Nair Tiknizyan helps Red Star secure an important Europa League victory over FCSB

Armenia national team defender Nair Tiknizyan played a key role in Red Star Belgrade’s 1–0 win against Romanian side FCSB in the Europa League group stage matchday 5.

The Serbian champions were reduced to ten men as early as the 27th minute after a straight red card shown to Tebo Uchenna. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Red Star not only withstood the pressure but managed to snatch the victory — Bruno Duarte scored the only goal of the match in the 50th minute.

Thanks to this win, Red Star climbed to 22nd place in the overall standings and now have 7 points.

Nair Tiknizyan’s match statistics

• Shots: 2
• Accurate passes: 20 (71%)
• Key passes: 1
• Crosses: 1/2
• Successful dribbles: 2/5
• Ball losses: 14
• Fouls drawn: 1
• Tackles: 2
• Interceptions: 3
• Clearances: 5
• Blocked shots: 1
• Duels won: 5/8
• SofaScore rating: 7.3

What Serbian media say

Serbian outlets highlighted the mixed nature of Tiknizyan’s performance. According to Sportklub, he struggled in the first half:

“Drafts were blowing in his direction. There were moments when opponents got in behind him — clearly, FCSB’s coaching staff studied him well and considered him a vulnerable link in Red Star’s defence.”

However, after the break, the Armenian international significantly improved:

“Realizing he underperformed in the first half, he came out energised for the second. He threatened the Romanian side with two shots. That dose of aggression and courage spread to the entire team.”

Sportklub gave him a rating of 6.5, while SofaScore rated his performance much higher — 7.3.