabanović and Marko Andadić picked up yellow cards for the hosts, while Edo Šivac was cautioned for the visitors. Radnik's Brian Meyapya was sent off in the eighty-sixth, a moment that changed the complexion of the game. VAR interventions cancelled two goals — Hrvanovic's effort for Radnik in the seventy-first and Ijoma's late attempt for the same side.
Substitutions came in waves. Čelik brought on Rushesha, Tomasević and Sabanović at the interval, while Radnik made three changes in the sixty-first minute. Faraj entered the fray in the sixty-sixth, but the visitors could not find an equaliser after the dismissal.
The statistics tell a story of possession without penetration. Radnik controlled 52 per cent of the ball and registered seven shots on target compared to Čelik's three, yet the visitors could not convert. The hosts managed seven shots on target of their own across the ninety minutes, and the difference between the two sides came down to clinical finishing.
Čelik moved to eighth place with four points from six games, while Radnik remained tenth on three points. The victory ended a run of two defeats without a win for the hosts and extended Radnik's winless streak to four matches. To be fair, the visitors had chances but failed to take them when it mattered.
