After the victory of his team over Rapid, the Manager of Vojvodina Nenad Lalatović stated that he is very pleased with the performance of red and whites.

Vojvodina defeated Rapid today by 2-0 (1-0) in a friendly match played in Belek.

– It’s sure that I am happy with the result, because we know what kind of a club Rapid is, what kind of players and what tradition it has. However, I always like to say that our Vojvodina has a great tradition and that it is also a very big club. I’m very happy with the performance in the first and second half, as well as with the approach. The players fulfilled everything I was looking for and did what we do in training until the last atom of strength, and that brings a result. I told them that in modern football, if you don’t get into the match with 200 percent and don’t play in both directions, then you can’t beat teams like Shakhtar and Rapid. We also played great against Shakhtar and for now I am really very pleased. The guys work and train well, they want to prove to me and earn their spot in the starting 11, which is why I’m very proud – says Lalatović.

Already in the fifth minute of today’s match, Vojvodina scored after a corner kick over Saničanin, but the referee called for a disputable foul for the Austrian team.

– I didn’t see it nicely, so I don’t want to comment that. What I want to say is that we played a very nice action for the first goal, like we do in training, where Mrkaić moved very nicely, got a pass into the empty space and scored. The second goal also showed what we did, which is always being present with four or five players in the penalty box in the finish of the attack. There was a cross from the side, Zukić shot, the keeper defended, but the ball came to Čović. This is literally what we have been doing in training for the last two days, and I am very pleased that we are also applying this on games – notes Lalatović.

Forward Nemanja Čović, 28, missed the entire half-season this fall due to injury, so it is expected that in the second part of the season he will be significant refreshment for Vojvodina.

– Čović is a very quality player and I was very eager for him to come. I’m sorry he got injured, because if it hadn’t been so, he would literally exploded with us, but I am convinced that it is yet about to happen. I gave him a chance to play for 25-30 minutes, but since the game became very rough at the time, I did not want to risk anything and I put Mladenović in, who also presented himself very nice. The atmosphere is really great, family, winning. The players hang out and I like to see them smiling and sticking together, because when it is like that, the result comes – says Lalatović.

However, Vojvodina’s boss does not want any euphoria because of good games and results during the preparations.

– I don’t like to say anything in advance because we should go from match to match. The preparation period is one thing and the season is another. The players here have no pressure that they have to win and we will see how it will be when the season starts. Still, every win means a lot, especially for the confidence of my players – Lalatović points out.

Vojvodina footballers will run onto the pitch again tomorrow morning, when they will have a training, while in the afternoon, as well as the day after the match against Shakhtar, their boss gave them off.