Crvena Zvezda edge past Malmö and climb into Europa League top 10

Crvena Zvezda claimed a narrow away victory over Malmö in the 7th round of the Europa League. The match, played on January 22 in Sweden, ended 1–0 in favor of the Serbian champions.

The only goal of the match came in the 16th minute, when midfielder Vasilije Kostov scored with a precise strike after an assist from Marko Arnautović.

Armenia national team defender Nair Tiknizyan played the full match for the visitors, delivering a confident performance both defensively and when joining the attack.

Tiknizyan’s match statistics:

• Minutes played: 90+
• Accurate passes: 32 (82%)
• Crosses: 1 of 5
• Fouls won: 2
• Possession lost: 17
• Interceptions: 3
• Clearances: 2
• Ball recoveries: 4
• Duels won: 2 of 3
• Fouls committed: 0
• SofaScore rating: 6.9

Thanks to this victory, Crvena Zvezda moved up to 9th place in the overall standings. In the final round, the Belgrade side will face Spain’s Celta Vigo. A win would keep the Serbian club in contention for direct qualification to the Europa League Round of 16.