Buducnost players were eliminated in the first round of Champions League qualifiers: they did not take advantage of their privileged position in the draw, something that no Montenegrin champion had in the previous period - seeding status.
However, when the balls were aimed at the people of Podgorica against the Armenian champion Nou, last year's participant in the group stage of the Conference League, and considering the state in which our biggest club was entering the European qualifiers, reality dictated that the chances were not too great.
However, the 6.150 fans who were at the stadium near Gorica on Tuesday evening, according to the UEFA delegate's estimate, left the arena with mixed feelings.
And it was mixed in two ways: a great atmosphere in the announcement, full stands and football fever that shook the capital after a long time, spoiled by a fierce fight between fans in the northern stand at the end of the first half.
A great reaction and a dedicated game with one player less in the second half, a great comeback (from 0:2 to 2:2), could not, in the end, make up for the desperate start to the game.
Naive reactions, sending off, players down, two goals down - it was all too much, even though Nenad Lalatović's team came within a goal of extra time and a sensational comeback.
On a night of "high voltage", great tension and nervousness, both on the field and in the stands, the Montenegrin champion showed little footballing talent, everything good he did was done with great desire and fighting spirit, with goals from the most experienced - Igor Ivanović and Petar Grbić.
Buducnost was ultimately deservedly eliminated by a better, but also unimpressive, rival.
"We still regret the red card, we played with ten men for 70 minutes. Against Noa, scoring two goals with a player less, I think that is a great success for our team. Now we have to regret even more the way we conceded the first goal in Armenia and the first goal in the second leg. In a way, we beat ourselves, maybe because of the pressure. In any case, I congratulate the players. Coming back from 0:2 to 2:2, with a player less, that only proves the quality, the will, the desire of the players and the love for this club and the fans. Special thanks to the fans, they were our 12th player and we left our hearts on the field," said Lalatović.
Buducnost now moves on to the second round of the Conference League qualifiers and will welcome the Moldovan champions, Milsami, next Thursday.
The team that won the domestic championship ahead of Sheriff certainly has quality (after all, it's full of foreigners), but on the other hand, it could also provide some answers when it comes to the strength of this Buducnost team.
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