Preview : Dinamo Minsk vs FK Decic – 2022/23 Europa Conference League 1st Qualifying Round

July 7, 2022

The first qualifying round of the Europa Conference sees a tie between two sides familiar to these diaries.

FK Decic Tuzi finished third in the 2021/22 Montenegro First League for the second time in a row after promotion back to the highest division in Montenegro. They had a particularly odd season, winning all 4 away matches against the top two, FK Sutjeksa and FK Buducnost, but poor results against lesser sides, including 6 defeats at home, prevented any serious challenge for the title.

Tuzi is a small town in the south-east of Montenegro close to the Albanian border, 10km from the capital Podgorica, and 150km from Dubrovnik and 130km from Tirana.

Two important mainstays of Decic’s squad last season are now longer with the club, namely strikers Kristijan Vulaj, who after 11 goals in the season has joined Albanian side FK Vllazania, and fellow forward Illr Camaj left during the winter break to join a side in Oman after scoring 7 goals.

However, they have retained experienced midfielder Drasko Bozovic, whose form saw a recall to the national squad, striker Aleksa Marusic scored 6 goals after signing from Sutjeska, whilst the highest appearances in the season were from right-back Jonathan Dresaj, centre-back Marko Tuci, who was also called into the national squad but is yet to win his first cap, right winger Danilo Pesukic and defensive midfielder Jovran Nikolic.

Veteran ex-Dinamo Zagreb, Dinamo Minsk, Dinamo Moscow and Mechelen striker Fatos Beciraj joined the club in the winter break and was also called into the Montenegro squad, and now has 85 caps. Ex-Spartak Subotica winger Stefan Denkovic signed from Dinamo Batumi.

Dinamo Minsk finished third in the 2021 Belarus Premier League to qualify for the Europa Conference, being 3 points behind runners-up BATE Borisov and 13 points behind champions Shakhtyor Soligorsk. They are now in the middle of their 2022 season where they are also in third place after 13 games, 3 points behind leaders BATE Borisov, having lost 0-1 at Shakhtyor and surprisingly going down 1-2 at home to Isloch.

Since these diaries last reported on the Belarus Premier League at the end of the 2021 season, Dinamo have lost a significant number of key players, including striker Jean Morel Poe who joined Egyptian sided Ismaily for 240K Euros, midfielder Alexsander Selyava joined Russian side Rostov for a reported 108K Euros, whilst a number of players left on free transfers, namely attacking midfielder Vladislav Klimovich who joined Hungarian side Gyrimot, playmaker Andriy Batsula returned to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava, striker Evgeniy Shikavka joined Kazakh side Shakhter Karagandy, keeper Maksim Plotnikov side signed from Shakhtyor Soligorsk to be their first choice number 1, and Vladimir Khavaschinsky joined FK Minsk.

Dinamo have signed a number of cut-price replacements, including Denis Grechikho and Aleksy Vakulich from defunct Rukh Brest, ex Notts County Slovenian striker Filip Valenic from HJK Helsinki, midfielder Ivan Pesic from Vorksla, and utility player Roman Begunov from Shakhtyor.

That said, Dinamo still have a core of talented players and should be favourites to progress from this tie. Their Belarus internationals include strikers Ivan Bakhar, Artem Bykov and Vladimir Lozhkin all of whom to-date have scored 4 goals domestically this season, whilst keeper Igor Khatkevich, full-back Maksim Shvetsov, midfielders Sergei Kislyak and Anton Putilo, and centre-back Nikita Naumov are also experienced full Belarus internationals. Montenegro striker Dusan Bakic is also a regular.

Due to the UEFA ban on Belarus sides playing at home due to the Ukrainian invasion, this match is being played behind closed doors in the DG Arena in Podgorica in Montenegro, which is the home ground of FK Podgorica, although the return tie will be played at the Podgorica City Stadium, which is the home of FK Buducnost.

Temperature at kick-off was expected to be sunny and 30 degrees. Betfair made Dinamo 3/10 favourites, with the draw at 7/2 and Decic at 7/1.

Review : 2021/22 Montenegro First League – Week 20

February 18, 2022

Friday February 18, 2021

FK Jezero 4-2 FK Decic Tuzi ( att : 200 )

Faust ( 5 & 24 ), Bosnjak ( 81 ), Adzovic ( 91 ); Vulaj ( 20 ), Marusic ( 38 )

FK Rudar Pljevlja 0-3 FK Iskra Danilovgrad ( att : 200 )

Sekulic ( 6 ), Willian Diaz ( 49 ), Perovic ( 61 )

FK Zeta Golubovci 0-1 FK Sutjeska ( att : 250 )

Matanovic ( 82 )

FK Podgorica 2-2 OFK Petrovac ( att : 300 )

Adrovic ( 11 & 25 pen ); Vujovic ( 16 & 22 )

FK Buducnost 2-1 FK Mornar ( att : 700 )

Raspopovic ( 57 ), Raznatovic ( 92 ); Vujacic ( 62 pen )

The restart of the season in Montenegro was delayed by one day, with all fixtures being postponed due to the storms sweeping across Europe. However, all matches were held on Friday rather than the preceding Thursday.

On the field of play, Sutjeska extended their lead at the top of the table with a narrow victory on a difficult pitch at back-markers Zeta, but they left it late. Matanovic’s snap 20 yard left footed effort 8 minutes from time squeezed under the body of diving keeper Velimirovic, on debut after signing from Decic and who went down in the proverbial installments. He really should have saved it. In the first half, Nikac had volleyed over from 4 yards and although Sutjeska dominated the second half they struggled to breakdown some determined defending, with the best chance falling to Janjic, who shot wide with only the advancing keeper to beat. Zeta rarely threatened, although Dordije Vukcevic had a good chance in the first half but failed to make a decent contact with a header as the ball bounced around the Sutjeska goalmouth. Having lost Ivan Vukcevic, their top scorer, to Serbian side Vojvodina during the winter break, it is looking bleak for Zeta

Buducnost moved into second place, and left it even later to grab their winner. After squandering several good chances, they finally opened the scoring when a corner was flicked on at the near post to give Raspopovic a simple finish at the back post. Mornar were only behind for 5 minutes when Skrijelj’s run was halted by being dragged to the floor, and Vujacic confidently converted the spot-kick. Buducnost looked to be dropping two vital points, until Mornar lost possession near the half-way line and a quick ball forward led to a 3 on 1 break and Stefan Milosevic, a new signing from Israeli side Kiryat Shmona, unselfishly played in Raznatovic to roll the ball into the empty goal.

 

Decic slipped down to third place after losing a six goal thriller at Jezero, for whom Argentine striker Rodrigo Faust scored twice in 25 minutes on his first appearance. Whilst his first had a strong element of fortune with a mis-kick looping over the keeper for him to run on and tap home, the second was an acrobatic scissor kick. The game looked to heading for a draw until Bosnjak, on debut after signing from Singapore side Tampines Rovers, placed a shot into the corner after running across the face of the penalty area, then as Decic poured forward in search of an equaliser, Adzovic swept home after a pull-back from the by-line. Decic were without joint top scorer Illr Camaj, who was sold to a side in Oman for 135K Euros. However, Krisijan Vulaj found the net to move to 8 goals for the season for Decic.

 

Iskra moved into 4^th place after a 3-0 at snow-bound Rudar, with new signing Perovic grabbing the third goal after joining from Serbian side FK Indija. Rudar had lost joint top scorer, Ghanaian Zukaria Suraka, who joined Vietnamese side Ha Tinh.

 

Podgorica and Petrovac played out a 2-2 draw, with all the goals coming in the first 25 minutes, although Podgorica’s equaliser came from a very softly awarded penalty with minimal contact for a foul on a player already falling to the floor. Marko Milikcovic, Petrovac’s top scorer with 10 goals, left the club in January and joined Lithuanian club FK Zalgiris, but his replacement Jovan Vujovic scored both goals with first time finishes, ironically after having signed from Podgorica. Podgorica also lost ex-Sutjeska marksman Saleta Kordic who signed for Kazakh side Akzhayik.

The next round of fixtures are scheduled for Thursday, February 24th, which include Sutjeska hosting Jezero and Buducnost visiting Iskra.

Highlights : https://rtcg.me/sport/pregledcfl/352473/pregled-20-kola-telekom-1-cfl.html