Olmissum has reached the elite tier of European futsal for the fourth time, marking the club's tenth anniversary with a championship title. The Omiš team are hosts to the Champions League Main Round, from which three clubs advance, and on Thursday evening at Ribnjak they played a crucial match against Stalitsa, the Belarusian champions from Minsk. The match ended in a 4-4 draw.
In the first match, Olmissum players drew 1-1 with French champions Etolie. The Belarusians had earlier lost 1-5 to Sporting of Lisbon, the current and three-time Champions League winners, while the Portuguese also beat the French champions by the same scoreline.
Omiš observed a Day of Mourning for the six victims of the major fire that hit Omiš and the surrounding area last summer. The arena observed a minute's silence to remember the victims and pay tribute to them and their families, while Olmissum players wore black armbands in memory of the deceased. The team was led by Frane Despotović.
In the fourth minute, goalkeeper Luksha was pulled from his own half and shot, with the ball ending up on the crossbar. A minute later, Copić hit the post. The Omiš side took the lead with a goal by Đurić in the fifth minute. In the seventh minute, Sušac played a fine pass to Vanhu, who shot at the far corner, but the ball finished just wide of Luksha's goal. Umpriovich received a red card for a tackle on Kovačević, who was in a goal-scoring position, and the referee awarded a penalty for Olmissum. Sušac took the penalty, but Luksha managed to save his shot. After a well-worked move, Barbarić scored to make it 2-0, and that was the score at half-time.
In the 26th minute, Somplei scored to reduce the deficit to 2-1. In the 28th minute, Somplei had an open angle after a corner, but hit the post. In the 34th minute, Somplei scored to make it 2-2, and in the 36th minute, Zabolonkov scored to complete the turnaround. Juretić ran to the far post, but his attempt went over the bar. Somplei brought the Belarusians to 4-2. In the final minute of the match, Despotović decided to play with a goalkeeper-player. Da Costa scored to make it 3-4, and scored again 20 seconds before the end to equalise.
With this draw, the Omiš side are close to reaching the round of 16. To secure it with certainty, they need to beat one of the toughest opponents in Europe, whom they face on Saturday at 20:00. In the case of a win or a draw against Sporting, Olmissum advances, while in the case of a defeat, it will depend on the result of the match between the French and the Belarusians.
