Partizan - Red Star 2-1 (1-1)

Drulic (right, Red Star) heads the ball beside Bajic (Partizan)

Belgrade, April 14 (Reuters/agencies) - Partizan's win over Red Star moves them level on points with their arch-rivals in a two-horse race for the title that is now wide open. Both teams are now level on points having played the same number of games, and even have the same goal difference.

Partizan dominated the early stages and their international midfielder Vladimir Ivic came close to giving them an eighth minute lead as he blasted a free kick just wide of the far post.

But skipper Sasa Ilic put them ahead in the 22nd minute when he turned in a header by central defender Nisa Saveljic, who rose above Red Star's defence after a cross from the right.

Red Star's international keeper Aleksandar Kocic denied Ivic in the 27th minute, tipping away his fierce shot from the edge of the box for a corner.

Striker Goran Drulic should have equalised three minutes later when he only had goalkeeper Radovan Radakovic to beat but his shot hit the post and Radakovic parried Marjan Markovic's effort from the rebound.

Drulic, eyed by several European giants, made amends two minutes before the interval when he found the back of the net with a superb header after Markovic's cross.

Red Star wasted a good chance of taking the lead four minutes into the second half, when Radakovic saved Branko Boskovic's penalty after Mihajlo Pjanovic was felled by the keeper.

The visitors were punished for not taking their chances only four minutes later as Ivica Iliev beat the offside trap, raced clear of the defence and placed the ball into the far corner past the advancing keeper.

Red Star held the upper hand in the closing stages but were unable to draw level again as Partizan's defence held firm and Radakovic rounded off an outstanding performance with a couple of brilliant saves in the dying minutes.

He punched clear a ferocious Markovic volley in the 86th minute and kept out a close range header by Mihajlo Pjanovic in injury time.