Boštjan Cesar makes his Telemach First League debut: Bravo ‘murdered’ Maribor in his own style, but was powerless on the shot of the returnee after injury
Photo: Luka Vovk / Sportida
Boštjan Cesar made his coaching debut in the Prva Liga Telemach with Maribor, nearly 30 years after his last match as a player for Olimpija. Fate had it that his first match in charge would take place in his hometown of Ljubljana. Despite the challenge, Maribor managed to reward their new coach with a 1-0 victory against Bravo. The winning goal came in the 84th minute from Hillal Soudani, returning from injury.
The match at Šiška was more of a slow affair, with few serious chances on either side. Maribor dominated possession but struggled to break down Bravo’s disciplined and well-organized defense. Bravo, capitalizing on the tight dimensions of the ŽAK stadium, frustrated Maribor’s attempts to play creative football until Soudani’s late winner.
Soudani seized on a poor clearance following Sheyi Ojo’s cross, and after controlling the ball on the edge of the box, struck a low shot past Matija Orbanić to seal the victory.
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Bravo’s closest chance came in the 72nd minute when a deflection off Lan Vidmar hit the post. Just four minutes later, the frame of the goal denied Bravo again, with Vidmar involved once more. Maribor had their best opportunity in the 31st minute when Nik Grlić forced a save from Orbanić, and Gyorgy Komaromi‘s follow-up was cleared off the line.
In the end, it was Soudani, coming off the bench in the 67th minute for his first appearance since August 18, who decided the match, ensuring Maribor’s win.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet