Peter Olayinka was subbed off early as his side, Crvena Zvezda, lost 2-1 to Cypriot side Pafos in their first leg of the Champions League playoffs.
João Correia gave Pafos an early lead in the first minute of the game. They doubled their advantage in the 52nd minute through Pepe’s penalty.
Six minutes later, Bruno Duarte pulled one back, but the visitors held on until the end.
Crvena Zvezda were the better side, they controlled the game with 57% possession, 26 total shots, and 314 passes compared to Pafos’ 43% ball possession, 14 shots, and 246 accurate passes.
Nigeria international, Peter Olayinka had a slow day in the office. He was subbed off in the 32nd minute and replaced by Duarte.
The winger didn’t create any chances, had only one shot on target, his shot accuracy was 50%, and had only one big chance; completed one dribble and couldn’t put in any cross into the box.
Meanwhile, Olayinka also only won two out of four ground duels and five aerial duels.
When asked about the reason for Olayinka’s early substitution, Vladan Milojević explained that it was a tactical decision:
“No, it wasn’t injury — it was a tactical change. We were trailing and wanted to go more offensive quickly.”
The 55-year-old expressed displeasure at the way his side conceded the early goal and admitted that his team will have to be at their best to reach the group stage:
“We conceded in the first minute… you can’t do that at this level,”
Milojević also added that:
“We’re pressed against the wall — if we want to reach the Champions League, we must be at our best for 90 minutes.”
The second leg will take place on the 26th of August, next week Tuesday, at the Alphamega Stadium. 10,830 people are expected to show up for the match as they will be backing Pafos to qualify for their first-ever UEFA Champions League in history.
