Slovenia 1-1 Serbia: Jovic grabs last-gasp equaliser to rescue point for Serbia
Serbia substitute Luka Jovic scored a last-gasp equaliser to cancel out Zan Karnicnik's opener and salvage a 1-1 draw with Slovenia in an exciting Group C match at Euro 2024 on Thursday.
At the Munich Football Arena, both teams hit the crossbar and had periods where they dominated possession and created chances in a game that swung from end to end at points.
Slovenia are now second with two points and will face England, who have three, in their final group game. Serbia, who are bottom with one point, will face Denmark next, who have one point as well, and play England later on Thursday.
Slovenia remain unbeaten and are still in contention to advance to the tournament's knockout stage. For Serbia, the point boosts their chances of progress.
Serbia manager Dragan Stojkovic praised Slovenia's discipline while lamenting the fact that, despite 15 goal attempts, his team did not score until nearly the final whistle.
"We created chances," Stojkovic said. "It was incredible how the ball did not want to enter the goal."(With Denmark) it will be us or them. We will play an open game."
Serbia began slowly, as they did in their 1-0 opening loss to England, and Slovenia took advantage, with Timi Elsnik hitting the near post after dribbling into the box in the first half.
Slovenia broke the deadlock after the break with a brilliantly executed goal from man-of-the-match Karnicnik, putting them on the verge of their first ever Euros victory.
Slovenia had missed several good chances until right back Karnicnik drove upfield from the edge of his own penalty area, passed to Elsnik, and then met the return cross to slot the ball past Predrag Rajkovic in the 69th minute.
Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek thanked his players for their efforts in what he described as a great atmosphere, but admitted they ran out of steam near the end of the game.
“Slovenia has shown that it has a place here at the European Championship," Kek said. "Sport and football in general can be cruel but I believe karma will do its part for this team.
"We have felt disappointment because we know how strong the Serbia players are. There was a bit of a lack of concentration, perhaps a bit of a lack of strength in the last minutes."
Serbia increased the pressure in search of an equaliser, with veteran striker Aleksandar Mitrovic hitting the post, and they eventually levelled when Jovic nodded home a corner five minutes into added time, leaving their opponents stunned.
Serbia had failed to capitalise on periods of superiority despite Mitrovic's threat, who saw a close range shot deflected by Karnicnik onto the woodwork, until Jovic struck.
"They were the better team in the first half but we prevailed in the second," Mitrovic said. "We created a lot of chances and I was especially unlucky. We kept going until the end."
SportsLigue