It was tough and tiring, but it certainly wasn’t a bad start: Slovenia hosted Austria in Stožice, the neighbours parted with a draw.
Photo: Luka Vovk / Sportida
No, it definitely (not yet) was not Slovenia with Eura 2024, but it is also true that Stožice hosted a team that many might underestimate at first glance, but… But Austria is, to be honest, one of the hottest teams in Europe at the moment. The northern neighbors arrived in Ljubljana on the back of nine consecutive away games without a loss (!), and they extended the streak in the packed Stožice. Fortunately, only with a draw.
Slovenia’s opening match, which was slightly less solid, also somewhat less disciplined, and simultaneously less organized than at the tournament in Germany, ended 1:1. The home team, which cannot be accused of lacking fighting spirit from the first to the last minute, took the lead with a penalty goal by Benjamin Šeško, while the opening point for Austria was earned by Konrad Laimer.
Slovenia was weakened at the country’s largest stadium; captain Jan Oblak was fit enough to sit on the bench, but not to play. Matevž Vidovšek made his second national team appearance. In defense, the suspended coach Matjaž Kek (sent to the stands due to his exclusion in the match against Portugal at Euro 2024) made an interesting move: the right-back position, in the absence of the injured Žan Karničnik, was filled by David Brekalo. Slovenia and Austria faced off for the fifth time in history, with the northern neighbors winning three times, while our national team won only once, in 1997. This was the first time the teams drew.
In the second match of Group 3 of the Nations League, Kazakhstan and Norway played in Almaty, with the latter being the more dominant and shooting frequently but only hitting the target once. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, did not register a single shot on target! The match ended 0:0. Kazakhstan will be Slovenia’s next opponent on Monday, and Slovenia will also play the second round match in Stožice.
In the first 10 minutes of the match, the rhythm was set by the Austrians, who were more enterprising but not particularly dangerous. Vidovšek had to intervene only once, and that was after a deflected shot from one of the guests. It was hot after a cross from Marcel Sabitzer, but there was no one in front of the goal to redirect the ball into the net.
In the 13th minute, Petar Stojanović made a dangerous run into the Austrian penalty area, got a shot off, and missed by a hair. The referee awarded a corner for the guests, but Stojanović immediately signaled a handball. And he was right. VAR confirmed that Phillipp Mwene had handled the ball, and the penalty was rightly awarded.
Šeško Much More Confident Than Slovenia at Euro 2024
Benjamin Šeško placed the ball on the penalty spot and with a confident, powerful shot into the top right corner of the goal, gave Slovenia the lead. Oh, if only the penalty kicks had been as successful at the European Championship… Well, what’s done is done; what matters is the present. And the view on the scoreboard was nice, Slovenia led against the northern neighbor, who had arrived in Ljubljana after nine consecutive away matches without a loss.
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Šeško’s goal brought the home team to life; Slovenia showed some promise but still lacked the precision and efficiency of a well-oiled machine. The Austrians remained persistent, but their attempt to equalize was ineffective, and the first half ended with Slovenia leading 1:0. After a somewhat chaotic second half, the visitors managed to score an equalizer in the 75th minute.
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In the end, Slovenia held on to earn a point. The final result, 1:1, is not too disappointing considering the opposition’s strength and the context of the game. Slovenia still has a chance to secure more points in the upcoming matches and possibly advance from this challenging group.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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