Did Slovenia miss out on a historic qualification to the eighth round with a goal in stoppage time?

Slovenia entered Group C as a relatively big underdog. Not much to be surprised about, as this is only its second participation in the European Championship. However, the team around star goalkeeper Jan Oblak had progression within their grasp, but it may have been thwarted by an equalising goal in stoppage time.

Slovenia kicked off the European Championships with a duel with Denmark. The paper favourite took the lead in the first half, but after the change of sides, former Viktoria Plzeň player Erik Janža managed to equalise with a point-blank shot.

The Slovenians also entered the match against Serbia as the paper underdog. Thanks to a goal by Žan Karničnik, they took the lead, but Luka Jovič was able to equalise from the last corner of the match to make it 1-1.

“There are mixed feelings. I can say that we played a fantastic game, but at the end of the match we lost concentration and Serbia managed to equalise,” said the only Slovenian scorer, who was voted the best player of the match, in his post-match interview.

“The fans were amazing. It was a great atmosphere during the warm-up and then during the match itself. It’s unbelievable. I hope they will support us during our last group game,” he added about the fans.

Slovenia is currently in third place in Group C. However, second-placed Denmark has the same number of points and identical scores, so the third match will decide who advances.

However, if experienced coach Matjaz Kek’s side can defend their narrow lead, the Slovenians could already be enjoying promotion. In all likelihood, four points will be enough at worst to advance from third position.

It would also be Slovenia’s first time to qualify for the knockout stage of a final tournament. However, they will now face a very tough match as they face the unpredictable England on Tuesday.

Source: UEFA, EURO 2024