OFK Belgrade and IMT draw after 17-year-old Tadija Cojic scores in the 88th minute

OFK Belgrade and IMT drew 1-1 in the final match of the eighth round of the Serbian SuperLiga. OFK moved ahead in the 32nd minute when goalkeeper Ognjen Cancarevic accidentally sent the ball into his own net. The hosts stayed in front until defender Aleksej Vukicevic received a red card in the 78th minute. IMT increased the pressure and 17-year-old Tadija Cojic equalized from about ten metres in the 88th minute.

The first goal came from an unexpected mistake

OFK gained the lead when a defensive action ended with Cancarevic sending the ball into his own goal. The mistake changed the score but did not remove the need to analyze the full action. Position, communication and the speed of the return pass all matter before the final contact. IMT had to avoid allowing one unusual moment to make the rest of the plan impatient.

OFK protected a narrow advantage for most of the match

The hosts kept enough players behind the ball and prevented IMT from finding a clear central route. A one-goal lead requires attention because one lost duel can erase a long period of good work. OFK stayed close to completing the task, but the team also became increasingly occupied with defense. That left fewer opportunities to keep possession and move the contest away from its own penalty area.

IMT improved after the interval

The visitors directed more attempts toward goal in the second half and began to hold the ball higher up the field. Their improvement came from repeated pressure rather than a single individual move. Wide players stretched OFK's line while support arrived closer to the penalty area. The missing element was a clean final action, so the score remained unchanged until the match entered its last stage.

The red card changed space and responsibility

Vukicevic was dismissed in the 78th minute after a serious foul. OFK now had to cover the same width with one fewer player, while IMT could place another option near the area. The visitors needed to use the advantage calmly. Sending every player forward immediately could have created congestion and exposed a counterattack. Moving the ball from side to side was the clearer way to make the extra player visible.

Cojic chose the right position for the late chance

The 17-year-old arrived about ten metres from goal and finished powerfully in the 88th minute. His movement was as important as the shot. He did not wait on the same line as the forwards, where defenders could see him throughout the attack. A later arrival created a different marking problem. The finish rewarded a young player for continuing to read the action during a tense final period.

The draw leaves different emotions

IMT can value the response because the team continued to search after falling behind through an unusual goal. OFK will feel that two points escaped very late, yet most of the defensive plan worked until the red card altered the match. Both reactions can be true. The review should separate the opening mistake, the controlled middle period and the final phase with ten players rather than treating the whole match as one story.

The league table keeps the result important

IMT remain above OFK after the eighth round, but their recent sequence contains only one victory in five matches. OFK gained a point that moves them forward without producing the home win that was close. The next fixture will test whether each side can carry the useful part of this performance. IMT need earlier precision, while OFK need a safer way to manage pressure when their shape is disrupted.

A simple review offers both teams clear work

OFK can examine the return pass before the own goal, the action that produced the red card and the distances before the equalizer. IMT can study why second-half possession created only one late goal despite the extra player. Cojic's finish gives the visitors a positive reference: patient circulation followed by a well-timed arrival. Turning those details into training is more valuable than repeating the final score.