Nigeria international Peter Olayinka was buoyed by Red Star Belgrade’s positive energy after their 1-1 draw with Celtic in Wednesday’s Europa League clash.
In a closely contested clash, the Scottish Premiership side opened the scoring in the 55th minute, with super-sub Kelechi Iheanacho netting from a Benjamin Nygren assist.
However, the lead lasted only 10 minutes, as veteran striker Marko Arnautovic levelled matters for the reigning Serbian SuperLiga champions, with Tebo Uchenna providing the assist.
Despite a spirited display from Vladan Milojevic’s side, the match ended in a stalemate. Olayinka, who made a cameo appearance, praised his team’s performance and was particularly impressed by the positivity shown by his teammates.
According to him, that spirit will help propel the team forward in the competition. "We were not disappointed with the outcome, and our manager did not show any disapproval of our performance," the Slavia Prague cult hero told Flashscore.com.
"I think everyone accepted the result for what it was. In football, sometimes things simply don’t go the way you want, no matter how much effort you put in.
"From inside the locker room, I could see that many of the players carried a positive energy despite the setback. There was no sense of negativity or frustration dragging the team down.
"Instead, there is a shared belief that we can improve and perform better in the next match. Everyone is already preparing mentally and physically, looking forward to the next game with confidence and motivation."
Heading into the game, Red Star Belgrade were considered favourites, given that Brendan Rodgers’ side had not won an away match since October 2021.
The African rejected that notion, insisting it was a balanced contest and that Celtic were by no means pushovers.
"It was a really balanced game, you know, and I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was one we could have won comfortably," Olayinka continued.
"Celtic created plenty of chances, but we also had our own opportunities to score. In the end, the match finished level, which I feel was a fair outcome.
"Overall, it was a 50-50 contest, and the positive is that we can still improve and grow stronger."
Red Star Belgrade’s sole European triumph came in the 1990–91 season when they defeated Olympique Marseille on penalties to claim the Champions League crown.
Since then, the club has been unable to lift another European title. Their participation in this season’s Europa League presents a valuable opportunity to end a 34-year wait for continental glory.
While Olayinka is confident in the squad’s quality and depth, he cautions that it is too early to talk about winning the competition, as the Star still have several challenging hurdles on their path to success.
"I think it is still early to make any strong judgments, you know, because we still have time and there are more matches to play," he continued.
"I believe that after the third and fourth game, we will have a much clearer idea. Those games will really decide whether we are prepared and ready to go further or not."
After a trophy-laden spell at Slavia Prague, the Super Eagle - one of the few Africans to score on their Champions League debut - joined Serbian side Red Star Belgrade on January 9, 2023.
On the international stage, he has earned four caps for the three-time African champions and was part of Nigeria’s squad at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Red Star will visit FC Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on October 2 for their next Europa League fixture. Before that crucial clash, they will host Radnicki 1923 in the Serbian top flight.
The team remains at the summit of the league table, having amassed a perfect 21 points from seven matches—one game fewer than second-placed Partizan.