Red Star Belgrade secured a commanding 6-1 victory in the Serbian league on Sunday, extending its perfect domestic run ahead of a pivotal Europa League match against Sporting Braga in Portugal.
The dominant win against Novi Beograd maintained Red Star’s top spot in the championship. The team now holds 30 points from 10 games.
Montenegrin international Mirco Ivanic scored a hat-trick during the match. This performance keeps Red Star two points ahead of rival Partizan Belgrade, which has played one more fixture.
Austrian international Marko Arnautovic, Vasilije Kostov, and Luka Zaric also scored to complete the rout. Novi Beograd, currently 12th in the league, registered a consolation goal from Aleksa Mitic.
Red Star will travel to Portugal for their third Europa League matchday against Sporting Braga. The Serbian club previously suffered a 2-1 defeat in Portugal against FC Porto in another Europa League fixture.
Brazilian goalkeeper Matheus, now with Red Star, previously spent 11 seasons defending the goal for Sporting Braga. Midfielder Tomás Handel played the entire match for Red Star.