Two rounds before the end of the MeridianBet First Montenegrin Football League, Otrant-Olimpik football players are facing relegation to a lower league.
The team from Ulcinj lost to Sutjeska (34:2) in the 0th round in Nikšić today, so they are six points behind ninth-placed Jezera, which stopped Buducnost for the third time this season at the "DG Arena", but also achieved its first victory after two draws with the champion - 3:2 for Miodrag Džudović's team.
Otranto is now only theoretically in play - in order to avoid direct relegation, Ulcinj must win both of its next games (Arsenal at home, Bokelj away), and hope that Jezero will lose both matches (Sutjeska and Arsenal away).
The team from Plav, therefore, needs to win one more point, because they had a lower head-to-head score than the team from Ulcinj - and they are calm until the play-offs.
Jezero today ended Buducnost's great unbeaten streak in the domestic championship, which lasted since October last year and amounted to 20 games.
Just as Jezero stopped Buducnost in their quest for a record number of consecutive wins (3:3) at the beginning of the spring, so too has it stopped Ivan Brnović's team in their quest for a record number of consecutive matches without defeat. They were three more such matches away...
The most responsible for Jezera's victory was Plav's best player this season, the league's top scorer Mihailo Perović (shares the top with Žarko Korać - 15 goals each), a former striker for Buducnost.
Perović scored two goals, four in total this spring against the champions - in the 7th and 11th minutes.
How transparent the Podgorica defense was at the start of the match is shown by the fact that Perović hit the post between those two goals.
The Podgorica team reduced the deficit after the break, when in the 34th minute Dragan Grivić headed Igor Asanović, but they did not have enough lethality or energy to try to continue their unbeaten streak.
Jezero took advantage of that, threatening counterattacks, opening up "highways" towards the Podgorica goal, and Mitar Ćuković took advantage of one counterattack to score in the 70th minute for 1:3.
All the home team managed to do until the end was Ivan Bojović's penalty goal - the winger became the "blues'" top scorer with his 13th goal this season.
Sutjeska, unlike Buducnost, was not so hospitable to a team fighting for survival. They defeated Otranto 2:0 and brought it to the very edge of the second league abyss.
The team from Nikšić, of course, had their own goals, they are now in 3rd position, plus four points compared to Dečić Admiralbet. Third place would bring a place in Europe if the appeals of Buducnost or Petrovac about not receiving a license in the first round are not successful.
Both goals for Sutjeska were scored by Vasko Kalezić - in the 59th and 76th minutes.
Dečić AdmiralBet drew with Jedinstvo-Franco in Tuzi - 2:2. Žarko Korać and Asmir Kajević were in the forefront in Tuzi. Korać scored both goals for Jedinstvo, and Kajević was the only scorer for Nenad Brnović's team.
Arsenal and Mornar played to a draw (1:1) in Tivat. The visitors took the lead in the 46th minute through Kotar Kiši, and Irfan Šahman brought the point to Tivat. After this match, Arsenal is still in the safe zone with three points more than Mornar, who are in the relegation zone, and have not won in eight games.
Bokelj SBBet defeated Petrovac 1:0 away, with Velizar Janketić scoring the only goal. The team from Kotor took a big step towards survival without the play-offs.
THE RESULTS
Petrovac - Bokelj SBBet 0:1
Velizar Janketić 10.
Arsenal - Sailor 1:1
Irfan Shahman 72 - Kotaro Kishi 46.
Sutjeska - Otrant-Olimpik 2:0
Vasko Kalezić 59, 76.
Buducnost - Jezero 2:3
Dragan Grivic 34, Ivan Bojovic 87 (penalty) - Mihailo Perovic 7, 11, Mitar Cukovic 70.
Dečić AdmiralBet - Jedinstvo-Franca 2:2
Asmir Kajević 42, 65 - Žarko Korac 36, 81.
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