Slovenia is no longer a “grey mouse” in world football

According to the FIFA world rankings, Austria’s national football team, currently ranked 22nd, will start League B of the Nations League on Friday (8.45 p.m., ORF 1) in the 16,000-seat Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana as the favorite against number 52, Slovenia.

But appearances are deceptive, the team around striker Jon Gorenc-Stankovic has developed splendidly and has already given many giants a run for their money. “The whole nation is proud of us,” said the 28-year-old midfielder after a convincing EURO 2024 in Germany, from which Slovenia at least left the game undefeated. Respect.

“Unlucky” Sesko

The team of head coach and former GAK player Matjaz Kek mastered the group phase with three draws against Denmark (1:1), Serbia (1:1) and the eventual European runners-up England (0:0), only to be narrowly defeated by Portugal in the round of 16. After 120 minutes it was 0:0, star goalkeeper Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid/28 million euros) plunged Cristiano Ronaldo into the valley of tears with a defused penalty (105th).

Slovenia remained dangerous on the counterattack and found a huge chance to score the match point in the 115th minute through former Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko (21), who increased his market value in Leipzig to 50 million euros. Portugal then won the penalty shootout with a clear 3-0 victory. Nevertheless, there was a lot of applause for the defeated team, who unleashed a wave of euphoria in their homeland. The public interest in the first appearance in Slovenia is correspondingly great, and Jon Gorenc-Stankovic is expecting a sold-out crowd.

“I hope that the EURO will be something like a starting point for a glorious future for our football,” said Kek.

“}”>