Damir Krznar returned to Ljudski vrt and spoiled the party after the ‘Štajerska New Year’: ‘It was a victory with a bit more meaning’

Published on 13. November 2023 13. November 2023

Source of photo: NK Celje

On Sunday, in the Telemach First League, two derbies were scheduled. The first match was played at Ljudski vrt, where the home team and the Maribor and Celje, the second in Stožice, where Olimpija defeated Mura. Damir Krznar returned to Maribor for the first time since his departure and led Celje, the leading club in the national championship, to a 1-0 victory. Damir Krznar was expectedly beaming with satisfaction after the game at the “crime scene”.

“It was certainly a victory with a little more meaning. If only because of the emotions that are always present, regardless of professionalism. I have always felt good here and enjoyed playing in front of these fans. That’s also why I really wanted us to play a good game here and win. A win for Celje was the biggest wish today, it was a really big win. I am wholeheartedly with Celje. Our goal is first place. We needed this positive impulse. During the break, it will be easier to work after the victory. I’m happy, but in the end a win is worth as many points as any other,” said Damir Krznar after the celebration in the Štajerska football capital.

The Croatian expert went on to admit that he was satisfied with his team’s performance: “Maribor is superior, maybe even the best in the league, when it comes to building an attack in the first zone. This pressure on the midfielder was a double-edged sword, as the player can quickly drop out of the game and be missed in defence. But the instructions were to do it from the beginning. Everyone was looking for that chance, and Mark took it, and the most beautiful thing happened for us when the goal was scored. We were rewarded for this decision. First of all, I would like to congratulate the team for their hard-earned victory. I would also like to congratulate Maribor for a good game, especially in the first half when they pressed us well and we didn’t exploit the depth they offered. We made some adjustments for the second half and got better. We took advantage of Maribor’s mistake and came out with a very important win.”

Damir Krznar: “This may be a kind of absurdity”

Celje had a slightly worse start to the game. The first half belonged to Maribor, who had the upper hand on the ground, but could not crown it. “80% of the credit goes to Maribor, who took the field. They worked well and were composed in two or three lines. We should be smarter and look deeper into the game more often. Lamy was the only one to do so. There were many mistakes. Maybe we were nervous and that’s why we rushed. During half-time, my main goal was to calm the team down,” said Damir Krznar about the first half and continued about the second half: “Maribor had to open up after the goal and look for chances to equalise. This opened up space, made it easier for us to keep possession and change the rhythm, deciding when to attack and when to defend.”

Maribor fans applauded Damir Krznar before the game, showing that they haven’t forgotten him and that he is still popular no matter what. “I like that this love has remained,” said Damir Krznar, who added: “This time, however, I would like to point out two more things. The match was very important, we didn’t want two consecutive bad results. It was important to play well and win. Secondly, this: what I am about to point out is perhaps a kind of absurdity. I think we played better against Olimpija than against Maribor, but we lost to the Ljubljana team and this time we won.”