Maribor Bids Farewell to UEFA Europa League with Loss
Slovenian football champions Maribor wrapped up their campaign in the UEFA Europa League with a 0:1 loss to Birmingham City on Thursday. Slovenia's sole representative in European football cups managed only one point in six games in the competition to place dead last in Group H.
The match in front of some 21,000 spectators at St Andrew's Stadium in Birmingham saw an uninspired Maribor team as the Slovenian champion had already been eliminated from the contention for the top 32.
Birmingham city on the other hand was motivated to win as it had been still in play for the second spot in the group and a berth for the next round.
The pressure from the hosts materialised in the 24th minute, when Adam Rooney put home a header to give Birmingham City a 1:0 lead, which in fact turned to be the final result.
Despite the win and 10 overall points, the runners-up of the English League Cup did not advance as group rivals Braga and Club Brugge played out a 1:1 draw yesterday to split points and finish as the top two clubs in the group with 11 points each.
This was Maribor's first appearance in Europe's second strongest football competition. Maribor also played in the UEFA Champions League, the top competition, in the 1999/2000 season.
Text: STA