April 29, 30 & May 1st, 2022
Friday April 29, 2022
NK Celje 1-3 NS Mura ( att : 900 )
Sporn ( 8 ); Daku ( 54 ), Bobicanec ( 74 ), Horvat ( 96 pen )
Saturday April 30, 2022
NK Tabor Sezana 1-2 NK Radomlje ( att : 500 )
Mavretic ( 59 ); Mrkjonic ( 13 ), Guzina ( 90 )
NK Maribor 1-1 FC Koper ( att : 7,200 )
Mudrinski ( 26 ); Osuji ( 35 )
Sunday May 1st, 2022
NK Domzale 3-1 NK Aluminij ( att : 300 )
Jakupovic ( 24 pen ), Ilenic ( 30 & 81 ); Spehar ( 14 )
NK Olimpija Ljubjlana 1-0 NK Bravo ( att : 500 )
Seslar ( 9 )
After last reviewing the 2021/22 season in Slovenia after round 21, the season had reached a potentially crucial phase, with just three rounds of matches to be played after round 33. The key match of this weekend saw the meeting of the two remaining challengers for the title, as Maribor hosted Koper.
Maribor went into the fixture one point ahead of Koper, with the potential to make a decisive statement on the championship picture with a victory. The match was played in front of the second best attendances of the season, only surpassed by the 8,250 who witnessed Maribor’s home match against Olimpija.
After swarming all over their visitors, and ex-Shakhtyor Soligorsk midfielder Djordje Ivanovic heading just wide with only 15 seconds on the clock, Maribor deservedly took a potentially decisive lead in the 25th minute when Serbian striker Ognjen Mudrinski, the league’s leading scorer and on loan from Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok, swept home his 16th of the season.
Koper struck back almost immediately though when Gambian striker Lamin Colley’s shot was blocked but fell kindly to the unmarked Nigerian midfielder Bede Osuji to slot home from 12 yards.
With a 1-1 score at the break, the two contenders mostly cancelled each other out in the second half. Koper’s Ticic forced a tip over the bar from a 25 yard effort, but Maribor had the better of the closing stages, having a header from a corner headed off the line, Zugelj was denied by a brave block by Koper keeper Golubovic after being put clear, and finally, Milec’s swerving long-range effort was battered away by the Koper shot-stopper. On balance, a draw was perhaps a fair result, and the destiny of the title lived on for another day.
The result left the championship wide open, and whilst Maribor have the advantage on the head-to-head record should the sides finish level, Koper have potentially the easier run-in with home games against lowly Tabor Sezana and Radomlje before finishing at Bravo. In comparison, Maribor have to go to Bravo, host doomed Aluminij, before a final difficult match at NS Mura.
Olimpija Ljubljana appointed former Yugoslavia and Croatian legend Robert Prosinecki as their coach in March and although the results since his appointment had been an ordinary 2-1-2, they had remained in a European place, but had lost to both Maribor and Koper.
Bravo were 4th at the winter break, and although they have reached the Cup Final by eliminating Domzale, 5 defeats and just 4 points from their last 7 games had seen them slip to a distant 5th, leaving a Cup Final victory, where they face Koper on May 11th in Celje, as their only route to European football.
Olimpija took a spectacular lead in the 8th minute when Spesar’s 20 yard plus left-footed effort slammed into the top corner. Although Djurasek had a snap shot smartly saved shortly after, and Prtajin headed a corner inches wide after 20 minutes, the game fizzled out after this. Guinea-Bissau striker Aldair missed a good chance for Olimpija shortly after half-time, but the linesman’s offside flag had already been raised. For Bravo, Kramaric saw a curling shot drift narrowly wide but they rarely looked like troubling the Olimpija defence.
Champions NS Mura were at distant 5th at the winter break, but 17 points from their last 9 games has seen them move up the table to fourth and two points behind third placed Olimpija. Celje, their opponents this weekend, were 4th from bottom at the winter break, and remained in that position prior to this round. However, 5 wins from their last 7 games has seen them move safely away from the danger zone.
Outside of the top two they were arguably the form side of the division, and they took an early lead when Sporn was left free to head home from close range. Celje were the better side in the first half and Mozorov hit the angle of the post and crossbar, but the game turned just before half-time with an unfortunate red card to Celje’s David Zec as Mura’s Kosovan international striker Daku went down rather too easily outside the area, and despite there being a covering defender, Zec had to walk in the absence of VAR in the Prva Liga.
Celje’s misfortunes continued after the interval when keeper Rozman could only poorly palm Horvat’s long range shot high into the air, and Daku, on loan from Croatian side Osijek, was the quickest to react to head home from a few feet, much to the delight of what appeared to be the 2 travelling supporters. Celje’s top scorer, Ivan Bozic had a great opportunity to restore the home side’s lead after being put clear but Mura keeper Zalokar made an important block.
Mura made the most of this reprieve and Luka Bobicanec was on hand to impressively thump home Klepac’s cross into the roof of the net from the edge of the 6 yard box with just over 15 minutes remaining. It was the Croatian’s 7th goal of the season. Horvat’s penalty deep into added on time after a clumsy challenge on Klepac sealed the three points for Mura. As a result Celje slipped to 7th.
At the bottom, Aluminij look destined for the one automatic relegation spot, now being 6 points adrift of Tabor Sezana who are in the relegation play-off place. Aluminij have picked up just 4 points from draws from 13 games since the winter break, so their chances of winning their final three games look slim. This time they slipped to a 1-3 loss at mid-table Domzale, who as a result, moved above Bravo and Celje into 5th place.
Aluminij’s hopes were raised in the 14th minute when Dino Spehar ran onto a headed flick home to fire into the roof of the net but they needlessly gave away a penalty less than 10 minutes later which Austrian midfielder Jakupovic converted for his 11th goal of the season. Domzale took the lead just after the half-hour when Ilenic shot from a tight angle and the ball squeezed past Nigerian keeper Nwolokor, who really ought to have made the save.
Aluminij’s hopes were extinguished 15 minutes from time when Spehar saw red after stretching to make a tackle, after which Ilenic’s second goal secured the three points for Domzale.
Tabor’s last chance to avoid the play-offs disappeared after a last gasp 1-2 home defeat to their nearest rivals Radomlje, whose victory guaranteed their survival for another year. Their cause hasn’t been helped by 5 defeats in their last 6 games. Radomlje were bottom at the winter break but a 5-5-3 record since then has seen them secure safety for next season including two victories over Mura, as well as three points from Aluminij, Bravo and now Tabor.
Radomlje got of to an ideal start when Croatian striker Mrkjonic pounced onto a poor pass out from the back by the Tabor keeper Koprivac and slotted home from an acute angle for his 8th goal of the season since signing during the winter break. Tabor then had the better of the game, and deservedly equalised though Mavretic’s skilful flick from a corner into the far corner. Tabor desperately sought a much needed winner, but in added on time they were caught on a counter-attack from their own corner, and Guzina was put clear to run from the half-way line to score from a 1 on 1 against the Tabor keeper and send the small number of visiting supporters into ecstasy.
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