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Marin: Red Star in race for second in Champions League group
Marko Marin warned Red Star Belgrade are "in the race" for second place in Group B after their 3-1 Champions League victory over Olympiacos.
Goals from Milos Vulic, Nemanja Milunovic and Richmond Boakye sealed a stunning turnaround as Serbian champions Red Star came from behind against 10 men to claim a victory that ended their Greek opponents' unbeaten start in all competitions.
Tuesday's result left Red Star second behind leaders Bayern Munich, who maintained their 100 per cent record with a 7-2 thrashing of last season's beaten finalists Tottenham.
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Red Star hold a two-point advantage over Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham and now face Spurs in back-to-back matches.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we didn't play well in the first half," said captain Marin, who joined Red Star from Olympiacos last year and claimed two assists from corners for the second and third goals.
"We were in difficulty, however, the coach prepared us well for the second half. He motivated the team, changed tactics, put away our fear.
— FK Crvena zvezda in English (@crvenazvezda_en) October 1, 2019
"We showed a fantastic character. Winning after two rounds is no small matter. We are in the race for second place and we are going to London (for the next game) to get something."
Ruben Semedo's first-half goal had put the visitors in charge of the contest, however Yassine Benzia's controversial dismissal for a second yellow card in the 57th minute proved a turning point.
Red Star head coach Vladan Milojevic told Cosmote TV: "Two factors changed the course of the game: the dismissal [of Benzia] and the chance wasted [by Yassine Meriah] right before our second goal.
"We needed this victory to turn the mood around. It has been hard for us in recent weeks and my players reacted on the pitch.”
Olympiacos defender Semedo admitted defeat was hard to swallow after they had controlled proceedings until Benzia's red card.
He told Cosmote TV: "We must revisit and analyse our errors and try not to repeat them in the future. We shouldn’t have lost this match.
"We lacked the experience to keep calm and negotiate the match after it went downhill. But I believe in our quality as a squad and we will be better in upcoming matches."
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