Partizan 2-1 Getafe: Kojzek Off the Bench to Complete Europa Conference League Comeback

Partizan Respond. Getafe Collapse.

Seven days after losing 3-1 to Getafe away from home, Partizan hosted the return in the UEFA Europa Conference League and got the result their performance demanded. Final score: Partizan 2-1 Getafe. It was a win built on desire, on territorial dominance, and on a substitution that changed the match. Getafe left Belgrade having contributed significantly to their own downfall.

The thing is, this was always going to be a different game to the first leg. Partizan had something to prove in front of their own supporters. They attacked with intent, accumulated 18 shots to Getafe's nine, and controlled 60 percent of the ball. That is not a stat you conjure up against a disciplined Spanish side without working extremely hard for it.

A Fractious First Half

The match had aggression in it from the start. Getafe arrived having won the first leg and appeared determined to defend that advantage by any means necessary. Saba Sazonov picked up a yellow card on 21 minutes for a foul. Twelve minutes later, Martin Satriano was booked for an argument. By half-time, Getafe were already walking a disciplinary tightrope.

That early yellow card to Sazonov had consequences. Getafe were forced into a substitution as early as the 37th minute, bringing on Andres Garcia to replace the booked Sazonov. You lose a player to the threat of a second yellow before the break and you are already managing the game differently. Your shape becomes reactive. Your attitude shifts from winning to surviving.

Partizan pressed throughout. There was a VAR review on 27 minutes involving Stefan Milic, though the attack did not result in a goal before half-time. The first half ended goalless, but Partizan had clearly established themselves as the team on the front foot. Getafe were being forced backwards and leaning on their defensive organisation to stay level.

Jeh Opens the Scoring

The second half told the real story. Partizan came out and went straight at Getafe. On 53 minutes, Jeh converted with a right-foot shot, with Samson Nwulu credited as the assistant. Partizan led. The crowd were behind them. You could feel the momentum shifting completely.

Getafe needed to show something. Instead, they gave away another yellow card on 48 minutes, Orel Mangala booked for a foul just three minutes into the second half. That was three Getafe bookings by the 58th minute, when Zaid Romero was carded for another foul. Five yellow cards in total across the ninety minutes for the away side. That is not bad luck. That is an attitude problem. That is a team losing the battle to compete and expressing their frustration through their boots.

Milan Vukotic was booked for Partizan on 57 minutes, though that was an isolated incident in what was a largely disciplined home performance.

Getafe Level. Partizan React.

Getafe did pull themselves level on 69 minutes. Enes Unal finished with his left foot to make it 1-1. It was a goal that gave Getafe a lifeline and, in truth, should have been the moment they regrouped and held the draw. Instead, Partizan responded with exactly the kind of clarity you want to see from a team with standards.

Getafe made a substitution on 68 minutes, bringing on Mario Martin for Francho Serrano, then withdrew Unal himself on 81 minutes to introduce Borja Mayoral. The changes had the feel of a manager trying to shore things up rather than win the match outright. Listen, when you are thinking about damage limitation that early, you are already conceding something mentally.

Kojzek Wins It

Partizan's manager made his decisive move on 71 minutes, bringing on Erik Kojzek to replace Jeh, who had scored the opener. It was a bold call to replace the goalscorer, but it was the right one. Kojzek needed just five minutes to justify the decision entirely.

On 76 minutes, Kojzek put Partizan back in front with a right-foot shot, assisted by Igor Miladinovic. 2-1 to Partizan. The goal stood. The stadium erupted. Getafe, already carrying the weight of five yellow cards and a structural mess caused by their own indiscipline, had nothing left to offer.

Partizan made further changes. Bogdan Kostic and Chaka Traore came on at 77 minutes, replacing Iddrisu Baba and Milan Vukotic. The manager was thinking about protecting the lead and managing the physicality of the closing stages sensibly. Getafe sent on Davinchi and Borja Mayoral late on in what amounted to a scramble. Mayoral then picked up a yellow card on 90 minutes for time wasting. That tells you everything about where Getafe's head was by the end.

What the Numbers Say

Partizan had 18 shots. Getafe had nine. Partizan had 15 key passes. Getafe had six. Partizan completed 368 passes at an 81 percent accuracy. Getafe completed 210 at 70 percent. These are not marginal differences. Partizan outworked and outplayed their opponents across virtually every measurable area of the pitch.

The clean sheet did not arrive. Both teams scored. But Partizan's goalkeeper made three saves to Getafe's two, and the home side had nine shots inside the box compared to Getafe's five. The basics were executed better by the home side in every single department.

Getafe's five yellow cards were not just a discipline failure. They were a symptom of a team that lost the physical battle and responded by fouling their way through the second half. Accountability in that dressing room has to start with that number. You cannot commit 17 fouls, pick up five bookings, and expect to hold a lead on the road.

The Bottom Line

Partizan won this match on merit. They competed harder, they created more, and when their substitution changed the game they were ready to take the opportunity. Kojzek's winner was not a fluke. It was the reward for a team that refused to settle after being pegged back.

Getafe came here with the comfort of a first-leg lead and left with a defeat. They were undone partly by their own indiscipline and partly by a Partizan side that had the desire to put last week's result right. That is what accountability looks like. End of.