Timi Max Elšnik has already set his sights on the future after a dream evening: ‘Our next goal is the Europa League, if not the Champions League’

Published on 2. August 2023 2. August 2023

For many in Ljubljana, the night from Tuesday to Wednesday was very short, and their heads were very, very heavy on Wednesday morning. That those who have been
Olympia
have taken a liking to Olimpija, there can be no doubt. The Dragons have achieved a historic success: for the first time ever, they will live to see autumn in Europe. With the win over Ludogorets, Olimpija has already secured at least the group stage of the conference league. In the next round of Champions League qualification (probably)
Galatasaray
, which still has to confirm its progress in the return leg against Zalgiris (2:2).

“If I were a fan, I would drink like crazy. I believe that many people will, even if they go to work in the morning. This is an evening to remember. I am very proud to be part of this story,“, said Olimpija’s hero, captain Timi Max Elšnik, at a press conference after last night’s “heart attack” game in Stožice. The latter scored both goals in the 2-1 victory, after all, it was he who had already hit the net of the Bulgarian champions in Razgrad.

“I haven’t enjoyed playing on the pitch so much since I’ve been at Olimpija. This capital city needs to take the interest in football to the next level. At the moment we are doing well on both fronts, club and national team. That feeling on the pitch in front of an audience like that, it’s indescribable. But as Kobie Bryant said, ‘Job is not done’, our job is not done. I understand the fans and their celebration, but we move on. Now our next goal is the Europa League, if not the Champions League,” says Timi Max Elšnik, confident even though he knows it will be very, very difficult against the Turks.

Timi Max Elšnik: “Ludogorets was really naive”

“Their first match ended 2:2. There are no rules in football, you never know who will win. If Zalgiris wins, it’s a big plus for us. This is then an absolutely insurmountable opponent. But if Galatasaray wins, Slovenia will be in for a new football festival, and there are thousands of flights to Istanbul and our fans will be there too. But this will be a match like the Champions League. We have to be realistic, it will be difficult to progress against Galatasaray. But we must fight to the last atom of our strength,“, said the Slovenian national player, referring to the goal that secured Olimpija’s dream promotion: “Of course, this thing was played out. We tried that three or four times in the first half, but we got a bit sleepy and couldn’t get a clear shot. Ludogorets was really naive. If you see your opponent trying something so many times and you still don’t stop them, then I can’t help them.”

Matevž Vidovšek also contributed to the great celebration, scoring 102. defended an 11th-minute penalty. Timi Max Elšnik had a good feeling before Kirill Despodov’ s shot.I must admit that I had extremely positive feelings. I trusted Vidovšek, he defended that 11th-minute penalty in Celje against Maribor, and now he has defended here. Even otherwise, we would have gone into extra time with a player more and I believe we would have saved the game. But yes, it does make you wonder a little why it always happens to us. Eleven-minute penalty in 98. minute, a slip-up on Ludogorets’ goal in the first leg. It’s easy to wonder why it always happens to Olimpija and not to the opponent.”