Ljudski vrt falls for the first time since last November: Maribor lead in the third minute, then concede two goals and lose to Celje with one goal less
Photo: Žan Pak
Maribor and Celje faced off in the second Štajerski derbi in less than a month. Celje won the first match in the royal city, and in the second, Maribor sought revenge but was unsuccessful. At Ljudski vrt, the hosts took the lead in the third minute, but then everything went wrong for Maribor.
After about an hour of play, newly capped international Jan Repas was sent off, which the reigning champions took advantage of, scoring two goals to secure the win. The hero for the visitors was Edmilson, who netted a goal in stoppage time. The match ended similarly to the recent encounter in Celje, with a score of 2:1 in favor of the counts. As an interesting note, this marked Maribor’s first home league defeat since last November, when they were also beaten by Celje at Ljudski vrt.
The Štajerski derbi barely got underway before Maribor celebrated taking the lead. The hosts earned a corner, and Josip Iličić delivered a cross into the box. The tallest returnee in the purple kit, Luka Krajnc, rose highest to head in his first goal for Maribor. Even after taking the lead, the hosts continued to apply pressure on the Celje goal, but they couldn’t convert their significant advantage into another goal.
Celje regrouped in the second half and played better. The guests had a few chances in front of Maribor’s goal, but Ažbe Jug stood strong. The halftime score was 1:0, but the Celje side came out much more energized after the break. They put significant pressure on the goal, and Maribor’s defense struggled to find any respite. Ažbe Jug faced several tests but conceded in the 61st minute, just two minutes after Maribor was reduced to ten men.
Maribor with one less: Žiga Repas trembling, Jan Repas turning red
The match referee, Rade Obrenović, had moments before checked a replay for a possible red card for Žiga Repas, but he was lucky; despite injuring Tamarja Svetlina, he only received a yellow card. In the 59th minute, Jan Repas also received a yellow card for what seemed like a relatively innocuous challenge, resulting in his second booking and an early shower.
Photo: Žan PakIn the 61st minute, Celje equalized, with a goal from Armandas Kučys. Ivan Brnić, a former Maribor player, made a cross from the left, and Kučys outpaced two defenders to find the net from a few meters out, scoring against the most decorated Slovenian club of all time.
Just three minutes later, the home club had a stroke of luck as Inigo Alvarez almost scored with a powerful long-range shot. Ažbe Jug just managed to get a touch on the ball, which hit the crossbar and bounced back into play. Albert Riera subsequently threw everything into attack, and Maribor desperately defended, coming close to a draw, but eventually succumbed to a second goal in stoppage time.
Celje launched a quick counter-attack, and Aljoša Matko found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Ažbe Jug made an excellent save. Unfortunately for him, the ball deflected right to Edmilson, who had no trouble scoring in the 92nd minute to clinch the victory. Maribor was defeated, and after conceding the second goal, they had neither the time nor the energy to even secure a point. Ante Šimundža had to take responsibility for the second defeat of the season, both inflicted by Celje, which climbed to third place, just a point behind their latest opponent.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet