Timi Max Elšnik revealed an anecdote from the last cup final: Ažbe Jug told him that it would be fair if he intentionally missed the penalty kick

Published on 8. February 2024 8. February 2024

Photo: Grega Valančič / Sportida

Recently, he recorded his first podcast, and now Timi Max Elšnik has written his introductory blog. The captain of Olimpija touched upon the recent final of the Pivovarna Union Cup in a very interesting post, where the dragons dramatically defeated Maribor. The decision-maker was none other than Timi Max Elšnik, who, in the tenth (!) minute of extra time, precisely in the 130th minute of the match, converted a penalty kick, securing Olimpija’s second trophy in the 2022/23 season.

In the blog, Timi Max Elšnik revisited the decisive moment and revealed that Ažbe Jug, the goalkeeper of Maribor, actually suggested to him to intentionally miss the penalty! According to Jug, it would be the fairest way, and the winner should be decided by a penalty shootout.

“Jug came up to me and told me to miss the penalty. That it would be the only fair thing, and then let the penalty kicks decide the winner. Yeah, right, I thought. The stadium was dead silent, rain was pouring down like crazy, and it had been dragging on for two days. But precisely because of all the waiting, I managed to calm down. I had time. I knew what I had to do, and I’m sure I was the calmest person in the stadium at that moment. Even though I was under the most pressure,” noted the captain of the Ljubljana club.

25-year-old Timi Max Elšnik continued: “I knew I would score. I was a bit concerned about the pitch, as it was really soaked, and you could easily slip. In the photos, you can see how water splashed into the air at the moment of the shot. I know the fans were on edge, but we quickly felt relieved. Jug to one side, and the ball into the top corner on the other side. The victory was ours! The referee had already told us that after the penalty, he would blow the final whistle. So, I immediately headed towards our Dragons, who were soaked and frozen, climbed onto the fence, and the celebration began…”

Timi Max Elšnik also revealed that the violet players teased him to attempt a panenka from the penalty spot; in such a way, he missed the decisive penalty kick at the end of regular time for victory, essentially embarrassing Croatian player Marko Tolić from Maribor.

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“When they realized I would take the shot, they started pressing me. A Maribor player said to me, ‘Come on, don’t dare to panenka!’ And I calmly and decisively replied, ‘Panenka, 100%, believe me. The last minute, the goalkeeper can’t afford to stay in the middle.’ The guy turned pale. What do you mean?! He went to the goalkeeper, and I believe he conveyed my words. Want the truth? I wanted to score a panenka! The evening before the match, lying in bed, I visualized the game, and I always think about such a situation. At that moment, I decided on a panenka because I was sure I would score. But half an hour earlier, Tolić happened. I couldn’t afford the same mistake. Jug could have waited and embarrassed me. It’s just easier if I send it into the net, unstoppable, we win, and that’s it,” added Timi Max Elšnik in the blog, which you can read in full at this link.