U19s secure last-32 spot

On the penultimate matchday of the league phase of the Youth League, VfB made the perfect start and took the lead in the fifth minute through a delightful strike from Eliot Bujupi. The hosts equalised in the 60^th minute through Vasilije Kostov to make it 1-1, which was a fair result overall after a hard-fought contest.

The goals:
4^th minute: Alexandre Azevedo wins the ball deep inside the Belgrade half and sets up Bujupi. He sidesteps in the penalty area before placing a low shot into the far corner to give VfB an early lead.

60^th minute: From a cleared corner the ball comes to Vasilije Kostov just outside the box. His shot bounces off the underside of the bar and in – the equaliser for Zvezda.

Reaction:
Nico Willig, VfB U19 head coach: “It was a tough game, comparable to Madrid. We have to be happy and satisfied with the point. Belgrade took charge after our early opener, so the equaliser in the second half had been coming. We had to suffer but that’s also a valuable experience.”

Next match:
On the sixth and final matchday of the league phase, VfB host BSC Young Boys at the GAZi-Stadion auf der Waldau on Wednesday 11 December (15:00 CET).