SKU Amstetten vs FK Crvena Zvezda

FK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) started their pre-season tour in Austria with a 2-1 victory over Austrian second-tier side SKU Amstetten at the Danna Arena in Windischgarsten on Thursday. Goals from captain Mirko Ivanić and substitute Jay Enem either side of a second-half equaliser from Jonas Ablinger gave Dejan Stanković's side a narrow win in their first friendly of the summer.

Red Star dominated the opening exchanges, playing with direct intent. The breakthrough came in the 12th minute when a well-worked move carved Amstetten open. Rade Krunić found new signing Mohammad Abu Fani, who threaded a pass into the path of Ivanić. The captain rounded the goalkeeper with a sharp dribble and slotted into an empty net for 1-0.

The visitors continued to press. In the 15th minute, Loizos Loizu picked out Ivanić at the far post but the goalscorer's first-time effort was saved. Veljković's header from the follow-up was also kept out by Amstetten goalkeeper Estevão.

Loizu went close again in the 41st minute, driving down the right and shooting left-footed across goal, but the Amstetten stopper saved well.

Red Star took a 1-0 lead into half-time and Stanković rang the changes, bringing on four new faces at the break including Enem for Katai and Balov for Ivanić.

Amstetten grew into the second half and found an equaliser in the 57th minute. A corner was only half-cleared, and the loose ball fell to Ablinger, who fired home to make it 1-1.

Red Star responded by regaining control. The decisive goal came in the 69th minute when substitute Rodrigão launched a precise long ball over the top. Enem controlled superbly and finished calmly past the goalkeeper to restore Red Star's lead.

Enem almost added a second in the 82nd minute after good work from Balov and Elšnik, but the Amstetten goalkeeper saved. Šarić also tested the home defence with a solo run three minutes later, but 2-1 is how it finished.

Red Star's reaction to conceding the equaliser defined the match. Rather than letting the momentum shift fully to Amstetten, Stanković's side immediately pushed forward and regained the lead within 12 minutes. The long-ball switch from Rodrigão to Enem was the simplest but most effective moment — it caught Amstetten pushing up after their goal and exploited the space behind.

Mirko Ivanić – The captain showed no rustiness in his first 45 minutes back, scoring the opener and forcing two more saves. Stanković called his return "a huge reinforcement for us this year."

Jay Enem – The striker entered at half-time and scored the winner with a composed finish. He also drew a late save after combining well with Balov. His movement stretched Amstetten throughout the second half.

Mohammad Abu Fani – The Israeli midfielder, a new signing, provided the assist for the opening goal with a well-weighted pass, showing quick chemistry with the captain.

Rodrigão – Came off the bench and changed the game with one pass — the 69th-minute long ball that set up the winner.

The on-page stat summary shows Red Star scored twice from limited clear chances, while Amstetten registered their goal from a second-phase corner routine — the only real defensive lapse of the match. Both sides saw one yellow card each (Gaštarov for Red Star, Vetter for Amstetten), reflecting the low-stakes friendly context. Red Star made 11 substitutions across the match, highlighting Stanković's focus on distributing minutes across the squad rather than scoreline management. The 1-0 half-time lead was built on sustained first-half pressure; the second half became more fragmented as both sides rotated heavily.

This was Red Star's first pre-season friendly of summer 2026. They continue their Austrian camp with a match against Slovan Bratislava on 29 June, followed by Blau-Weiss Linz on 3 July, before a high-profile test against Zenit St Petersburg on 12 July. The Serbian SuperLiga season begins later in the summer.

For SKU Amstetten, the friendly was part of their own pre-season build-up ahead of the 2026-27 Austrian 2. Liga campaign.

A routine pre-season win for Red Star, achieved with controlled periods of pressure and two well-taken goals. Stanković will want to cut out the unforced errors and the defensive lapse from a corner that led to Amstetten's equaliser, but there were clear positives: Ivanić's sharp return, Enem's finishing, and the early signs of chemistry between new signing Abu Fani and the existing core.

Referee: Slavomir Schlesinger. Yellow cards: Gaštarov (Red Star), Vetter (Amstetten). Attendance: not published.