Two fortunate goals make the difference between Slovenia and San Marino

Ten thousand fans turned out for Slovenia’s home debut in the European Qualifiers, for the meeting with San Marino. At Stozice Arena it was the first match as captain for Nicola Nanni, who turns 23 in May and has 29 caps for San Marino – with one goal to his name. There were more than a few changes to the starting XI compared to last Thursday: the inevitable consequence of a double commitment within 72 hours. From the first minute in Ljubljana there were Cevoli, D'Addario, Lunadei, Tosi and Michael Battistini. In goal Elia Benedettini, making his 40th appearance for the Biancazzurri, with Berardi operating just off Nanni. The Titans started very brightly, threatening with an immediate transition led by Berardi. The Sammaurese winger broke into the box down the right but was crowded out as he looked to deliver the cross. No corner, according to the referee. San Marino packed the central areas, disrupting Slovenia’s passing patterns, which were strictly on the deck. After a largely uneventful opening quarter of an hour, the San Marino backline was tested by the hosts’ rediscovered combinations. The Biancazzurri’s rearguard coped well, twice relying on the reflexes of Elia Benedettini. On 19 minutes, Rossi’s sliding interception came first, taking the ball off Sesko just as he was about to let fly from point-blank range. From the ensuing phase of play Zajc got a shot away, his left-footer tipped onto the bar by the visiting keeper. Benedettini outdid himself two minutes later: on 21 minutes Bijol met a corner with a near-post header that was bound for goal. The sensational reflex stop from the Cailungo goalkeeper diverted the ball onto the crossbar, before Karnicnik squandered the follow-up from close range, clipping the woodwork again. San Marino did not shy away from breaking forward, even if they struggled to turn the space created in the final third into service that could properly bring Nicola Nanni into play. The Belgian officiating team tended to let play flow, something that did not reward the good back-to-goal work of the Sammarinese forwards, who were almost never granted a free-kick. On the contentious challenge by Bijol on Berardi just after the half-hour – with the Udinese defender going in heavily on the Sammarinese player – it was the Slovenian who came off worse and had to leave the field early through injury. For Berardi and the San Marino bench there was plenty of concern and a swollen ankle, but nothing that prevented the former Rimini man from continuing. Towards the end of the half Slovenia switched their attacking approach, firing in sharp, quick crosses which Kek’s men failed to convert. There were home protests at the end of the half for a potential contact in the box between Verbic and Rossi: Verboomen kept his whistle to himself and so did VAR, despite loud whistles from the 10,000 Slovenians in Ljubljana. On the restart, Roberto Di Maio came on at centre-back in place of Rossi. After ten relatively calm minutes, in which a wayward right-footed attempt from Zajc drifted behind with Benedettini watching it out, San Marino broke forward in transition down the Berardi-Nanni axis. Berardi timed his run well to stay onside beyond the home backline, but the understanding with his strike partner broke down on the lay-off. From there Slovenia launched a lightning counter of their own, thwarted by a fine save from Benedettini to deny Vombergar. That proved to be the decisive phase, but not because the hosts were pinning San Marino back. It was in fact two fortunate goals that tipped the balance Slovenia’s way. That this is a golden spell for Sesko was evident in the manner he broke the deadlock. Zajc’s driving run ended with a right-footed effort that cannoned off the back of Cevoli. From the rebound, Sesko was onside by a matter of centimetres – as VAR confirmed – and inadvertently diverted the ball between neck and shoulder, but still managed to find the net. The incident lifted both Slovenia and the stadium, while Lady Luck continued to smile on the hosts. From a cross by substitute Vipotnik, Di Maio attempted to relieve the pressure with a header, only to steer the ball into his own net with Benedettini stranded. It was Slovenia’s second: in the five minutes leading up to the hour mark they had scored twice from a single shot on target. The Titans showed maturity, staying in the game mentally and emotionally – far from a given considering San Marino’s history and, in particular, the manner in which this two-goal deficit came about. Slovenia’s pressure was anything but overwhelming and San Marino’s shape remained good, even when the difference in technical ability and physical prowess became evident, as you would expect. In other words, Benedettini’s goal was rarely in serious danger and the match ticked towards 90 minutes with Kek’s men 2-0 ahead. The hosts are now on maximum points after two games and will stand alone at the top if Northern Ireland and Finland draw. Yet, in relative terms, it is San Marino’s performance that deserves greater credit: after riding out the storm in the middle of the first half, they did not suffer unduly against Slovenia’s pressure, and were undone by two incidents in which fortune played a bigger role than quality.  

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European Qualifiers, MD2 | Slovenia v San Marino 2-0 SLOVENIA Oblak; Stojanovic, Brekalo, Bijol (from 36' Drkusic), Karnicnik (from 58' Belkovec); Zajc (from 82' Horvat), Cerin, Lovric, Verbic (from 82' Stankovic); Vombergar (from 58' Vipotnik), Sesko Substitutes: Belec, Vidovsek, Sporar, Celar, Zaletel, Zahovic, Elsnik Head coach: Matjaz Kek   SAN MARINO E. Benedettini; Fabbri (from 72' Franciosi), Rossi (from 46' Di Maio), Cevoli; D'Addario, A. Golinucci, Mi. Battistini, Lunadei (from 72' Vitaioli), Tosi; Nanni (from 86' Rinaldi), Berardi (from 58' Lazzari) Substitutes: Simoncini, S. Benedettini, Zafferani, Ceccaroli, Ma. Battistini, Capicchioni, Hirsch Head coach: Fabrizio Costantini   Referee: Nathan Verboomen (BEL) Assistant referees: Mathias Hillaert (BEL) and Ruben Wyns (BEL) Fourth official: Erik Lambrechts (BEL) VAR: Lawrence Visser (BEL) AVAR: Bram Van Driessche (BEL) Scorers: 56' Sesko, 60' Di Maio og Booked: D'Addario, Fabbri, Costantini (head coach), Franciosi Attendance: 10,282.  

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