The day Red Star became the champions of the world

Photo: Crvenazvezdafk.com

On this day 32 years ago, on December 8, 1991 in Tokyo, Red Star footballers defeated the Chilean club Colo-Colo 3-0 and became world champions!

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Red Star (Crvena Zvezda), at that point the champion of Europe (having won the European Champions Cup, predecessor to the Champions League), defeated the champion of South America in a bid to win what was then known as the Intercontinental Cup.

Later, the International Football Federation (FIFA) launched the club world championship, and then the Serbian club was officially awarded the title of world champion.

Six months after the triumph in Bari, Italy, against Olympique Marseille (a game won on penalties, 0-0 - 5-3) and winning the title of European champions, with the new coach Vladica Popovic, who replaced Ljupko Petrovic, Red Star wrote history again.

This second success is even more important if you consider that some key players from the Bari victory - Robert Prosinecki, Stevan Stojanovic, Dragisa Binic, Refik Sabanadzovic and Slobodan Marovic had already left the club, while Vladan Lukic was injured.

The hero of the triumph was the double scorer Vladimir Jugovic, with goals in the 21st minute with an assist from Dejan Savicevic and in the 59th as the Serbian club was one man down, after Savicevic was shown a red card in the 43rd.

Darko Pancev completed the historic victory with a goal in the 71st minute after the famous "sprint" down the left, and an assist from Sinisa Mihajlovic.

Red Star starting lineup that day was as follows: Milojevic, Radinovic, Belodedic, Najdoski, Vasilijevic, Ratkovic, Jugovic, Mihajlovic, Stosic, Savicevic, and Pancev.

(Telegraf.rs)