What Olimpija can do, Maribor can do too: Universitatea is on the brink of elimination, Jan Repas and Arnel Jakupović secured a nice advantage

Published on 25. July 2024 25. July 2024

Photo: Žan Pak

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While against Botev a week ago, Maribor sought in vain for a path to victory and advancement to the next round of Europa League qualifiers, the story on this Thursday evening in Ljudski vrt was different. Much more pleasant. Maribor defeated Universitatea 2-0 in the first leg of the second qualifying round for the Conference League and earned a nice advantage before the return leg in Romania. The heroes for Maribor were Jan Repas and Arnel Jakupović, who took full advantage of the fact that the visitors played two-thirds of the match with one player less.

The second consecutive European Thursday in Ljudski vrt went more to Maribor’s liking this time. They experienced a similar scenario as Celjani did yesterday, but the 16-time Slovenian champions took advantage of the opportunity and secured a favorable starting position for the return match against the Romanian Craiova next week. Ante Šimundža surprised a bit by leaving the two-time scorer from the last league match against Domžale, Arnel Jakupović, on the bench, while Etienne Beugre started the match despite his father’s death.

The Violets had their first chance as early as the 4th minute, when Žiga Repas had the ball in a dangerous position, but Laurentiu Popescu deflected his attempt for a corner. After the corner kick, Sven Šoštarič Karič headed the ball, but the visiting goalkeeper saved the shot without much difficulty. In the 13th minute, the visitors had their first attempt, with Andrei Ivan heading a corner kick. Moments later, Pijus Širvys brought the Maribor crowd to their feet with a shot from his usual position. Popescu was beaten, but fortunately for him, the ball went wide.

In the 27th minute, Maks Barišić found himself isolated in front of the goal for a moment and fell after contact, but the referee Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen did not award a penalty. In the 31st minute, the Styrian pride received a gift from the Romanians. After a clumsy reaction from the visiting defenders, the highway to the goal opened up for Etienne Beugre, who was recklessly fouled from behind by Denil Maldonado, earning him an early shower. The Maribor players almost capitalized on their numerical advantage in the next play, but Popescu was up to the task. Two minutes before halftime, a mistake by home captain Martin Milec allowed Alexandru Mitrita to break free towards Ažbet Jug, but Jan Repas managed to prevent the worst with a successful block.

Maribor started the second half somewhat more calmly. In the 56th minute, after a nice dribble from the edge of the penalty area, Josip Iličić missed the target, but the popular Jojo soon assisted Jan Repas, who found himself alone in front of the goal and sparked a wave of excitement in the Ljudski vrt stands. Jakupović’s next opportunity saw him head just over the bar. Jakupović then set up Šoštarič Karič in the 69th minute, but the latter failed to score from close range.

Four minutes later, the biggest signing of the summer for Maribor, 17-year-old Karol Borys, whose Transfermarkt value stands at a high 1.3 million euros for the Slovenian league, made his debut, replacing Marko Božić. The Violets finally capitalized on their numerical advantage two minutes before the end of regular time. From the right side, captain Martin Milec delivered a cross, and the team’s top scorer for the season, Jakupović, headed the ball into the net, setting the final score at 2-0.

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The return match between the two teams will take place in Romania next Thursday at 7 PM. The winner of the tie will face the loser of the match between Ajax and Vojvodina in the third round.

This text was automatically translated using AI.

Author: editorial Football Planet