The win left them eight points clear of city rivals Red Star before the final round of games.

Strikers Marko Scepovic and Nemanja Kojic scored in each half for Partizan, who are now level on titles with 1991 European Cup winners Red Star for the first time since 1956, when both teams competed in the former communist Yugoslavia.

Needing only a draw at already doomed bottom side Smederevo to clinch the title, Partizan pressed forward from the start and Scepovic fired them ahead when he turned in a Sasa Ilic cross after the skipper exchanged a neat one-two with right winger Predrag Luka.

Kojic, who joined Partizan during the mid-season break, sealed the title and threw the vociferous away fans into raptures when he drilled a crisp shot from 10 metres into the top right corner.

“We devote this title to our fans, who stayed behind us when the going got tough and we are delighted to have made history by matching Red Star’s title haul,” Partizan coach Vuk Rasovic told Arenasport television.

“All the credit goes to the players, the staff and my predecessor Vladimir Vermezovic, who did the lion’s share of the work,” said Rasovic, who celebrated his fourth successive win since taking over from Vermezovic last month.

Red Star, who needed to win their home game against Sloboda Uzice and Partizan to lose in order to stay in the title race, slipped to a 2-1 defeat after Predrag Randjelovic scored a brace for the visitors.

It was a second successive defeat for Red Star coach Ricardo Sa Pinto after Saturday’s crunch 1-0 setback at Partizan. The former Portugal forward started his tenure with eight wins in a row.

At the other end of the table, Novi Pazar leapt to provisional safety with a 4-0 home rout of Rad Belgrade while BSK Borca plunged into the relegation zone after a 2-1 home loss to cup winners Jagodina. (Editing by Mark Meadows; mark.meadows@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 7933; Reuters Messaging:; mark.meadows.reuters.com@reuters.net)

More than 90 fans were arrested before the match after Partizan’s team bus was pelted with rocks when approaching the stadium and rival supporters also fought running battles on Belgrade’s outskirts, Serbian police said in a statement.

“The incidents, including a few minor scuffles, resulted in the arrest of 92 individuals, three of whom were juveniles,” it said.

In the stadium, Red Star fans burned several seats at the final whistle after both sections of supporters had lit dozens of flares and unleashed firecrackers early in the second half, forcing referee Milorad Mazic to halt play while the billowing smoke cleared.

The result left Partizan five points clear of Red Star at the top of the table with two rounds remaining and firmly on course to win a record sixth successive league title after substitute Jojic curled in a delightful 90th-minute free kick.

It also ended Ricardo Sa Pinto’s perfect eight-game winning streak after the former Portugal forward took over at Red Star in March and hauled the 1991 European Cup winners back into the title race from an 11-point deficit.

“It was difficult to lose like this after winning eight in a row and getting into a position to leapfrog Partizan and we were also unlucky with some of the referee’s decisions,” Sa Pinto told a news conference.

“We had some chances in the first half but our game up front fell apart after (striker) Darko Lazovic limped off with an ankle injury early on.”

His counterpart Vuk Rasovic was delighted after his maiden derby, having been appointed coach last month.

“It was the ideal outcome of a difficult match in which we defended well to weather the early storm and then controlled the game to earn this priceless win,” he said.

“I congratulate the players for this memorable moment and I am sure the celebrations will last until the early morning hours.” (Editing By Alison Wildey)

Red Star, who last won the Serbian championship in 2007 before relinquishing their supremacy to bitter city foes Partizan, were 11 points behind the champions and league leaders when the 40-year old former Portugal forward replaced Aleksandar Jankovic.

Having engineered an eight-game winning streak, during which Partizan’s lead was slashed to just two points, Sa Pinto was confident Red Star had what it takes to prevent their arch-rivals from clinching a record sixth successive league title.

“We’ve had a fantastic week in training and the players are raring to go in what should be a great derby,” Sa Pinto told a news conference on Friday with an optimistic grin on his face.

“We can achieve what very few people, apart from the players and myself, thought was possible when I took over and a win would put us in the driving seat ahead of the last two rounds.

Partizan have 64 points from 27 matches and Red Star are on 62.

“The ideal scenario would be a winner as late as Chelsea’s against Benfica in the Europa League final on Wednesday but, of course, we will take any victory tomorrow, within the code of fair play and sportsmanship,” said Sa Pinto, who was sacked by Sporting Lisbon last October following a 3-0 Europa League defeat by Hungarians Videoton.

“It’s one of the biggest games of my coaching career, in the same bracket with the Lisbon derby against Benfica which we won after a four-year barren spell, the Europa League clash with Manchester City and the Portuguese Cup final,” added Sa Pinto who nurtured a fierce rivalry with Benfica during his playing and coaching days at Sporting.

Partizan coach Vuk Rasovic has no such experience, having replaced Vladimir Vermezovic just three weeks ago after working as an assistant under three different managers since 2009.

Rasovic, a former Partizan defender whose brightest moment was scoring a penalty which knocked out Newcastle United in the now defunct Cup Winners Cup in 1998, suggested his team were prepared to take risks even though a draw would leave them in pole position.

“We will try to keep our feet on the gas pedal from start to finish and we certainly won’t play for a draw or adopt a cagey approach, although we would benefit from a share of the spoils,” he said.

“This is the kind of game which can produce heroes and my team has plenty of characters who cam emerge as heroes from what I expect to be an action-packed and high-scoring encounter.” (Editing By Alison Wildey)

Partizan, aiming for a record sixth successive league crown, triumphed 1-0 at struggling Radnicki Kragujevac to stay two points clear of second-placed Red Star who beat OFK Belgrade by the same score.

With three games remaining, the eagerly-awaited clash at Partizan’s stadium will attract a full house and is likely to be played under tight security with the fixture having a history of crowd trouble.

“We didn’t play the way we wanted but the most important thing is we won and now have a week to recuperate for the crunch game against Red Star,” Partizan coach Vuk Rasovic said after captain Sasa Ilic turned in a Predrag Luka cross for the only goal.

“It’s also vital our key players who were on one yellow card didn’t get booked and will be available for the derby.”

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Nenad Milijas converted a second-half penalty for the hosts to keep Red Star in the hunt.

It also gave their Portuguese coach Ricardo Sa Pinto his eighth straight victory at the 1991 European Cup winners since he took over in March.

Both sides missed a hatful of chances with Red Star keeper Boban Bajkovic keeping out several stinging shots and an injury time sitter after a free kick was floated into the six-metre box.

Elsewhere, 13th-placed Novi Pazar have a chance to climb further away from the relegation zone when they entertain third-placed Vojvodina Novi Sad on Sunday. (Editing by Tony Jimenez)

The German side nearly paid the price for missing several chances at the Bernabeu but held on for a 4-3 aggregate win despite losing 2-0 after conceding late goals on Tuesday and could feature in an all-German showpiece at Wembley on May 25.

“I don’t care who we play in the final, I relish the challenge of facing either Bayern Munich or Barcelona in London because it will be by some way the biggest game of my career,” the 24-year-old Serbia international told Reuters.

With a 4-1 first-leg lead, Dortmund seemed to be cruising until Karim Benzema struck in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos scored five minutes later to set up a frantic finish.

“We lost our focus in the last 10 minutes and we were also lucky not to fall behind on the night in the opening quarter of an hour but overall I think we deserved our 4-3 aggregate win,” said Subotic.

“We should have put at least one away when it was 0-0 here and that would have definitely sealed the tie but in the end we are in the final and it’s all that matters,” he added.

The centre back, who hardly put a foot wrong before Dortmund were rattled and forced to hang on by their fingernails against Jose Mourinho’s side, said his team’s industrious approach paid off against the nine-time European Cup winners.

“We may not be the most entertaining team in the world but there is nowhere I would rather play because this is a hard-working outfit where players put their bodies on the line for each other.

“We always knew Real were a classy outfit who could move the ball around seamlessly but although they had more chances… we had the better chances to score.”

This season’s Bundesliga champions Bayern carry a 4-0 first-leg lead into their semi-final return against Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Wednesday as they chase a treble.

(Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Ken Ferris)

The German side nearly paid the price for missing several chances at the Bernabeu but held on for a 4-3 aggregate win despite losing 2-0 after conceding late goals on Tuesday and could feature in an all-German showpiece at Wembley on May 25.

“I don’t care who we play in the final, I relish the challenge of facing either Bayern Munich or Barcelona in London because it will be by some way the biggest game of my career,” the 24-year-old Serbia international told Reuters.

With a 4-1 first-leg lead, Dortmund seemed to be cruising until Karim Benzema struck in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos scored five minutes later to set up a frantic finish.

“We lost our focus in the last 10 minutes and we were also lucky not to fall behind on the night in the opening quarter of an hour but overall I think we deserved our 4-3 aggregate win,” said Subotic.

“We should have put at least one away when it was 0-0 here and that would have definitely sealed the tie but in the end we are in the final and it’s all that matters,” he added.

The centre back, who hardly put a foot wrong before Dortmund were rattled and forced to hang on by their fingernails against Jose Mourinho’s side, said his team’s industrious approach paid off against the nine-time European Cup winners.

“We may not be the most entertaining team in the world but there is nowhere I would rather play because this is a hard-working outfit where players put their bodies on the line for each other.

“We always knew Real were a classy outfit who could move the ball around seamlessly but although they had more chances… we had the better chances to score.”

This season’s Bundesliga champions Bayern carry a 4-0 first-leg lead into their semi-final return against Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Wednesday as they chase a treble. (Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Ken Ferris)

The Spanish rivals will clash for berth in the grand final of Europe’s premier club basketball competition while holders Olympiakos Piraeus take on CSKA Moscow in the other semi in London’s O2 Arena hosting the showpiece event from May 10-12.

“It will be a different game in London, probably low-scoring because there will be so much more at stake,” Tomic said after Barcelona slumped to a 78-65 defeat against his former club.

“This was the last dress rehearsal for the Euroleague Final Four for both sides as we’ve met a few times this season already and there are no secrets between us.

“Real are a fast-flowing and free-scoring team with very good transition from defense to attack. We nurture a similar style so it should be a fascinating contest in London.

“We missed three key players through injury and we also had several walking wounded in this game, hence we will use the next two weeks to recuperate and prepare for what’s coming in England,” he said.

Barca and Real reached the Euroleague Final Four in contrasting fashion, with Real enjoying a 3-0 sweep of Maccabi Tel Aviv in their best-of-five quarter-final series while Barca were pushed to the limit in a 3-2 defeat of Panathinaikos Athens.

Having won two Spanish cups at Real from 2009-2012, Tomic will now aim to clinch the most coveted trophy in European club basketball in his first season at Barcelona.

Pointing out that passion will be running high again after he was taunted by Real fans on Sunday, Tomic also praised his counterpart Felipe Reyes who led the home team with a game-high 19 points.

“There is no bad blood between Real and me, it’s a game like any other. Of course it’s the biggest derby in Spanish club basketball so emotions are always running high and I am sure it will be the case again when we meet in the Final Four.

“Reyes is still one of the best pivots in the game, he is a pillar for Real with his outstanding positional play in the paint and the uncanny ability to collect so many offensive rebounds.”

Gifted with exceptional speed, ball-handling skills and mid-range shooting for a man 2.18 meters tall, Tomic is likely to be sized up by several NBA teams but has no plans yet to move across the Atlantic to the world’s strongest basketball league.

“I am very happy at Barcelona and I am really not thinking about the NBA at the moment,” he said.

(Editing by Justin Palmer)

The result left Red Star second in the 16-team league, four points behind champions Partizan Belgrade who stayed in the driving seat after captain Sasa Ilic converted a second-minute penalty to give them a laboured 1-0 win a Javor Ivanjica.

Milijas, who scored nine goals in 73 appearances for Wolves from 2009-2012, won praise from Red Star’s coach Ricardo Sa Pinto who chalked up his fourth straight win since taking over last month.

“The lad can play for top clubs in Italy or Spain in the future if he carries on like this,” Sa Pinto told reporters after the 29-year old playmaker headed the opener and scored another two after Spartak equalised in the cauldron of Red Star’ stadium.

“I am happy with the overall performance and (striker) Darko Lazovic should always be playing at the level he demonstrated in the second half,” added the former Sporting Lisbon and Portugal forward.

The home fans lit dozens of flares after Milijas restored Red Star’s lead with a penalty and scrambled home the fourth from close range thanks to good work by the talented Lazovic, who made it 3-1 with a cool finish several minutes earlier.

Partizan ended a three-game winless streak, during which they saw their advantage at the top slashed by seven points, after Ilic drove in the spot kick following a rash tackle on midfielder Darko Brasanac.

I didn’t scorn the players when they collected only two points from the previous three games so I am certainly not going to do it now because the win is all that matters,” Partizan coach Vladimir Vermezovic said after a tepid performance. (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Partizan, chasing a record sixth successive league title, have 51 points from 22 matches. Red Star have 47 while Vojvodina stayed third with 44, five more than fourth-placed Jagodina.

Red Star were made to work hard against 10-man Smederevo in the lunchtime kickoff and hauled themselves back into the title race when Nigerian striker Abiola Dauda nodded an 89th-minute winner after the hosts had Dragan Radosavljevic sent off for a two-footed tackle.

Dauda missed several chances and hit the woodwork before meeting a Nenad Milijas cross at the far post to bundle in his third goal in two games for Red Star, having joined them during the mid-season break.

“Smederevo made it difficult for us on a barely playable pitch because they closed their ranks after the red card and their goalkeeper enjoyed what was probably the best game of his life,” Red Star’s Portuguese coach Ricardo Sa Pinto told Arenasport television.

“We always had to make two or three touches more than we would have liked but three points is all that matters and I hope we can keep up the momentum,” added the former Sporting Lisbon forward who celebrated his third straight win since taking over.

Partizan, who were 11 points ahead of their bitter cross-town foes only a week ago, were unable to end a sudden slump in which they have collected two points from three games.

Cameroonian striker Aboubakar Oumaru fired Vojvodina ahead when he capped a dazzling solo run with a dinked finish and midfielder Enver Alivodic doubled their lead with a rasping shot from 25 metres which left keeper Vladimir Stojkovic rooted to his line.

Teenager Milos Jojic pulled one back in the closing stages as Partizan piled on the pressure but his opportunist strike came too late to rescue the leaders who were jeered off the pitch by their 14,000 fans.

“We are in a crisis and although we were unlucky not to have scored earlier, Vojvodina deserved their win because they took their chances,” Partizan coach Vladimir Vermezovic said.

Counterpart Nebojsa Vignjevic said: “It was a tough tactical battle and we came out on top because it’s easier to play against adventurous teams like Partizan than those who park the bus when they face us.” (Editing by Tony Jimenez)

The result left Red Star second on 44 points from 21 matches, six behind Partizan who visit seventh-placed Sloboda Uzice on Thursday.

Having given their new coach Ricardo Sa Pinto a winning start with a 2-0 home defeat of Radnicki Kragujevac on Saturday, Red Star produced another good performance as they seek to stop Partizan from clinching a record sixth successive league title.

The 25-year old Dauda, who joined Red Star from Swedish side Kalmar during the mid-season winter break, headed the hosts into an early lead after a teasing Nenad Milijas corner.

He doubled his tally shortly after the break with a superb back-heel from the edge of the five-yard box and then put through strike partner Darko Lazovic to make it 3-0 on the hour.

Dauda, who also rattled the crossbar with a curling shot from 20 metres as Red Star pressed forward, paid tribute to the club’s passionate fans after the final whistle.

“I enjoy playing in this fantastic atmosphere and it lifted us after a slow start,” he told Serbia’s Arenasport television.

“We upped the pace after the first goal and all the credit for the second goes to (left back) Filip Mladenovic, who found space on the flank and whipped in a perfect cross.”

Red Star’s next game is away to bottom team Smederevo, who are 10 points adrift of safety and staring at relegation after managing only one win and six draws in 21 games. (Editing by Alan Baldwin)