MD 12: FK BELGRADE 1–1 FC BERLIN

The relegation battle heats up as west and east meet.

✍️ Written by: Saad Maan, Forta Evening News

After a long break, FSL has returned. With Athens Kerberos getting a point earlier in the day, it was of upmost importance that Belgrade either matched the result, or brought home all three points.

Despite it being a relegation dogfight, the display showed us anything but that. The two teams were extremely secure in possession and avoided taking unnecessary risks. There was no sense of desperation in the first half.

The entirety of the first half would be spent time-wasting and recycling possession. As the half came to a close, the crowd, which initially had roared, settled down.

Unlike the first half, the second half offered us much more exciting football, especially as we went later and later into the fixture. After a sequence of Belgrade pressure, their midfield magician Pablo Oliveira sent in a lofted pass to the feet of William Wallace, who made no mistake as he scored the first of the night in the 82nd minute.

In an act of desperation, Berlin pushed forward with all of their players. With enormous pressure on their shoulders, the less experienced players of Belgrade started to struggle. Unlike their performance in the first half, they became sloppy in possession. In the 86th minute of play, their mistakes would be punished. Diego Fantastico, the £350 man, stole the ball from the former Berlin defender Oscar Gale. All alone with the keeper, he curled it into the bottom left corner, equalizing the score.

Berlin, looking for more, kept up the pressure. However, they were nearly punished as Nemanja Tomcevski drilled a shot wide from a good position. The match finished 1-1 however, and thanks to Lisboa's humiliation at the hands of London, Berlin climbed to 13th position. Belgrade remains the worst team in FSL, but with a few good results in their last five, they are confident to escape relegation.