Ivanic’s Brace Leads Crvena Zvezda to 3-0 Europa League Play-Off Win Over Plzen

Ivanic Brace Drives Crvena Zvezda Past Plzen

FK Crvena Zvezda completed a 3-0 victory over Plzen in the UEFA Europa League play-offs at Stadium Rajko Mitić in Belgrade on Thursday, August 20, 2026. The hosts led 1-0 at half-time, then extended their advantage after the interval through a second goal from M. Ivanic and a late penalty by A. Katai.

Zvezda Take Control With Three-Goal Victory

Crvena Zvezda took control of the result with a decisive three-goal performance under coach Albert Riera. Set up in a 4-3-3 formation, the home side broke the deadlock in the 36th minute and carried a one-goal advantage into the interval against Plzen’s 4-4-1-1 shape.

The second goal arrived eight minutes into the second half, giving Zvezda greater control of the scoreline and leaving Plzen needing two goals to restore parity. Katai’s penalty in the 89th minute completed the scoring and confirmed the home side as the winner, although the available statistics do not provide possession figures that can establish sustained territorial dominance.

Ivanic and Elsnik Combine Twice

Ivanic was the central figure in the victory, scoring both of Crvena Zvezda’s first two goals. He opened the scoring in the 36th minute from an assist by T. Elsnik, then repeated the combination in the 53rd minute to double the advantage.

The two goals made Ivanic the standout performer in the event record, while Elsnik’s two assists were equally important to the outcome. Katai then added the final goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute, ensuring that Plzen had no opportunity to respond before full-time.

Scoreline Outweighs the Shot Numbers

The 3-0 scoreline was not matched by the recorded shooting numbers. Plzen had three shots on goal compared with one for Zvezda, along with two blocked efforts to the home side’s zero, while the visitors also recorded the only corner of the match.

Those figures underline the efficiency of Crvena Zvezda’s finishing, as the hosts scored three times despite having fewer recorded efforts on target. Possession was listed at 0% for both teams, making that field unusable for assessing control, while the available data does not show enough total-shot information to measure the full attacking balance.

Discipline and Europa League Context

The event log records six yellow cards during the match. Seol Young-Woo was booked for Crvena Zvezda in the 31st minute, while C. Souare, P. Hrosovsky, S. Dweh and K. Spacil were cautioned for Plzen; V. Kostov also received a yellow card for the hosts.

The aggregate card statistics conflict with those individual incidents, listing one yellow card for Zvezda and none for Plzen, so the event log gives the more detailed account. No standings data or recent form was available for either team, meaning the result’s precise effect on their competition positions cannot be established from the supplied information, but the completed play-off fixture records Crvena Zvezda as the winner and Plzen as defeated.