Celje completely sidelined, Koper best in the league: Metod Jurhar kept the net untouched 8 times in 11 games!
Text: David Klemenc. Photo: FC Koper
Koper has achieved a success that no one has managed in the Prva liga Telemach this season. The Primorci inflicted the first league defeat on Olimpija in Stožice, with a massive contribution from Metod Jurhar. The Koper goalkeeper stopped all shots on his goal and won the duel against Diogo Pinto, who missed a penalty.
Metod Jurhar has conceded only four goals in 11 matches this season, while keeping his net untouched on eight occasions! This has all been achieved by the 26-year-old, who was so sidelined at Celje that he could hardly be more so. When he saw no way out of the situation in the knežjem mestu, where he was a two-time national champion, he decided to leave and change employers. Choosing Koper turned out to be a perfect match, and much of the revival of this previously underrated goalkeeper is due to Benjamin Levak, who works with the goalkeepers at Bonifika. The Croatian also spoke to Planet nogomet about the meteoric rise of the current best goalkeeper in 1. SNL.
“The victory over Olimpija means a lot to us, as we have proven to ourselves that we are capable of defeating the best teams in the league. However, we are aware that we need to confirm this win in the upcoming matches. Olimpija is an exceptionally quality team, excellently led by coach Victor Sanchez, so it’s no coincidence that they qualified for the group stage of the Conference League and are currently at the top of the table. As always, we prepared carefully for the opponent, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, and the European match was an additional advantage for us, as Olimpija played a very demanding match in Germany.” said Benjamin Levak after the match in Stožice, where he also earned his living during the era of Zoran Zeljković.
“Metod Jurhar is fully dedicated to his work”
Regarding Metod Jurhar, the just 29-year-old goalkeeper coach from Zagreb continued: “As for Metod Jurhar, he is in excellent form this year, and credit goes to both him and the entire team, as the defense starts with the attackers. Metod is fully dedicated to his work and possesses great quality; he strives to become even better every day. Competition is also an important factor, as he is under pressure from the duo of young and promising goalkeepers Luka Baš and Tim Štrasberger, who is currently on loan playing for Tolmin, as well as the experienced Jan Koprivec. Competition is crucial, as it makes everyone better.”
Benjamin Levak also admitted that working with Metod Jurhar is primarily very undemanding, as he is already an excellent goalkeeper, which has been confirmed in his games for Koper for quite some time now—especially on the pitch.
“Regarding working with Jurhar—he’s a goalkeeper who had excellent coaches even before coming to Koper, so we spend most of our time on details and the requirements of the team,” emphasized the former Dinamo Zagreb prospect and added: “As for his time at Celje, where he didn’t get the right opportunity, I can’t say much; but Koper, without a doubt, was a good choice for him. In football, things sometimes go according to plan, and sometimes they don’t. Just like in Koper, he also had excellent competition at Celje, but it didn’t work out as planned, as Rozman and Obradović were excellent in goal in recent years.”
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet