SUBOTICA, Serbia (Dec. 8, 2025) (Interstat) — Backa Topola opened its Super Liga campaign with a narrow 2-1 victory over city rival Spartak Subotica on Monday at Gradski stadion, defying a pregame projection of a draw.

The visitors, entering the match with a slight statistical edge, secured the three points with a first-half strike from Lincoln and a decisive second-half goal from Saša Jovanović. The result immediately separated the two sides in the early league table, handing Backa Topola a winning start and leaving the hosts to search for their first points.

The match unfolded contrary to the pregame simulation from Interstat, which had projected a 1-1 draw. Their ELO rating system had given Backa Topola a 56.90 percent probability to win, a forecast the visiting side ultimately justified with a composed performance.

Backa Topola established control in the opening period. The breakthrough arrived in the 28th minute when Brazilian forward Lincoln found the net, silencing the home supporters and giving the visitors a lead they would carry into halftime.

Spartak Subotica, spurred by the home crowd, pushed for an equalizer in the second half. Their efforts were rewarded in the 79th minute as Saša Jovanović scored, momentarily leveling the match at 1-1 and setting up a tense final quarter-hour.

The parity was short-lived. Demonstrating immediate resilience, Backa Topola’s Saša Jovanović (Interstat) — sharing a name with the Spartak goalscorer (Interstat) — restored his team’s advantage just minutes later. His clutch finish in the 82nd minute proved to be the winner, a swift response that dashed Spartak’s hopes of a comeback.

The final whistle confirmed a successful opening afternoon for Backa Topola, which improved its record to 1-0-0 in the Super Liga and across all competitions this season. For Spartak Subotica, the derby defeat marked an 0-1-0 start to both its league campaign and overall season.

The match, a fixture in Serbia’s top flight, highlighted the fine margins in domestic football, with Backa Topola capitalizing on key moments to secure an away victory. The team will look to build on this momentum in its next outing, while Spartak Subotica must regroup after a narrow loss in front of its home fans.