Sutjeska Foča Stun League Leaders BSK Banja Luka in 4-1 Rout, Breathing New Life into Their Survival Hopes

FOČA, Bosnia — The autumn air in Gradski Stadion still vibrated with disbelief long after the final whistle. What began as a foregone conclusion on paper—the lowly, struggling Sutjeska Foča hosting imperious league leaders BSK Banja Luka—transformed into a raucous spectacle, an emphatic 4-1 triumph for the underdogs that threatened to upend the 1st League RS landscape.

For weeks, Sutjeska had waded through the fog of mediocrity, their campaign a teetering mosaic of narrow losses and squandered leads. Sitting 11th, with just two wins from eight, they faced a BSK Banja Luka side unbeaten in nine, having steamrolled all before them with a perfect blend of grit and guile. BSK’s spotless record, paired with a stingy defense and a top-tier attack, appeared more than enough against a team mired in self-doubt.

From the opening whistle, however, the day’s narrative would brook no reference to formality. Sutjeska played with a pace and purpose that belied their league standing. Less than 10 minutes in, a whipped corner from captain Marko Radović found forward Nemanja Vuković unmarked at the near post. Vuković’s glancing header caromed past a stunned BSK goalkeeper, setting the tone and igniting the home crowd.

BSK responded as champions do: with controlled possession and probing runs from their front trio. Their equalizer seemed inevitable and arrived in the 26th minute, when midfielder Dario Savić, so often BSK’s creative hinge, collected a short clearance atop the area and rifled a low drive that snuck inside the right post. For a moment, the scales looked to tilt back toward the favorites.

Yet if Sutjeska’s recent defeats had revealed a habit of crumbling when things turned, today they drew resilience from adversity. Their response was as swift as it was clinical. In the 33rd minute, a slick one-two between Radović and winger Stefan Ilić carved open BSK’s right flank. Ilić’s cutback found Vuković again, who slotted home his second and restored the hosts' lead.

The contest pivoted decisively just before halftime. As BSK pressed, Sutjeska’s defense held firm, and a counterattack caught the leaders off balance. Running onto a raking diagonal ball, Ilić was bundled over by BSK’s right back—earning not only a penalty but also a straight red card for denying a clear scoring opportunity. Radović made no mistake from the spot, dispatching his sixth goal of the season and sending Sutjeska into the interval with a stunning 3-1 advantage against 10 men.

Halftime brought little respite for BSK; down a man and chasing a game for the first time all year, their crisp structure unraveled. Sutjeska, sensing history, pressed the advantage. Fifteen minutes after the restart, substitute Luka Pavić pounced on a poor backpass, side-footing coolly past the keeper for a fourth—his maiden goal in a Sutjeska shirt.

From there, the narrative became a procession. BSK’s efforts at a late rally wilted under the hosts’ disciplined shape. Only the sharp reflexes of BSK’s keeper kept the scoreline from ballooning further.

This was not merely an upset—it was a lifeline for Sutjeska, whose season had threatened to drift into irrelevance. Their tally climbs to 11 points, lifting them closer to mid-table and, perhaps more importantly, injecting genuine belief into a squad that had gone winless at home in more than a month.

For BSK Banja Luka, the lessons are sobering. A run of seven straight victories had painted them as untouchable. Today’s defeat, their first of the campaign, narrows their lead at the summit, inviting renewed pressure from chasing pack. Their typically dominant midfield faltered under heavy pressing, and the back line, previously a model of discipline, was repeatedly stretched by Sutjeska’s exuberance.

Head-to-head, BSK came into the match with a psychological edge, unbeaten in their last three meetings with Sutjeska. That record now lies in ashes, replaced by the specter of a humbling defeat at a ground where points are never easily earned.

Looking ahead, Sutjeska’s challenge is consistency. With two wins and a draw in their last three—a run that includes a battling point at Kozara Gradiška and another away triumph at Velež Nevesinje—the signs are promising. Persisting with this aggression and cohesion could see them vault clear of the relegation mire.

For BSK, the pathway is clear, if far from simple. Their aura of invincibility has been punctured; how they respond, with Slavija and other promotion hopefuls lurking, will define their season. A week’s soul-searching now beckons before they return to the field, needing to prove that this result is but a rare misstep on an otherwise historic campaign.

On an October afternoon when the form book was upended and the underdogs roared, Sutjeska Foča not only claimed three points—they claimed a measure of belief that could yet reshape their season.