The most deserving player for Famos’ advancement to the quarterfinals of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup was young goalkeeper Danjel Stijepić, whom head coach Darko Vojvodić sent onto the field in the second minute of stoppage time, replacing the much more experienced Filip Vasilj.
And he didn’t make a mistake—this goalkeeper, who turned 19 years old on January 1, saved a shot from Karlo Kamenar in the second series and thus enabled the first-league side from Republika Srpska to celebrate a 4:2 victory.
“I knew I would step in if the match went to penalties. In our last training session before the match, we practiced penalty kicks, and I managed to save a few shots from my teammates. At that moment, coach Vojvodić told me that I would be the one defending penalties if we ended in a draw. And that’s exactly how it happened,” Stijepić said.
In the first half of the season, this young goalkeeper, who came up through the youth ranks of Željezničar, later played for Zrinjski, and then joined Famos last summer, had only one appearance—against Ljubić in the sixth round (3:0).
“I hope to get more opportunities in the rest of the season. I’m overjoyed that I managed to save a penalty and help my club achieve its biggest success in this competition,” Stijepić continued.
Famos’ opponent in the quarterfinals will be Borac.
“We are aware that our opponent is the big favorite, but in this two-legged tie, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Stijepić added.
Source: Glas Srpske
