Žan’s impressive goal secures a victory for his team against the Hawks.
Slovenia starts their UEFA Euro 2024 journey with a well-earned victory against Kazakhstan, showing resilience and ending their previous streak of four unsuccessful away games in competitive matches.
The match began with an energetic pace, with Jure Balkovec’s free-kick and Maksim Samorodov’s close attempt to connect with Askhat Tagybergen’s corner, but Igor Shatsky managed to push the ball to safety, unfortunately for Matjaž Kek’s team, Miha Blažič had to leave the pitch early on due to a suspected hamstring injury, leading to David Brekalo’s substitution.
Slovenia’s frustrations grew deeper as Kazakhstan scored the opening goal, with Maksim Samorodov scoring his first senior international goal by heading in an excellent cross from Yan Vorogovsky’s left flank, while Slovenia’s attempts at goal before the break were unable to trouble Igor Shatsky, despite holding 62% possession in the first half.
The scoreline was quickly evened out in the second half with David Brekalo’s excellent header from Adam Gnezda Čerin’s corner, giving the 24-year-old his first international goal in any level, leading Kazakhstan to adopt a defensive approach to handle Slovenia’s increased pressure.
Despite Slovenia’s dominance, Matjaž Kek’s team didn’t rush to score and instead kept their composure to break down a stubborn Kazakhstan defence, with Sandi Lovrić’s pass towards Miha Zajc being stopped by Marat Bystrov’s impressive tackle. However, Slovenia didn’t give up, and the team’s patience was rewarded with a remarkable goal from Žan Vipotnik, who scored his first senior international goal in style with a well-executed first-time volley finish from Petar Stojanović’s perfectly-timed pass, making his debut memorable.
Žan Vipotnik’s outstanding goal was enough to secure Slovenia’s first competitive away win since October 2021, and with a strong performance, they have positioned themselves as contenders to challenge Finland and Northern Ireland for a top-two finish in the highly competitive Group H, while Kazakhstan, despite suffering a fourth consecutive defeat, can take some positives from the match and may play a significant role in the group’s outcome.
