It was the 95th minute. Serbia broke free from the rope in Euro 2024

The last set piece decided the division of points in the prestigious Euro 2024 match. Already in added time, Serbia scored against Slovenia to make it 1-1.

Day after day,  Balkan duels take place in Euro 2024 . After Croatia’s match  with Albania ended in a 2-2 draw , the teams of Slovenia  and Serbia  met on Thursday in Munich . They started the second round in group C. Both Slovenia, after a 1-1 draw with Denmark, and Serbia, after a 0-1 defeat against England , had to aim for full points against their regional rival. Time showed that it ended in a draw, which does not make it easier for both teams to advance to the knockout phase.

Slovenia went to the prestigious match with the same lineup as for the match against the Danes. Therefore, we saw Erik Janza on the left side of defense, Jan Oblak in goal , and the strikers were Andraż Sporar  and Benjamin Sesko .

The Serbian coach decided to mix things up in the second line. Dragan Stojković put Sergej Milinkovic-Savic , Nemanja Gudelj  and Filip Kostic  on the bench , and instead of them he started Ivan Ilic, Dusan Tadic , and Filip Mladenovic , a former midfielder of Lechia Gdańsk and Legia Warszawa.

The first shots on target in the match were scored by the Slovenians. In the 4th minute, Adam Gnazda Cerin did not surprise Predrag Rajkovic  with a light kick. In the 8th minute, the ball went into the penalty area to Jan Mlakar, whose shot was deflected with his legs by the Serbian goalkeeper. The Adriatic team had to settle for a corner kick.

In the 38th minute there was the best chance for a goal in the first half. A combination of passes and one feint allowed Timi Elsnik to get into an excellent position. His shot turned out to be slightly inaccurate and the ball bounced off the post. After a while, Slovenia continued to score, but missed the mark.

In turn, Serbia was most dangerous in the 42nd minute, when Aleksandar Mitrović stayed on his feet near Jan Oblak’s goal and did not let Zan Karnicnik take the ball. His shot was stopped by the goalkeeper.

The second half was without Filip Mladenovic, who received a yellow card and was replaced by Mijat Gacinović . Their companions launched the first, dangerous attack after the break. At the end of the match, Aleksandar Mitrović failed to cope with Jan Oblak after a through pass from Dusan Tadic. Overall, Serbia was more active on the offensive and also threatened with other shots.

There were personnel changes, but the result did not change. Until the 69th minute. In it, Slovenia took a 1-0 lead with a shot by Zan Karnicnik. He found himself closing the attack and got his foot in the ball after Timi Elsnik’s pass. Slovenia launched an excellent counterattack, which Serbia was unable to counter.

Serbia tried to improve the result until the end and went the extra mile. In the 95th minute, the ball was in the Slovenian goal after a shot by substitute Luka Jovic . He led to a 1-1 draw with a throw on the tape! He converted Ivan Ilic’s cross from a corner kick when goalkeeper Predrag Rajković was already in the opponent’s penalty area. Matjaz Kek’s team , which lost the lead, must have had a huge grudge against itself.

Slovenia will finish the group stage with a match against England, while Serbia will play against Denmark.

Slovenia  – Serbia  1:1 (0:0) 1:0 – Zan Karnicnik 69′ 1:1 – Luka Jović 90′

Compositions:

Slovenia:  Jan Oblak – Zan Karnicnik, Vanja Drkusić, Jaka Bijol, Erik Janża – Petar Stojanović (76′ Benjamin Verbic), Adam Gnezda Cerin, Timi Elsnik (90′ David Brekalo), Jan Mlakar (63′ Jan-Gorenc Stanković) – Andraż Sporar, Benjamin Sesko (76′ Zan Vipotnik)

Serbia:  Predrag Rajković – Milos Veljković, Nikola Milenković, Strahinja Pavlović – Andrija Zivković (81′ Veljko Birmancević), Ivan Ilić, Sasa Lukić (64′ Sergej Milinković-Savić), Filip Mladenović (46′ Mijat Gacinović) – Dusan Tadić (82 ‘ Lazar Samardzic) – Dusan Vlahović (64’ Luka Jović), Aleksandar Mitrović

Yellow cards:  Janza, Vipotnik (Slovenia) and Mladenović, Lukić, Jović, Gacinović (Serbia)

Referee:  Istvan Kovacs (Romania)