Our Top 5 matches
Ukraine : Slovenia 1:1, 17.11.1999
One of the most vivid memories that still lives in the minds of every true Slovenian football fan is the moment, when Miran Pavlin deflected a free-kick in the 75th minute at a snow covered Kiew stadium, confusing Alexander Shovkovsky and scoring a decisive goal that took Slovenia for the first major football tournament. In 1999, Ukraine could brag with a superstar line-up with both Shevchenko and Rebrov and with that the position of a favourite prior to kick off. The idea that the team that defeated the Russians and drawn against World Champions France fails to defeat an underdog like Slovenia was modern-day science fiction, but the key Slovenian players in Zlatko Zahovič, Miran Pavlin and Milenko Ačimovič had other ideas. Pavlin's away goal silenced the capacity of 65.000 and the 1:1 draw was enough after an Ačimovič half-pitch scorcher in Ljubljana that saw the Slovenia win the first match with 2:1.
Slovenia : Yugoslavia 3:3, EURO 2000, 13. 6. 2000
Seventeen points and a play-off victory against Ukraine was enough for Slovenia to qualify for the Euro 2000 out of the group C behind Norway and head for the tulip country where Katanec's men were drawn into a group with Spain, Norway and Yugoslavia. It was an epic battle with the latter that was the debut of Slovenia at a major competition, from which Slovenia came out with the first point. The white and green Slovenia started impetuously and before the ex-compatriots realized what's going on, Slovenia was ahead 3:0 with the goals of Zlatko Zahovič (23', 57') and Miran Pavlin (52'). By the final whistle, Yugoslavia battled hard and found their way back to a 3:3 draw, but at the end, Katanec's men were the moral winners, as it was because of this game that various prominent European clubs became interested in Slovenian players.
Romania : Slovenia 1:1 ,14.11. 2001
Despite the fact that Slovenia never managed to grab a victory in the fall play-offs when playing away, Slovenia fought their way to a deserved draw in Bucharest, which was ultimately enough for Katanec's side to be engraved on the list of 32 immortal national teams to qualify for the 17th FIFA World Cup, for the first time hosted by two countries, Japan and South Korea. Now 39 year-old Mladen Rudonja scored his first and last goal in his 65 appearances and it was the goal that took Slovenia to their first World Cup. Left winger took the ball after a Džoni Novak counter attack and an advantage shown by the referee Hellmut Krug, to place a well aimed kick past Bogdan Lobont and put the golden boys of Slovenian football on the map of the world for the first time.
Slovenia: Poland 3:0, 9.9.2009
After a great performance of Kek's team at the renowned Wembley, where, despite a loss, Slovenia managed to put one into the net (courtesy of Zlatan Ljubijankič) of the football pioneers, the Slovenian diamond generation was ahead of the make-or-break match against Poland in Maribor. Three matches to go, Slovenia needed three out of three to be a serious contender for the second position and it all started that night in Maribor. The match of the year until that moment saw Slovenia hammer a struggling Poland, with Boruc having to pick the ball out of his net on three occasions. The Maribor crowd, during the whole qualifiers one of key success factors, went crazy for the first time in the 14th minute, when Dedič put Slovenia ahead. A minute before the break, Slovenian top scorer in qualifiers, Milivoje »Novagol« Novakovič put Slovenia closer to the victory, but the match was sealed in the 62nd minute, when Valter Birsa scored his first national team goal with a marvelous chip over Boruc. This victory was the nicest present for Matjaž Kek who was celebrating his birthday on the day of the match and an overture in the November's celebrations.
Slovenia : Russia 1:0, 18.11.2009
The statistic analysis before the Russian encounters, which speculated that key Russian players wouldn't be effective in front of Handanovič's goal, spoke in favour of Kek's team. Slovenia needed a home victory after a minimal loss with a Pečnik away goal on the Luzhniki artificial surface and it was Zlatko Dedič, the number 14 who opened the qualifying campaign with a goal against Poland in Wroclaw, who dully delivered. Carried by some odd 12.000 brave Slovenian fans, the home team showed a flamboyant and fluid performance to put the Russian giants on their knees. Even the presence of the »creme de la creme« of Russian politics with president Medvedev couldn't help a disillusioned Hiddink team overcome Kek's enthusiastic warriors. It was a Birsa cross near the end of the first half that was picked up by the tip of Dedič's boot and the 25 year-olds attempt ended behind the back of Russian keeper Akinfeev. It was Dedič's third goal of the campaign, but without a doubt one of the most important goals he will ever score. The goal was a cherry on top of the team play and brave performances shown by the team on all twelve qualifying matches through the campaign.
