BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Red Star Belgrade defeated Legia Warsaw, 1-0, in a wild first-round match in the Chicago Sister Cities International Cup at Toyota Park on Wednesday night. The win puts Red Star into Saturday’s final, where they will take on Paris Saint-Germain, who defeated the Chicago Fire earlier in the evening. The championship match will immediately follow the consolation game, which pits Legia against the Fire.
Red Star midfielder Milos Trifunovic scored the match’s lone goal in the 75th minute of play. Trifunovic headed in midfielder Nemanja Nikolic’s cross at the right post and the Red Star defense made the tally hold up.
Six minutes after assisting on the goal, Nikolic hit a penalty kick off of the crossbar.
The match, attended by a large—and loud—contingent of Red Star fans, turned ugly toward the end. Red Star keeper Boban Bajkovic and Legia defender Pance Kumbev picked up straight red cards in the 90th minute following an incident that saw every player on the pitch congregate near Belgrade’s goal.
When the final whistle blew, though, the Red Star fans were left cheering, regardless of the late-game incidents.
