Velež celebrated against Rudar and climbed to third place

(Patria) - Velež footballers recorded an important victory against Rudar Prijedor on their home ground in the 16th round of the BiH Premier League, achieving their fourth consecutive victory in front of the Mostar crowd. "Rođeni" celebrated with a score of 1:0.

Although Rudar's players arrived as underdogs, they did not appear intimidated. Already in the first few minutes, Andreas Mohedano tested Velež's defense and signaled that the visitors would not just be spectators.

After that attempt, the tempo significantly dropped until the 17th minute, when Tarik Ramić tried a shot from a long distance, but Karić was up to the task.

The first serious chance for Velež came when Vasilije Đurić shot from about twenty meters, but Dubljanić intervened in time. Edo Vehabović also had an opportunity that the home crowd already saw in the net towards the end of the first half, but he mishhit the ball and missed an excellent chance.

Mohedano again drew attention to himself in the 40th minute with a powerful long-range shot, but Karić reacted safely again. Since there were no further chances before the break, the teams went into halftime without goals.

The second half of the match was significantly livelier, and Velež took control and began to create pressure that gradually led to a goal. In the 55th minute, Rudar threatened through Nedim Keranović, but without danger to Karić's goal.

The decisive moment occurred in the 66th minute. Vehabović crossed excellently, and Selmir Pidro found himself best in the penalty area and beat Dubljanić from close range to give the Mostar team the lead.

Velež continued to attack – already in the 72nd minute, Nukić hit the crossbar after a corner, while a few minutes later, Mešić sent a powerful but inaccurate shot.

In the very end, Hrkać tried to surprise the visitors, but there was no change in the score. Velež thus won three points with a minimal victory and moved up to third place, behind leaders Borac and second-placed Zrinjski.