Slovenia national football team
Encyclopedia
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia
and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia
. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia
in 1991.
Slovenia was a surprise qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine
in a playoff. The team then drew with Yugoslavia
and Norway
, and lost to Spain
2–1. Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup
, this time defeating Romania
in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not score any points in the group stage of the finals.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
, they were the only team to beat eventual winners Italy
with a 1–0 victory on home turf. In 1995 Slovenia played Italy to a 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia
in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
n independence in 1991, the Slovenian national team existed only as a regional team not officially recognized by FIFA
. It had a similar status as the Catalonia national football team
or Kosovo national football team
. The team had mostly played against similar teams from other republics of SFR Yugoslavia and was represented by Slovenian players under the traditional colours of white, blue and red.
. The new Slovenian national football team played its first FIFA-recognized game on 3 June 1992 in Tallinn
against Estonia
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Igor Benedejčič
scoring the first goal for the new team. The first coach of the team was Bojan Prašnikar
.
It was not until its third game on 7 April 1993 that the team achieved its first international victory by defeating Estonia
2–0 in Ljubljana
, with goals scored by Samir Zulić
and Sašo Udovič
.
From 1994–1997 the team coach was Zdenko Verdenik
, who was the first to lead the team through qualifications for a major tournament. In a group with Italy
, Croatia
, Ukraine
, Lithuania
and Estonia
the team had mild success, winning three games and taking eleven points on ten matches for the Euro 1996 qualifications.
Verdenik also coached the team through qualifications for France 1998. In a tough group with Croatia
, Denmark
, Greece
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
the team finished last with only one point on eight matches and a goal differential of −15.
Afterwards, Verdenik was sacked and Bojan Prašnikar was named as the Slovenian coach for the second time. At the time he was also the coach of Slovenian top club NK Maribor
and was given an ultimatum from the NZS
that he could only coach one team. He decided in favor of NK Maribor, which later turned out to be a good decision as he led the club to the UEFA Champions League
only two seasons later. NZS appointed Srečko Katanec
as head coach.
, Greece
, Latvia
, Albania
and Georgia
. With excellent performances under the guidance of the new coach and with terrific performances from Zlatko Zahovič
, who scored eight out of twelve goals, the team secured 2nd position two rounds before the end of qualifications.
Second place in the group meant that the team was to play additional qualifications with an opponent that was to be decided by UEFA in a draw. Slovenia got somewhat lucky with a draw as they were picked to play with Ukraine. The first leg against Ukraine was played in Ljubljana
Slovenia won 2–1 after trailing at the half. Zlatko Zahovič scored the first goal, bringing his total in the qualifications campaign to nine. Milenko Ačimovič
added a spectacular second, late in the game from more than 40 meters. The second leg was played in snowy conditions in Kiev
. Sergei Rebrov scored in the 68th minute, equalised by Miran Pavlin
ten minutes later. The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified on its first major tournament.
, Yugoslavia
and Norway
. Despite being an outsider Slovenia showed the international community that it can play top level football and was by many one of the most pleasant surprises of the tournament. Almost 30,000 fans from Slovenia gathered to see their national team play in three matches on Euro 2000. At the end Zlatko Zahovič was considered one of the best players on the tournament.
In the first game of the group Slovenia stunned Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring twice and Miran Pavlin once. After the red card of Siniša Mihajlović
it looked like the team would have won its first game, but then Yugoslavia made a dream comeback as they scored three goals in only six minutes. The final result was 3–3.
The second game was played in Amsterdam
against Spain. Spain took the 1–0 lead quickly as Raúl
scored. Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zlatko Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Spain then took the lead again after only sixty seconds as Joseba Etxeberria
scored a goal winner. 13,000 Slovenian fans gathered to see the match in Amsterdam Arena
, which is still a record for the most Slovenian spectators on a football game outside Slovenia.
In the last round of the group stage Slovenia played against Norway and still had theoretical chances to progress to the quarterfinals. At the end the game was a goalless draw and the team won its second point of the tournament.
, Yugoslavia
, Switzerland
, Faroe Islands
and Luxembourg
. Zlatko Zahovič was once more the man behind the success of the team as he scored four goals and made numerous assists to lead his team to second place, which meant that the team had again qualified to the playoffs.
In the playoffs Slovenia played a high flying Romania
, with other possible opponents such as Germany
, Czech Republic
and Turkey
.
The games with Romania was similar to the ones against Ukraine in the playoffs two years earlier. The first leg was again played in Slovenia and again the away team scored a goal in the first half to take the lead. However, this time Slovenia managed to equalise with the goal from Milenko Ačimovič in the first half. In the second half Milan Osterc
scored a spectacular goal and Slovenia won the game 2–1. In the second leg in Bucharest
the first half finished with 0–0 and at the beginning of the second Slovenia took the lead with a goal from Mladen Rudonja
, which was the first and only goal from the striker in 65 caps for the national team. Romanians equalised with a goal scored by Cosmin Contra
with 25 minutes remaining. The final result was 1–1 and Slovenia was qualified to its second consecutive major tournament and first ever World Cup.
Through the whole qualifications campaign Slovenia played a total of 12 games and was undefeated with a total of 6 wins and 6 draws.
, Paraguay
and South Africa
. All matches in this group were played in South Korea
.
On the first game Slovenia played against Spain for the second time in a row on a major tournament. Under heavy rain Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Valerón
added a second 15 minutes before full time for a 2–0 lead. Then seven minutes later Sebastjan Cimirotič
managed to score the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1, giving Slovenia some hope. That hope was soon shattered when Fernando Hierro
scored a penalty goal in 87 minute for the final score of 3–1. This match is infamous in Slovenia due to the conflict between coach Srečko Katanec and player Zlatko Zahovič in the dressing room after the game, which resulted in Zlatko Zahovič being sent home and Srečko Katanec's resignation after the tournament. After this conflict the team was not the same and they capitulated on its two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1). Milenko Ačimovič scored the second goal for Slovenia on the tournament.
, Israel
, Cyprus
and Malta
, the team finished second and managed to qualify for its third consecutive playoffs.
This time Slovenia had to play its neighboring country as the draw set a duel against Croatia
. The first leg was played in Zagreb
and Croatia managed to get in the lead as Dado Pršo
scored a goal in the 5th minute. Slovenia however fought back as Ermin Šiljak
equalised only 15 minutes later. The match finished 1–1. In the second leg played in Ljubljana the first half finished with no goals. Then 15 minutes into the second Dado Pršo scored again and Croatia took the lead. Later Slovenia, despite the fact that Croatia played the last minutes with 10 players due to a red card, did not produce any quality chances and the match finished 1–0 in favour of Croatia. That meant that Croatia qualified on Euro 2004 with the score 2–1 aggregate. Bojan Prašnikar was later criticised by the media and the fans for his defensive tactics as Slovenia only managed to take one shot on target during the two playoff games. Prašnikar was later replaced by Branko Oblak
.
Ermin Šiljak scored a total of eight goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the best goalscorer of the whole UEFA zone qualifications.
He led the team through the qualifications for World Cup 2006
in Germany. In a group with Italy
, Norway
, Scotland
, Belarus
and Moldova
the team achieved a victory over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, thus winning seven points in the first three games. Later however the team won only five points on the remaining matches and finished in fourth place.
Branko Oblak also coached the team at the beginning of the qualifications for Euro 2008. In a group with Netherlands
, Romania
, Bulgaria
, Belarus
, Albania
and Luxembourg
the team quickly lost its qualification hopes with two heavy defeats by Bulgaria (3–0) and Belarus (4–2) and a 2–0 win over Luxembourg after a poor performance. Oblak had lost the support from the media and fans some time ago and he was sacked and replaced by Matjaž Kek
.
. In the end that did not happen and Kek was given a chance to prove himself in a qualifications for World Cup 2010
.
, Poland
, Northern Ireland
, Slovakia
and San Marino
. Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław and then won its first two home games against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (2–0),. Slovenia then won only one point in the two games with the Czech Republic and lost away against Northern Ireland, when they got back on track with the home 5–0 victory over San Marino. After that the team really started to play well as they beat Poland at home (3–0) and defeated Slovakia in Bratislava
(2–0) who were at the time the main contenders for the first place. In the last round Slovenia needed a win over San Marino (3–0) and a draw/loss of Slovakia in Poland to clinch the first position. Slovakia however won the away game in Poland with 1–0 and therefore Slovenia finished on second position and was headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in history.
Slovenia did not have much luck when the draw appointed Russia
as their opponent for the playoffs. Russia had high hopes as it did well at the Euro 2008 and with Guus Hiddink
leading them everything seemed at reach for Russia. Other possible opponents were France
, Portugal
and Greece
.
The first leg was played in Moscow and Russia played well as they had the lead 2–0 up until 88 minute when a substitute Nejc Pečnik
scored a goal that gave hope for Slovenia. In the second leg that was played in Maribor
Slovenia was dominant through the first half but only managed to score once as Zlatko Dedič
scored at the end of the first half. That goal however turned out to be a decisive one as the score remained 1–0 to the end of the match. The final score of the playoffs against Russia was 2–2 aggregate and Slovenia qualified due to the away goals rule
. Slovenia was the only unseeded team that managed to qualify from the playoffs.
The main scorer for the national team was Milivoje Novakovič
with 5 goals. Slovenia did particularly well on home games that were played in Maribor
as the team managed to achieve five victories and a draw with a total goal difference 13–1.
, Algeria
and USA
. Slovenia won their opening game against Algeria
in Peter Mokaba Stadium
, Polokwane
1–0, Robert Koren
scoring Slovenia's goal. In their second game against the United States
, Slovenia were leading 2–0 at half time with Valter Birsa
and Zlatan Ljubijankič
scoring for Slovenia, however Landon Donovan
and Michael Bradley
scored for the USA for the score to finish 2–2. In their last match in the preliminary round, Slovenia lost to England 0–1 by a goal from Jermain Defoe
. Because the United States beat Algeria with the only goal scored in the 92nd minute of the match, the Slovenian team was eliminated.
is that home matches of the national teams are fairly distributed among the two biggest cities in the country, Ljubljana
and Maribor
while also a stadium in Celje
is considered for future matches. There are four main stadiums in three different cities in the country that the team has played the majority of its matches or will play in the future.
stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana and was the main stadium until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure. The stadium was built in 1935 and up until now it hosted a total of 29 matches of the national team, which is the most then any other stadium in the country. It has a total capacity of 8,211 and was the main venue of the national team in the qualifications for Euro 2000 and World cup 2002
on which Slovenia qualified and the qualifications for Euro 2004 when the team secured 2nd position in the group and then lost in playoffs.
Currently the stadium is closed for renovation. Plans are for the stadium to be completely renovated by 2012 when it could once again serve as a home venue for the national team. However this is unlikely as there is a brand new stadium that was recently build in Ljubljana and has a capacity of 16,038 seats.
. After the renovation of the stadium in 2008 the ground became the main venue of the national team and Slovenia played their first match there after nearly a decade. The stadium current capacity is 12,994 covered seats. Ljudski vrt was the main home venue in the qualifications for World cup 2010
where Slovenia did particularly well as the team won five and draw one home matches with goal difference 13–1. The stadium was also one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.
and Euro 2008. The stadium is not popular among the fans as it is build in English style with four separate stands and many fans argue that is the reason for lack of athmosphere during matches. The capacity of the stadium is 13,006 seats from which only around 50% are covered. Slovenia played 16 matches on this stadium, with the last one played in 2007. Former president of Slovenian FA (Ivan Simič) announced that the stadium will be in consideration for the national team matches in the future.
provider of the national team is Nike
, which has a contract with the team until 2016. Before that the kit providers were Kappa
, Uhlsport
, Adidas
and Puma.
|align="center"|
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia
and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia
. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia
in 1991.
Slovenia was a surprise qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine
in a playoff. The team then drew with Yugoslavia
and Norway
, and lost to Spain
2–1. Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup
, this time defeating Romania
in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not score any points in the group stage of the finals.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
, they were the only team to beat eventual winners Italy
with a 1–0 victory on home turf. In 1995 Slovenia played Italy to a 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia
in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
n independence in 1991, the Slovenian national team existed only as a regional team not officially recognized by FIFA
. It had a similar status as the Catalonia national football team
or Kosovo national football team
. The team had mostly played against similar teams from other republics of SFR Yugoslavia and was represented by Slovenian players under the traditional colours of white, blue and red.
. The new Slovenian national football team played its first FIFA-recognized game on 3 June 1992 in Tallinn
against Estonia
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Igor Benedejčič
scoring the first goal for the new team. The first coach of the team was Bojan Prašnikar
.
It was not until its third game on 7 April 1993 that the team achieved its first international victory by defeating Estonia
2–0 in Ljubljana
, with goals scored by Samir Zulić
and Sašo Udovič
.
From 1994–1997 the team coach was Zdenko Verdenik
, who was the first to lead the team through qualifications for a major tournament. In a group with Italy
, Croatia
, Ukraine
, Lithuania
and Estonia
the team had mild success, winning three games and taking eleven points on ten matches for the Euro 1996 qualifications.
Verdenik also coached the team through qualifications for France 1998. In a tough group with Croatia
, Denmark
, Greece
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
the team finished last with only one point on eight matches and a goal differential of −15.
Afterwards, Verdenik was sacked and Bojan Prašnikar was named as the Slovenian coach for the second time. At the time he was also the coach of Slovenian top club NK Maribor
and was given an ultimatum from the NZS
that he could only coach one team. He decided in favor of NK Maribor, which later turned out to be a good decision as he led the club to the UEFA Champions League
only two seasons later. NZS appointed Srečko Katanec
as head coach.
, Greece
, Latvia
, Albania
and Georgia
. With excellent performances under the guidance of the new coach and with terrific performances from Zlatko Zahovič
, who scored eight out of twelve goals, the team secured 2nd position two rounds before the end of qualifications.
Second place in the group meant that the team was to play additional qualifications with an opponent that was to be decided by UEFA in a draw. Slovenia got somewhat lucky with a draw as they were picked to play with Ukraine. The first leg against Ukraine was played in Ljubljana
Slovenia won 2–1 after trailing at the half. Zlatko Zahovič scored the first goal, bringing his total in the qualifications campaign to nine. Milenko Ačimovič
added a spectacular second, late in the game from more than 40 meters. The second leg was played in snowy conditions in Kiev
. Sergei Rebrov scored in the 68th minute, equalised by Miran Pavlin
ten minutes later. The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified on its first major tournament.
, Yugoslavia
and Norway
. Despite being an outsider Slovenia showed the international community that it can play top level football and was by many one of the most pleasant surprises of the tournament. Almost 30,000 fans from Slovenia gathered to see their national team play in three matches on Euro 2000. At the end Zlatko Zahovič was considered one of the best players on the tournament.
In the first game of the group Slovenia stunned Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring twice and Miran Pavlin once. After the red card of Siniša Mihajlović
it looked like the team would have won its first game, but then Yugoslavia made a dream comeback as they scored three goals in only six minutes. The final result was 3–3.
The second game was played in Amsterdam
against Spain. Spain took the 1–0 lead quickly as Raúl
scored. Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zlatko Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Spain then took the lead again after only sixty seconds as Joseba Etxeberria
scored a goal winner. 13,000 Slovenian fans gathered to see the match in Amsterdam Arena
, which is still a record for the most Slovenian spectators on a football game outside Slovenia.
In the last round of the group stage Slovenia played against Norway and still had theoretical chances to progress to the quarterfinals. At the end the game was a goalless draw and the team won its second point of the tournament.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||2||0||1||6||5||+1||6
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||7||7||0||4
|- align=center
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||1||1||0||4
|- align=center
|align="left"|
|3||0||2||1||4||5||−1||2
|}
, Yugoslavia
, Switzerland
, Faroe Islands
and Luxembourg
. Zlatko Zahovič was once more the man behind the success of the team as he scored four goals and made numerous assists to lead his team to second place, which meant that the team had again qualified to the playoffs.
In the playoffs Slovenia played a high flying Romania
, with other possible opponents such as Germany
, Czech Republic
and Turkey
.
The games with Romania was similar to the ones against Ukraine in the playoffs two years earlier. The first leg was again played in Slovenia and again the away team scored a goal in the first half to take the lead. However, this time Slovenia managed to equalise with the goal from Milenko Ačimovič in the first half. In the second half Milan Osterc
scored a spectacular goal and Slovenia won the game 2–1. In the second leg in Bucharest
the first half finished with 0–0 and at the beginning of the second Slovenia took the lead with a goal from Mladen Rudonja
, which was the first and only goal from the striker in 65 caps for the national team. Romanians equalised with a goal scored by Cosmin Contra
with 25 minutes remaining. The final result was 1–1 and Slovenia was qualified to its second consecutive major tournament and first ever World Cup.
Through the whole qualifications campaign Slovenia played a total of 12 games and was undefeated with a total of 6 wins and 6 draws.
, Paraguay
and South Africa
. All matches in this group were played in South Korea
.
On the first game Slovenia played against Spain for the second time in a row on a major tournament. Under heavy rain Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Valerón
added a second 15 minutes before full time for a 2–0 lead. Then seven minutes later Sebastjan Cimirotič
managed to score the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1, giving Slovenia some hope. That hope was soon shattered when Fernando Hierro
scored a penalty goal in 87 minute for the final score of 3–1. This match is infamous in Slovenia due to the conflict between coach Srečko Katanec and player Zlatko Zahovič in the dressing room after the game, which resulted in Zlatko Zahovič being sent home and Srečko Katanec's resignation after the tournament. After this conflict the team was not the same and they capitulated on its two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1). Milenko Ačimovič scored the second goal for Slovenia on the tournament.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||3||0||0||9||4||+5||9
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||6||6||0||4
|-
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||5||5||0||4
|-
|align="left"|
|3||0||0||3||2||7||−5||0
|}
, Israel
, Cyprus
and Malta
, the team finished second and managed to qualify for its third consecutive playoffs.
This time Slovenia had to play its neighboring country as the draw set a duel against Croatia
. The first leg was played in Zagreb
and Croatia managed to get in the lead as Dado Pršo
scored a goal in the 5th minute. Slovenia however fought back as Ermin Šiljak
equalised only 15 minutes later. The match finished 1–1. In the second leg played in Ljubljana the first half finished with no goals. Then 15 minutes into the second Dado Pršo scored again and Croatia took the lead. Later Slovenia, despite the fact that Croatia played the last minutes with 10 players due to a red card, did not produce any quality chances and the match finished 1–0 in favour of Croatia. That meant that Croatia qualified on Euro 2004 with the score 2–1 aggregate. Bojan Prašnikar was later criticised by the media and the fans for his defensive tactics as Slovenia only managed to take one shot on target during the two playoff games. Prašnikar was later replaced by Branko Oblak
.
Ermin Šiljak scored a total of eight goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the best goalscorer of the whole UEFA zone qualifications.
He led the team through the qualifications for World Cup 2006
in Germany. In a group with Italy
, Norway
, Scotland
, Belarus
and Moldova
the team achieved a victory over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, thus winning seven points in the first three games. Later however the team won only five points on the remaining matches and finished in fourth place.
Branko Oblak also coached the team at the beginning of the qualifications for Euro 2008. In a group with Netherlands
, Romania
, Bulgaria
, Belarus
, Albania
and Luxembourg
the team quickly lost its qualification hopes with two heavy defeats by Bulgaria (3–0) and Belarus (4–2) and a 2–0 win over Luxembourg after a poor performance. Oblak had lost the support from the media and fans some time ago and he was sacked and replaced by Matjaž Kek
.
. In the end that did not happen and Kek was given a chance to prove himself in a qualifications for World Cup 2010
.
, Poland
, Northern Ireland
, Slovakia
and San Marino
. Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław and then won its first two home games against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (2–0),. Slovenia then won only one point in the two games with the Czech Republic and lost away against Northern Ireland, when they got back on track with the home 5–0 victory over San Marino. After that the team really started to play well as they beat Poland at home (3–0) and defeated Slovakia in Bratislava
(2–0) who were at the time the main contenders for the first place. In the last round Slovenia needed a win over San Marino (3–0) and a draw/loss of Slovakia in Poland to clinch the first position. Slovakia however won the away game in Poland with 1–0 and therefore Slovenia finished on second position and was headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in history.
Slovenia did not have much luck when the draw appointed Russia
as their opponent for the playoffs. Russia had high hopes as it did well at the Euro 2008 and with Guus Hiddink
leading them everything seemed at reach for Russia. Other possible opponents were France
, Portugal
and Greece
.
The first leg was played in Moscow and Russia played well as they had the lead 2–0 up until 88 minute when a substitute Nejc Pečnik
scored a goal that gave hope for Slovenia. In the second leg that was played in Maribor
Slovenia was dominant through the first half but only managed to score once as Zlatko Dedič
scored at the end of the first half. That goal however turned out to be a decisive one as the score remained 1–0 to the end of the match. The final score of the playoffs against Russia was 2–2 aggregate and Slovenia qualified due to the away goals rule
. Slovenia was the only unseeded team that managed to qualify from the playoffs.
The main scorer for the national team was Milivoje Novakovič
with 5 goals. Slovenia did particularly well on home games that were played in Maribor
as the team managed to achieve five victories and a draw with a total goal difference 13–1.
, Algeria
and USA
. Slovenia won their opening game against Algeria
in Peter Mokaba Stadium
, Polokwane
1–0, Robert Koren
scoring Slovenia's goal. In their second game against the United States
, Slovenia were leading 2–0 at half time with Valter Birsa
and Zlatan Ljubijankič
scoring for Slovenia, however Landon Donovan
and Michael Bradley
scored for the USA for the score to finish 2–2. In their last match in the preliminary round, Slovenia lost to England 0–1 by a goal from Jermain Defoe
. Because the United States beat Algeria with the only goal scored in the 92nd minute of the match, the Slovenian team was eliminated.
is that home matches of the national teams are fairly distributed among the two biggest cities in the country, Ljubljana
and Maribor
while also a stadium in Celje
is considered for future matches. There are four main stadiums in three different cities in the country that the team has played the majority of its matches or will play in the future.
stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana and was the main stadium until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure. The stadium was built in 1935 and up until now it hosted a total of 29 matches of the national team, which is the most then any other stadium in the country. It has a total capacity of 8,211 and was the main venue of the national team in the qualifications for Euro 2000 and World cup 2002
on which Slovenia qualified and the qualifications for Euro 2004 when the team secured 2nd position in the group and then lost in playoffs.
Currently the stadium is closed for renovation. Plans are for the stadium to be completely renovated by 2012 when it could once again serve as a home venue for the national team. However this is unlikely as there is a brand new stadium that was recently build in Ljubljana and has a capacity of 16,038 seats.
. After the renovation of the stadium in 2008 the ground became the main venue of the national team and Slovenia played their first match there after nearly a decade. The stadium current capacity is 12,994 covered seats. Ljudski vrt was the main home venue in the qualifications for World cup 2010
where Slovenia did particularly well as the team won five and draw one home matches with goal difference 13–1. The stadium was also one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.
and Euro 2008. The stadium is not popular among the fans as it is build in English style with four separate stands and many fans argue that is the reason for lack of athmosphere during matches. The capacity of the stadium is 13,006 seats from which only around 50% are covered. Slovenia played 16 matches on this stadium, with the last one played in 2007. Former president of Slovenian FA (Ivan Simič) announced that the stadium will be in consideration for the national team matches in the future.
provider of the national team is Nike
, which has a contract with the team until 2016. Before that the kit providers were Kappa
, Uhlsport
, Adidas
and Puma.
|align="center"|
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia
and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia
. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia
in 1991.
Slovenia was a surprise qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine
in a playoff. The team then drew with Yugoslavia
and Norway
, and lost to Spain
2–1. Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup
, this time defeating Romania
in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not score any points in the group stage of the finals.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
, they were the only team to beat eventual winners Italy
with a 1–0 victory on home turf. In 1995 Slovenia played Italy to a 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia
in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
n independence in 1991, the Slovenian national team existed only as a regional team not officially recognized by FIFA
. It had a similar status as the Catalonia national football team
or Kosovo national football team
. The team had mostly played against similar teams from other republics of SFR Yugoslavia and was represented by Slovenian players under the traditional colours of white, blue and red.
. The new Slovenian national football team played its first FIFA-recognized game on 3 June 1992 in Tallinn
against Estonia
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Igor Benedejčič
scoring the first goal for the new team. The first coach of the team was Bojan Prašnikar
.
It was not until its third game on 7 April 1993 that the team achieved its first international victory by defeating Estonia
2–0 in Ljubljana
, with goals scored by Samir Zulić
and Sašo Udovič
.
From 1994–1997 the team coach was Zdenko Verdenik
, who was the first to lead the team through qualifications for a major tournament. In a group with Italy
, Croatia
, Ukraine
, Lithuania
and Estonia
the team had mild success, winning three games and taking eleven points on ten matches for the Euro 1996 qualifications.
Verdenik also coached the team through qualifications for France 1998. In a tough group with Croatia
, Denmark
, Greece
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
the team finished last with only one point on eight matches and a goal differential of −15.
Afterwards, Verdenik was sacked and Bojan Prašnikar was named as the Slovenian coach for the second time. At the time he was also the coach of Slovenian top club NK Maribor
and was given an ultimatum from the NZS
that he could only coach one team. He decided in favor of NK Maribor, which later turned out to be a good decision as he led the club to the UEFA Champions League
only two seasons later. NZS appointed Srečko Katanec
as head coach.
, Greece
, Latvia
, Albania
and Georgia
. With excellent performances under the guidance of the new coach and with terrific performances from Zlatko Zahovič
, who scored eight out of twelve goals, the team secured 2nd position two rounds before the end of qualifications.
Second place in the group meant that the team was to play additional qualifications with an opponent that was to be decided by UEFA in a draw. Slovenia got somewhat lucky with a draw as they were picked to play with Ukraine. The first leg against Ukraine was played in Ljubljana
Slovenia won 2–1 after trailing at the half. Zlatko Zahovič scored the first goal, bringing his total in the qualifications campaign to nine. Milenko Ačimovič
added a spectacular second, late in the game from more than 40 meters. The second leg was played in snowy conditions in Kiev
. Sergei Rebrov scored in the 68th minute, equalised by Miran Pavlin
ten minutes later. The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified on its first major tournament.
, Yugoslavia
and Norway
. Despite being an outsider Slovenia showed the international community that it can play top level football and was by many one of the most pleasant surprises of the tournament. Almost 30,000 fans from Slovenia gathered to see their national team play in three matches on Euro 2000. At the end Zlatko Zahovič was considered one of the best players on the tournament.
In the first game of the group Slovenia stunned Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring twice and Miran Pavlin once. After the red card of Siniša Mihajlović
it looked like the team would have won its first game, but then Yugoslavia made a dream comeback as they scored three goals in only six minutes. The final result was 3–3.
The second game was played in Amsterdam
against Spain. Spain took the 1–0 lead quickly as Raúl
scored. Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zlatko Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Spain then took the lead again after only sixty seconds as Joseba Etxeberria
scored a goal winner. 13,000 Slovenian fans gathered to see the match in Amsterdam Arena
, which is still a record for the most Slovenian spectators on a football game outside Slovenia.
In the last round of the group stage Slovenia played against Norway and still had theoretical chances to progress to the quarterfinals. At the end the game was a goalless draw and the team won its second point of the tournament.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||2||0||1||6||5||+1||6
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||7||7||0||4
|- align=center
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||1||1||0||4
|- align=center
|align="left"|
|3||0||2||1||4||5||−1||2
|}
, Yugoslavia
, Switzerland
, Faroe Islands
and Luxembourg
. Zlatko Zahovič was once more the man behind the success of the team as he scored four goals and made numerous assists to lead his team to second place, which meant that the team had again qualified to the playoffs.
In the playoffs Slovenia played a high flying Romania
, with other possible opponents such as Germany
, Czech Republic
and Turkey
.
The games with Romania was similar to the ones against Ukraine in the playoffs two years earlier. The first leg was again played in Slovenia and again the away team scored a goal in the first half to take the lead. However, this time Slovenia managed to equalise with the goal from Milenko Ačimovič in the first half. In the second half Milan Osterc
scored a spectacular goal and Slovenia won the game 2–1. In the second leg in Bucharest
the first half finished with 0–0 and at the beginning of the second Slovenia took the lead with a goal from Mladen Rudonja
, which was the first and only goal from the striker in 65 caps for the national team. Romanians equalised with a goal scored by Cosmin Contra
with 25 minutes remaining. The final result was 1–1 and Slovenia was qualified to its second consecutive major tournament and first ever World Cup.
Through the whole qualifications campaign Slovenia played a total of 12 games and was undefeated with a total of 6 wins and 6 draws.
, Paraguay
and South Africa
. All matches in this group were played in South Korea
.
On the first game Slovenia played against Spain for the second time in a row on a major tournament. Under heavy rain Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Valerón
added a second 15 minutes before full time for a 2–0 lead. Then seven minutes later Sebastjan Cimirotič
managed to score the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1, giving Slovenia some hope. That hope was soon shattered when Fernando Hierro
scored a penalty goal in 87 minute for the final score of 3–1. This match is infamous in Slovenia due to the conflict between coach Srečko Katanec and player Zlatko Zahovič in the dressing room after the game, which resulted in Zlatko Zahovič being sent home and Srečko Katanec's resignation after the tournament. After this conflict the team was not the same and they capitulated on its two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1). Milenko Ačimovič scored the second goal for Slovenia on the tournament.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||3||0||0||9||4||+5||9
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||6||6||0||4
|-
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||5||5||0||4
|-
|align="left"|
|3||0||0||3||2||7||−5||0
|}
, Israel
, Cyprus
and Malta
, the team finished second and managed to qualify for its third consecutive playoffs.
This time Slovenia had to play its neighboring country as the draw set a duel against Croatia
. The first leg was played in Zagreb
and Croatia managed to get in the lead as Dado Pršo
scored a goal in the 5th minute. Slovenia however fought back as Ermin Šiljak
equalised only 15 minutes later. The match finished 1–1. In the second leg played in Ljubljana the first half finished with no goals. Then 15 minutes into the second Dado Pršo scored again and Croatia took the lead. Later Slovenia, despite the fact that Croatia played the last minutes with 10 players due to a red card, did not produce any quality chances and the match finished 1–0 in favour of Croatia. That meant that Croatia qualified on Euro 2004 with the score 2–1 aggregate. Bojan Prašnikar was later criticised by the media and the fans for his defensive tactics as Slovenia only managed to take one shot on target during the two playoff games. Prašnikar was later replaced by Branko Oblak
.
Ermin Šiljak scored a total of eight goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the best goalscorer of the whole UEFA zone qualifications.
He led the team through the qualifications for World Cup 2006
in Germany. In a group with Italy
, Norway
, Scotland
, Belarus
and Moldova
the team achieved a victory over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, thus winning seven points in the first three games. Later however the team won only five points on the remaining matches and finished in fourth place.
Branko Oblak also coached the team at the beginning of the qualifications for Euro 2008. In a group with Netherlands
, Romania
, Bulgaria
, Belarus
, Albania
and Luxembourg
the team quickly lost its qualification hopes with two heavy defeats by Bulgaria (3–0) and Belarus (4–2) and a 2–0 win over Luxembourg after a poor performance. Oblak had lost the support from the media and fans some time ago and he was sacked and replaced by Matjaž Kek
.
. In the end that did not happen and Kek was given a chance to prove himself in a qualifications for World Cup 2010
.
, Poland
, Northern Ireland
, Slovakia
and San Marino
. Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław and then won its first two home games against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (2–0),. Slovenia then won only one point in the two games with the Czech Republic and lost away against Northern Ireland, when they got back on track with the home 5–0 victory over San Marino. After that the team really started to play well as they beat Poland at home (3–0) and defeated Slovakia in Bratislava
(2–0) who were at the time the main contenders for the first place. In the last round Slovenia needed a win over San Marino (3–0) and a draw/loss of Slovakia in Poland to clinch the first position. Slovakia however won the away game in Poland with 1–0 and therefore Slovenia finished on second position and was headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in history.
Slovenia did not have much luck when the draw appointed Russia
as their opponent for the playoffs. Russia had high hopes as it did well at the Euro 2008 and with Guus Hiddink
leading them everything seemed at reach for Russia. Other possible opponents were France
, Portugal
and Greece
.
The first leg was played in Moscow and Russia played well as they had the lead 2–0 up until 88 minute when a substitute Nejc Pečnik
scored a goal that gave hope for Slovenia. In the second leg that was played in Maribor
Slovenia was dominant through the first half but only managed to score once as Zlatko Dedič
scored at the end of the first half. That goal however turned out to be a decisive one as the score remained 1–0 to the end of the match. The final score of the playoffs against Russia was 2–2 aggregate and Slovenia qualified due to the away goals rule
. Slovenia was the only unseeded team that managed to qualify from the playoffs.
The main scorer for the national team was Milivoje Novakovič
with 5 goals. Slovenia did particularly well on home games that were played in Maribor
as the team managed to achieve five victories and a draw with a total goal difference 13–1.
, Algeria
and USA
. Slovenia won their opening game against Algeria
in Peter Mokaba Stadium
, Polokwane
1–0, Robert Koren
scoring Slovenia's goal. In their second game against the United States
, Slovenia were leading 2–0 at half time with Valter Birsa
and Zlatan Ljubijankič
scoring for Slovenia, however Landon Donovan
and Michael Bradley
scored for the USA for the score to finish 2–2. In their last match in the preliminary round, Slovenia lost to England 0–1 by a goal from Jermain Defoe
. Because the United States beat Algeria with the only goal scored in the 92nd minute of the match, the Slovenian team was eliminated.
is that home matches of the national teams are fairly distributed among the two biggest cities in the country, Ljubljana
and Maribor
while also a stadium in Celje
is considered for future matches. There are four main stadiums in three different cities in the country that the team has played the majority of its matches or will play in the future.
stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana and was the main stadium until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure. The stadium was built in 1935 and up until now it hosted a total of 29 matches of the national team, which is the most then any other stadium in the country. It has a total capacity of 8,211 and was the main venue of the national team in the qualifications for Euro 2000 and World cup 2002
on which Slovenia qualified and the qualifications for Euro 2004 when the team secured 2nd position in the group and then lost in playoffs.
Currently the stadium is closed for renovation. Plans are for the stadium to be completely renovated by 2012 when it could once again serve as a home venue for the national team. However this is unlikely as there is a brand new stadium that was recently build in Ljubljana and has a capacity of 16,038 seats.
. After the renovation of the stadium in 2008 the ground became the main venue of the national team and Slovenia played their first match there after nearly a decade. The stadium current capacity is 12,994 covered seats. Ljudski vrt was the main home venue in the qualifications for World cup 2010
where Slovenia did particularly well as the team won five and draw one home matches with goal difference 13–1. The stadium was also one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.
and Euro 2008. The stadium is not popular among the fans as it is build in English style with four separate stands and many fans argue that is the reason for lack of athmosphere during matches. The capacity of the stadium is 13,006 seats from which only around 50% are covered. Slovenia played 16 matches on this stadium, with the last one played in 2007. Former president of Slovenian FA (Ivan Simič) announced that the stadium will be in consideration for the national team matches in the future.
provider of the national team is Nike
, which has a contract with the team until 2016. Before that the kit providers were Kappa
, Uhlsport
, Adidas
and Puma.
|align="center"|
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia
Football Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
in 1991.
Slovenia was a surprise qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
in a playoff. The team then drew with Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, and lost to Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
2–1. Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, this time defeating Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not score any points in the group stage of the finals.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, they were the only team to beat eventual winners Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
with a 1–0 victory on home turf. In 1995 Slovenia played Italy to a 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
Origins
Before SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n independence in 1991, the Slovenian national team existed only as a regional team not officially recognized by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
. It had a similar status as the Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team is the official football team of Catalonia. It is organized by the Catalonia Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecció Catalana, Selecció de Barcelona and the Catalan XI...
or Kosovo national football team
Kosovo national football team
The Kosovo national football team represents Republic of Kosovo in international men's football. Controlled by the Football Federation of Kosovo, the governing body for football in Kosovo, they are not a member of FIFA or UEFA....
. The team had mostly played against similar teams from other republics of SFR Yugoslavia and was represented by Slovenian players under the traditional colours of white, blue and red.
Independence (1991–1998)
In 1991, Slovenia was the first of the republics of Yugoslavia to gain independence. With the recognition of the new country by the international community the team was recognized also by FIFA and UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. The new Slovenian national football team played its first FIFA-recognized game on 3 June 1992 in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Igor Benedejčič
Igor Benedejcic
Igor Benedejčič is a retired Slovenian football midfielder.Benedejčič was capped for the Slovenian national team.He scored the first ever goal for the Slovenian national team....
scoring the first goal for the new team. The first coach of the team was Bojan Prašnikar
Bojan Prašnikar
Bojan Prašnikar is a Slovenian football manager and former player, who currently works as Head Coach of NK Rudar Velenje.- Playing career :...
.
It was not until its third game on 7 April 1993 that the team achieved its first international victory by defeating Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
2–0 in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, with goals scored by Samir Zulić
Samir Zulic
Samir Zulič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played in a defender role.-Club career:Zulič played for NK Koper in the Yugoslav Second League during the 1985-86 season.-International career:...
and Sašo Udovič
Sašo Udovic
Sašo Udovič is a retired Slovenian football player.He played for Hajduk Split , KSK Beveren , Lausanne Sports and LASK Linz in Austria....
.
From 1994–1997 the team coach was Zdenko Verdenik
Zdenko Verdenik
Zdenko Verdenik is a Slovenian football manager and former player.He coached NK Olimpija Ljubljana, U-21 Slovenia NT, Slovenia NT, FK Austria Wien, JEF United Ichihara, Nagoya Grampus Eight and Vegalta Sendai.He is also a university teacher at the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana.-External links:*...
, who was the first to lead the team through qualifications for a major tournament. In a group with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
and Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
the team had mild success, winning three games and taking eleven points on ten matches for the Euro 1996 qualifications.
Verdenik also coached the team through qualifications for France 1998. In a tough group with Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
the team finished last with only one point on eight matches and a goal differential of −15.
Afterwards, Verdenik was sacked and Bojan Prašnikar was named as the Slovenian coach for the second time. At the time he was also the coach of Slovenian top club NK Maribor
NK Maribor
Nogometni Klub Maribor , commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from...
and was given an ultimatum from the NZS
Football Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
that he could only coach one team. He decided in favor of NK Maribor, which later turned out to be a good decision as he led the club to the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
only two seasons later. NZS appointed Srečko Katanec
Srecko Katanec
Srečko Katanec is a Slovenian football manager and a former player capped for Yugoslavia and Slovenia. His last position was as the manager of the United Arab Emirates national football team.-Career:...
as head coach.
Srečko Katanec and Zlatko Zahovič period ('Golden' generation)
Srečko Katanec immediately started to implement his tactics of defensive play with hard work ethic to the players of the national team and the results was seen quickly as the team started to play better.Euro 2000 qualifications campaign
The first qualifications for the new coach were for UEFA Euro 2000. Slovenia was drawn into a group with NorwayNorway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
, Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
and Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
. With excellent performances under the guidance of the new coach and with terrific performances from Zlatko Zahovič
Zlatko Zahovic
Zlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...
, who scored eight out of twelve goals, the team secured 2nd position two rounds before the end of qualifications.
Second place in the group meant that the team was to play additional qualifications with an opponent that was to be decided by UEFA in a draw. Slovenia got somewhat lucky with a draw as they were picked to play with Ukraine. The first leg against Ukraine was played in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
Slovenia won 2–1 after trailing at the half. Zlatko Zahovič scored the first goal, bringing his total in the qualifications campaign to nine. Milenko Ačimovič
Milenko Acimovic
Milenko Ačimović is a former Slovenian footballer who last played for Austria giants Austria Wien. He was a playmaker who has a great passing range and an abundance of skill...
added a spectacular second, late in the game from more than 40 meters. The second leg was played in snowy conditions in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Sergei Rebrov scored in the 68th minute, equalised by Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin is a former Slovenian football player and current director of football in FC Koper.-Club career:He played for clubs such as NK Olimpija, SC Freiburg , Olympiakos Nicosia , APOEL , FC Porto and NK Olimpija.After the original NK Olimpija went bankrupt in 2005, he joined the newly...
ten minutes later. The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified on its first major tournament.
Euro 2000
For its first major tournament, Slovenia was drawn into group C together with SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Yugoslavia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
. Despite being an outsider Slovenia showed the international community that it can play top level football and was by many one of the most pleasant surprises of the tournament. Almost 30,000 fans from Slovenia gathered to see their national team play in three matches on Euro 2000. At the end Zlatko Zahovič was considered one of the best players on the tournament.
In the first game of the group Slovenia stunned Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring twice and Miran Pavlin once. After the red card of Siniša Mihajlović
Siniša Mihajlovic
Siniša Mihajlović is a Serbian football manager and former player. He was in charge of Serie A club Fiorentina since June 2010 to November 2011....
it looked like the team would have won its first game, but then Yugoslavia made a dream comeback as they scored three goals in only six minutes. The final result was 3–3.
The second game was played in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
against Spain. Spain took the 1–0 lead quickly as Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
scored. Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zlatko Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Spain then took the lead again after only sixty seconds as Joseba Etxeberria
Joseba Etxeberría
Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi is a retired Spanish footballer who played mostly as a winger.After starting his professional career at only 17, with Real Sociedad, he quickly switched to Basque neighbours Athletic de Bilbao, going on to spend the rest of his extensive career there.Exteberria...
scored a goal winner. 13,000 Slovenian fans gathered to see the match in Amsterdam Arena
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
, which is still a record for the most Slovenian spectators on a football game outside Slovenia.
In the last round of the group stage Slovenia played against Norway and still had theoretical chances to progress to the quarterfinals. At the end the game was a goalless draw and the team won its second point of the tournament.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 |
World Cup 2002 qualifications campaign
For the World Cup 2002 Slovenia was drawn into a group together with RussiaRussia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
, Yugoslavia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
. Zlatko Zahovič was once more the man behind the success of the team as he scored four goals and made numerous assists to lead his team to second place, which meant that the team had again qualified to the playoffs.
In the playoffs Slovenia played a high flying Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, with other possible opponents such as Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
and Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
.
The games with Romania was similar to the ones against Ukraine in the playoffs two years earlier. The first leg was again played in Slovenia and again the away team scored a goal in the first half to take the lead. However, this time Slovenia managed to equalise with the goal from Milenko Ačimovič in the first half. In the second half Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc is a Slovenian football striker. He is also known as nickame Jagoda.-Club career:He started his career at NK Veržej. Currently, he is a member of one time Slovenian champions FC Koper...
scored a spectacular goal and Slovenia won the game 2–1. In the second leg in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
the first half finished with 0–0 and at the beginning of the second Slovenia took the lead with a goal from Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja is a retired Slovenian footballer who represented his country at two major tournaments - Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.He most often played as a forward or a winger...
, which was the first and only goal from the striker in 65 caps for the national team. Romanians equalised with a goal scored by Cosmin Contra
Cosmin Contra
Cosmin Marius Contra is a retired Romanian footballer who played mainly as a right defender.Offensive-minded, he could also appear as a midfielder, and played professionally in four countries , mainly in Spain, where he appeared for three clubs, mainly Getafe CF, which he helped consolidate in the...
with 25 minutes remaining. The final result was 1–1 and Slovenia was qualified to its second consecutive major tournament and first ever World Cup.
Through the whole qualifications campaign Slovenia played a total of 12 games and was undefeated with a total of 6 wins and 6 draws.
World Cup 2002
Slovenia played in the group B with SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
and South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
. All matches in this group were played in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
On the first game Slovenia played against Spain for the second time in a row on a major tournament. Under heavy rain Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón Santana is a Spanish footballer who plays for Deportivo de La Coruña as an attacking midfielder.Valerón is known for his technical abilities, especially passing skills and ball control...
added a second 15 minutes before full time for a 2–0 lead. Then seven minutes later Sebastjan Cimirotič
Sebastjan Cimirotic
Sebastjan Cimirotič aka Cime is a Slovenian football player, who currently plays for FC Ljubljana. He played for Slovenia national football team and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.-Club career:...
managed to score the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1, giving Slovenia some hope. That hope was soon shattered when Fernando Hierro
Fernando Hierro
Fernando Ruiz Hierro is a retired Spanish footballer. He is mostly known for his spells with Real Madrid and Spain, appearing in more than 500 official games with the former and representing the latter on nearly 100 occasions, whilst appearing in four World Cups and two European...
scored a penalty goal in 87 minute for the final score of 3–1. This match is infamous in Slovenia due to the conflict between coach Srečko Katanec and player Zlatko Zahovič in the dressing room after the game, which resulted in Zlatko Zahovič being sent home and Srečko Katanec's resignation after the tournament. After this conflict the team was not the same and they capitulated on its two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1). Milenko Ačimovič scored the second goal for Slovenia on the tournament.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
Bojan Prašnikar period
After the resignation of Srečko Katanec, Bojan Prašnikar was named as head coach for the third time.Euro 2004 qualifications campaign
Slovenia played a solid qualifications campaign for the Euro 2004. Grouped with FranceFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
and Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
, the team finished second and managed to qualify for its third consecutive playoffs.
This time Slovenia had to play its neighboring country as the draw set a duel against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
. The first leg was played in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and Croatia managed to get in the lead as Dado Pršo
Dado Pršo
Miladin "Dado" Pršo is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker.Pršo played for seven different teams and made over 300 league appearances as a professional...
scored a goal in the 5th minute. Slovenia however fought back as Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak is a former Slovenian football player of Bosnian origin. He is renowned as a great finisher, and has top off the ball instincts to get into scoring positions. He currently works as assistant coach at NK Domžale.-Club career:He started his professional career at NK Svoboda...
equalised only 15 minutes later. The match finished 1–1. In the second leg played in Ljubljana the first half finished with no goals. Then 15 minutes into the second Dado Pršo scored again and Croatia took the lead. Later Slovenia, despite the fact that Croatia played the last minutes with 10 players due to a red card, did not produce any quality chances and the match finished 1–0 in favour of Croatia. That meant that Croatia qualified on Euro 2004 with the score 2–1 aggregate. Bojan Prašnikar was later criticised by the media and the fans for his defensive tactics as Slovenia only managed to take one shot on target during the two playoff games. Prašnikar was later replaced by Branko Oblak
Branko Oblak
Branko Oblak is a Slovenian football coach and former international player. He usually played as an offensive midfielder or deep-lying playmaker, notable for his excellent dribbling, stamina, great vision and precision passing...
.
Ermin Šiljak scored a total of eight goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the best goalscorer of the whole UEFA zone qualifications.
Branko Oblak period (decline)
When Branko Oblak took charge of the Slovenian national team there were almost no more players from the era of Srečko Katanec as most of them retired from football or in the case of Zlatko Zahovič were scratched by the coach himself. Therefore the new coach had a difficult job finding new players that could compete on the same level as the ones that played for the team in the past decade. This is the main reason why Branko Oblak in his two years as the coach of the national team tried out over 40 different players.He led the team through the qualifications for World Cup 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany. In a group with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
and Moldova
Moldova national football team
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...
the team achieved a victory over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, thus winning seven points in the first three games. Later however the team won only five points on the remaining matches and finished in fourth place.
Branko Oblak also coached the team at the beginning of the qualifications for Euro 2008. In a group with Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
, Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
, Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
the team quickly lost its qualification hopes with two heavy defeats by Bulgaria (3–0) and Belarus (4–2) and a 2–0 win over Luxembourg after a poor performance. Oblak had lost the support from the media and fans some time ago and he was sacked and replaced by Matjaž Kek
Matjaž Kek
Matjaž Kek is a former Slovenian footballer and former manager of the Slovenia national team.-Club career:Kek started his professional football career at his home club Maribor in 1979, before moving to the Austrian club Spittal/Drau in 1985, where he spent 3 seasons...
.
Matjaž Kek period (rebirth)
After Matjaž Kek took charge the national team was in similar situation as in 1998 when Srečko Katanec took charge. On the bottom, having lost the faith from both the media and the fans. With the qualifications hopes for Euro 2008 virtually lost Kek decided to build his team slowly. At the beginning the results were not much better than at the time when Branko Oblak left and Kek was under a lot of pressure because of that. After the campaign for the Euro 2008 was finished it was even speculated that he will be replaced by a well known Italian coach of Slovenian origin Edoardo RejaEdoardo Reja
Edoardo "Edy" Reja is an Italian football coach and former player, currently managing Lazio in the Italian Serie A. Born in Italy to Slovenian parents, Reja speaks Slovene and Italian. He is also fluent in Friulan....
. In the end that did not happen and Kek was given a chance to prove himself in a qualifications for World Cup 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
World Cup 2010 qualifications campaign
Slovenia was drawn into a group with Czech RepublicCzech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
, Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
and San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
. Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław and then won its first two home games against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (2–0),. Slovenia then won only one point in the two games with the Czech Republic and lost away against Northern Ireland, when they got back on track with the home 5–0 victory over San Marino. After that the team really started to play well as they beat Poland at home (3–0) and defeated Slovakia in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
(2–0) who were at the time the main contenders for the first place. In the last round Slovenia needed a win over San Marino (3–0) and a draw/loss of Slovakia in Poland to clinch the first position. Slovakia however won the away game in Poland with 1–0 and therefore Slovenia finished on second position and was headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in history.
Slovenia did not have much luck when the draw appointed Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
as their opponent for the playoffs. Russia had high hopes as it did well at the Euro 2008 and with Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
leading them everything seemed at reach for Russia. Other possible opponents were France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
.
The first leg was played in Moscow and Russia played well as they had the lead 2–0 up until 88 minute when a substitute Nejc Pečnik
Nejc Pecnik
Nejc Pečnik is a Slovenian footballer who plays for FC Krylia Sovetov Samara on loan from C.D. Nacional and the Slovenian national team.-Club career:...
scored a goal that gave hope for Slovenia. In the second leg that was played in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
Slovenia was dominant through the first half but only managed to score once as Zlatko Dedič
Zlatko Dedic
Zlatko Dedič is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a striker for 2nd Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:He started his career with Koper....
scored at the end of the first half. That goal however turned out to be a decisive one as the score remained 1–0 to the end of the match. The final score of the playoffs against Russia was 2–2 aggregate and Slovenia qualified due to the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
. Slovenia was the only unseeded team that managed to qualify from the playoffs.
The main scorer for the national team was Milivoje Novakovič
Milivoje Novakovic
Milivoje Novakovič is a Slovenian footballer who plays for 1. FC Köln and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:...
with 5 goals. Slovenia did particularly well on home games that were played in Maribor
Stadion Ljudski Vrt
The Ljudski vrt stadium also known by the abbreviation LV, is a multi-purpose stadium located on the left bank of the river Drava in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. The stadium is a landmark of the city of Maribor and is considered as one of the most beautiful smaller stadium in the world...
as the team managed to achieve five victories and a draw with a total goal difference 13–1.
World Cup 2010
Slovenia were drawn into Group C alongside EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
and USA
United States national american football team
The United States national American football team represents the United States in international American football competitions. It is the country's official senior national men's football team. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football...
. Slovenia won their opening game against Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
in Peter Mokaba Stadium
Peter Mokaba Stadium
The Peter Mokaba Stadium is a football stadium in Polokwane , South Africa, that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 41,733. and was named after Peter Mokaba, a former leader of the ANC Youth League...
, Polokwane
Polokwane
Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population...
1–0, Robert Koren
Robert Koren
Robert Koren is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hull City and as the captain for the Slovenian national team.-Early career:...
scoring Slovenia's goal. In their second game against the United States
United States national american football team
The United States national American football team represents the United States in international American football competitions. It is the country's official senior national men's football team. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football...
, Slovenia were leading 2–0 at half time with Valter Birsa
Valter Birsa
Valter Birsa is an Slovenian footballer who currently plays for Italian Serie A side Genoa and the Slovenian national team.-Club career:...
and Zlatan Ljubijankič
Zlatan Ljubijankic
Zlatan Ljubijankič is a Slovenian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Belgian First Division club K.A.A...
scoring for Slovenia, however Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....
and Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley (soccer)
Michael Bradley is an American soccer player who currently plays as a central midfielder for Chievo Verona in Serie A and the United States national team, which was formerly coached by his father Bob Bradley.-Early life:...
scored for the USA for the score to finish 2–2. In their last match in the preliminary round, Slovenia lost to England 0–1 by a goal from Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....
. Because the United States beat Algeria with the only goal scored in the 92nd minute of the match, the Slovenian team was eliminated.
Euro 2012 qualifications campaign
Stadium
Slovenia does not have a national stadium, and through history the national team was rotated among various stadia across the country. The team has played home matches in 8 different cities so far. The current policy of Slovenian FAFootball Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
is that home matches of the national teams are fairly distributed among the two biggest cities in the country, Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
while also a stadium in Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
is considered for future matches. There are four main stadiums in three different cities in the country that the team has played the majority of its matches or will play in the future.
Stadion Bežigrad (past)
BežigradStadion Bezigrad
Bežigrad Stadium , also known as the Bežigrad Central Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It has been closed since 2008. Joc Pečečnik, a Slovenian multimillionaire, plans to renovate it starting in January 2011....
stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana and was the main stadium until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure. The stadium was built in 1935 and up until now it hosted a total of 29 matches of the national team, which is the most then any other stadium in the country. It has a total capacity of 8,211 and was the main venue of the national team in the qualifications for Euro 2000 and World cup 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
on which Slovenia qualified and the qualifications for Euro 2004 when the team secured 2nd position in the group and then lost in playoffs.
Currently the stadium is closed for renovation. Plans are for the stadium to be completely renovated by 2012 when it could once again serve as a home venue for the national team. However this is unlikely as there is a brand new stadium that was recently build in Ljubljana and has a capacity of 16,038 seats.
Stadion Ljudski vrt
Ljudski vrt is situated in Maribor, Slovenia's 2nd largest city and is known of being the home ground of the most successful club in the country NK MariborNK Maribor
Nogometni Klub Maribor , commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from...
. After the renovation of the stadium in 2008 the ground became the main venue of the national team and Slovenia played their first match there after nearly a decade. The stadium current capacity is 12,994 covered seats. Ljudski vrt was the main home venue in the qualifications for World cup 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
where Slovenia did particularly well as the team won five and draw one home matches with goal difference 13–1. The stadium was also one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.
Arena Petrol
Arena Petrol is a stadium located in Celje, the 3rd largest city of Slovenia. It was built in 2003 onwards in separate phases and was the main venue for the national team in the qualifications for World cup 20062006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and Euro 2008. The stadium is not popular among the fans as it is build in English style with four separate stands and many fans argue that is the reason for lack of athmosphere during matches. The capacity of the stadium is 13,006 seats from which only around 50% are covered. Slovenia played 16 matches on this stadium, with the last one played in 2007. Former president of Slovenian FA (Ivan Simič) announced that the stadium will be in consideration for the national team matches in the future.
Stadion Stožice
Stadion Stožice is a brand new stadium located in the capital city of Ljubljana. The stadium has a capacity of 16,038 seats and will be one of the main venues for the national team in the future. The opening match was played in August 2010 against Australia, which was won 2–0. The stadium was one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.Kit provider
The current kitKit (football)
In association football, as in a number of sports, kit refers to the standard equipment and attire worn by players. The term "kit" should be distinguished from a "strip" , which refers to just the shirt, shorts and socks, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably...
provider of the national team is Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, which has a contract with the team until 2016. Before that the kit providers were Kappa
Kappa (company)
Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...
, Uhlsport
Uhlsport
Uhlsport is a manufacturer of football equipment. Based in Germany and founded in 1948, the company's products include goalkeeper gloves, football boots, shin pads, footballs, training clothes, and kits....
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and Puma.
Colours controversy
{| class="toccolours" style="background:#ffffff;" align="right" width="100%"||align="center"|
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia
Football Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
in 1991.
Slovenia was a surprise qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
in a playoff. The team then drew with Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, and lost to Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
2–1. Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, this time defeating Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not score any points in the group stage of the finals.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, they were the only team to beat eventual winners Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
with a 1–0 victory on home turf. In 1995 Slovenia played Italy to a 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
Origins
Before SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n independence in 1991, the Slovenian national team existed only as a regional team not officially recognized by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
. It had a similar status as the Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team is the official football team of Catalonia. It is organized by the Catalonia Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecció Catalana, Selecció de Barcelona and the Catalan XI...
or Kosovo national football team
Kosovo national football team
The Kosovo national football team represents Republic of Kosovo in international men's football. Controlled by the Football Federation of Kosovo, the governing body for football in Kosovo, they are not a member of FIFA or UEFA....
. The team had mostly played against similar teams from other republics of SFR Yugoslavia and was represented by Slovenian players under the traditional colours of white, blue and red.
Independence (1991–1998)
In 1991, Slovenia was the first of the republics of Yugoslavia to gain independence. With the recognition of the new country by the international community the team was recognized also by FIFA and UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. The new Slovenian national football team played its first FIFA-recognized game on 3 June 1992 in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Igor Benedejčič
Igor Benedejcic
Igor Benedejčič is a retired Slovenian football midfielder.Benedejčič was capped for the Slovenian national team.He scored the first ever goal for the Slovenian national team....
scoring the first goal for the new team. The first coach of the team was Bojan Prašnikar
Bojan Prašnikar
Bojan Prašnikar is a Slovenian football manager and former player, who currently works as Head Coach of NK Rudar Velenje.- Playing career :...
.
It was not until its third game on 7 April 1993 that the team achieved its first international victory by defeating Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
2–0 in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, with goals scored by Samir Zulić
Samir Zulic
Samir Zulič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played in a defender role.-Club career:Zulič played for NK Koper in the Yugoslav Second League during the 1985-86 season.-International career:...
and Sašo Udovič
Sašo Udovic
Sašo Udovič is a retired Slovenian football player.He played for Hajduk Split , KSK Beveren , Lausanne Sports and LASK Linz in Austria....
.
From 1994–1997 the team coach was Zdenko Verdenik
Zdenko Verdenik
Zdenko Verdenik is a Slovenian football manager and former player.He coached NK Olimpija Ljubljana, U-21 Slovenia NT, Slovenia NT, FK Austria Wien, JEF United Ichihara, Nagoya Grampus Eight and Vegalta Sendai.He is also a university teacher at the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana.-External links:*...
, who was the first to lead the team through qualifications for a major tournament. In a group with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
and Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
the team had mild success, winning three games and taking eleven points on ten matches for the Euro 1996 qualifications.
Verdenik also coached the team through qualifications for France 1998. In a tough group with Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
the team finished last with only one point on eight matches and a goal differential of −15.
Afterwards, Verdenik was sacked and Bojan Prašnikar was named as the Slovenian coach for the second time. At the time he was also the coach of Slovenian top club NK Maribor
NK Maribor
Nogometni Klub Maribor , commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from...
and was given an ultimatum from the NZS
Football Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
that he could only coach one team. He decided in favor of NK Maribor, which later turned out to be a good decision as he led the club to the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
only two seasons later. NZS appointed Srečko Katanec
Srecko Katanec
Srečko Katanec is a Slovenian football manager and a former player capped for Yugoslavia and Slovenia. His last position was as the manager of the United Arab Emirates national football team.-Career:...
as head coach.
Srečko Katanec and Zlatko Zahovič period ('Golden' generation)
Srečko Katanec immediately started to implement his tactics of defensive play with hard work ethic to the players of the national team and the results was seen quickly as the team started to play better.Euro 2000 qualifications campaign
The first qualifications for the new coach were for UEFA Euro 2000. Slovenia was drawn into a group with NorwayNorway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
, Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
and Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
. With excellent performances under the guidance of the new coach and with terrific performances from Zlatko Zahovič
Zlatko Zahovic
Zlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...
, who scored eight out of twelve goals, the team secured 2nd position two rounds before the end of qualifications.
Second place in the group meant that the team was to play additional qualifications with an opponent that was to be decided by UEFA in a draw. Slovenia got somewhat lucky with a draw as they were picked to play with Ukraine. The first leg against Ukraine was played in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
Slovenia won 2–1 after trailing at the half. Zlatko Zahovič scored the first goal, bringing his total in the qualifications campaign to nine. Milenko Ačimovič
Milenko Acimovic
Milenko Ačimović is a former Slovenian footballer who last played for Austria giants Austria Wien. He was a playmaker who has a great passing range and an abundance of skill...
added a spectacular second, late in the game from more than 40 meters. The second leg was played in snowy conditions in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Sergei Rebrov scored in the 68th minute, equalised by Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin is a former Slovenian football player and current director of football in FC Koper.-Club career:He played for clubs such as NK Olimpija, SC Freiburg , Olympiakos Nicosia , APOEL , FC Porto and NK Olimpija.After the original NK Olimpija went bankrupt in 2005, he joined the newly...
ten minutes later. The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified on its first major tournament.
Euro 2000
For its first major tournament, Slovenia was drawn into group C together with SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Yugoslavia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
. Despite being an outsider Slovenia showed the international community that it can play top level football and was by many one of the most pleasant surprises of the tournament. Almost 30,000 fans from Slovenia gathered to see their national team play in three matches on Euro 2000. At the end Zlatko Zahovič was considered one of the best players on the tournament.
In the first game of the group Slovenia stunned Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring twice and Miran Pavlin once. After the red card of Siniša Mihajlović
Siniša Mihajlovic
Siniša Mihajlović is a Serbian football manager and former player. He was in charge of Serie A club Fiorentina since June 2010 to November 2011....
it looked like the team would have won its first game, but then Yugoslavia made a dream comeback as they scored three goals in only six minutes. The final result was 3–3.
The second game was played in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
against Spain. Spain took the 1–0 lead quickly as Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
scored. Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zlatko Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Spain then took the lead again after only sixty seconds as Joseba Etxeberria
Joseba Etxeberría
Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi is a retired Spanish footballer who played mostly as a winger.After starting his professional career at only 17, with Real Sociedad, he quickly switched to Basque neighbours Athletic de Bilbao, going on to spend the rest of his extensive career there.Exteberria...
scored a goal winner. 13,000 Slovenian fans gathered to see the match in Amsterdam Arena
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
, which is still a record for the most Slovenian spectators on a football game outside Slovenia.
In the last round of the group stage Slovenia played against Norway and still had theoretical chances to progress to the quarterfinals. At the end the game was a goalless draw and the team won its second point of the tournament.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||2||0||1||6||5||+1||6
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||7||7||0||4
|- align=center
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||1||1||0||4
|- align=center
|align="left"|
|3||0||2||1||4||5||−1||2
|}
World Cup 2002 qualifications campaign
For the World Cup 2002 Slovenia was drawn into a group together with RussiaRussia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
, Yugoslavia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
. Zlatko Zahovič was once more the man behind the success of the team as he scored four goals and made numerous assists to lead his team to second place, which meant that the team had again qualified to the playoffs.
In the playoffs Slovenia played a high flying Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, with other possible opponents such as Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
and Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
.
The games with Romania was similar to the ones against Ukraine in the playoffs two years earlier. The first leg was again played in Slovenia and again the away team scored a goal in the first half to take the lead. However, this time Slovenia managed to equalise with the goal from Milenko Ačimovič in the first half. In the second half Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc is a Slovenian football striker. He is also known as nickame Jagoda.-Club career:He started his career at NK Veržej. Currently, he is a member of one time Slovenian champions FC Koper...
scored a spectacular goal and Slovenia won the game 2–1. In the second leg in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
the first half finished with 0–0 and at the beginning of the second Slovenia took the lead with a goal from Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja is a retired Slovenian footballer who represented his country at two major tournaments - Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.He most often played as a forward or a winger...
, which was the first and only goal from the striker in 65 caps for the national team. Romanians equalised with a goal scored by Cosmin Contra
Cosmin Contra
Cosmin Marius Contra is a retired Romanian footballer who played mainly as a right defender.Offensive-minded, he could also appear as a midfielder, and played professionally in four countries , mainly in Spain, where he appeared for three clubs, mainly Getafe CF, which he helped consolidate in the...
with 25 minutes remaining. The final result was 1–1 and Slovenia was qualified to its second consecutive major tournament and first ever World Cup.
Through the whole qualifications campaign Slovenia played a total of 12 games and was undefeated with a total of 6 wins and 6 draws.
World Cup 2002
Slovenia played in the group B with SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
and South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
. All matches in this group were played in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
On the first game Slovenia played against Spain for the second time in a row on a major tournament. Under heavy rain Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón Santana is a Spanish footballer who plays for Deportivo de La Coruña as an attacking midfielder.Valerón is known for his technical abilities, especially passing skills and ball control...
added a second 15 minutes before full time for a 2–0 lead. Then seven minutes later Sebastjan Cimirotič
Sebastjan Cimirotic
Sebastjan Cimirotič aka Cime is a Slovenian football player, who currently plays for FC Ljubljana. He played for Slovenia national football team and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.-Club career:...
managed to score the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1, giving Slovenia some hope. That hope was soon shattered when Fernando Hierro
Fernando Hierro
Fernando Ruiz Hierro is a retired Spanish footballer. He is mostly known for his spells with Real Madrid and Spain, appearing in more than 500 official games with the former and representing the latter on nearly 100 occasions, whilst appearing in four World Cups and two European...
scored a penalty goal in 87 minute for the final score of 3–1. This match is infamous in Slovenia due to the conflict between coach Srečko Katanec and player Zlatko Zahovič in the dressing room after the game, which resulted in Zlatko Zahovič being sent home and Srečko Katanec's resignation after the tournament. After this conflict the team was not the same and they capitulated on its two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1). Milenko Ačimovič scored the second goal for Slovenia on the tournament.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||3||0||0||9||4||+5||9
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||6||6||0||4
|-
|align="left"|
|3||1||1||1||5||5||0||4
|-
|align="left"|
|3||0||0||3||2||7||−5||0
|}
Bojan Prašnikar period
After the resignation of Srečko Katanec, Bojan Prašnikar was named as head coach for the third time.Euro 2004 qualifications campaign
Slovenia played a solid qualifications campaign for the Euro 2004. Grouped with FranceFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
and Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
, the team finished second and managed to qualify for its third consecutive playoffs.
This time Slovenia had to play its neighboring country as the draw set a duel against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
. The first leg was played in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and Croatia managed to get in the lead as Dado Pršo
Dado Pršo
Miladin "Dado" Pršo is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker.Pršo played for seven different teams and made over 300 league appearances as a professional...
scored a goal in the 5th minute. Slovenia however fought back as Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak is a former Slovenian football player of Bosnian origin. He is renowned as a great finisher, and has top off the ball instincts to get into scoring positions. He currently works as assistant coach at NK Domžale.-Club career:He started his professional career at NK Svoboda...
equalised only 15 minutes later. The match finished 1–1. In the second leg played in Ljubljana the first half finished with no goals. Then 15 minutes into the second Dado Pršo scored again and Croatia took the lead. Later Slovenia, despite the fact that Croatia played the last minutes with 10 players due to a red card, did not produce any quality chances and the match finished 1–0 in favour of Croatia. That meant that Croatia qualified on Euro 2004 with the score 2–1 aggregate. Bojan Prašnikar was later criticised by the media and the fans for his defensive tactics as Slovenia only managed to take one shot on target during the two playoff games. Prašnikar was later replaced by Branko Oblak
Branko Oblak
Branko Oblak is a Slovenian football coach and former international player. He usually played as an offensive midfielder or deep-lying playmaker, notable for his excellent dribbling, stamina, great vision and precision passing...
.
Ermin Šiljak scored a total of eight goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the best goalscorer of the whole UEFA zone qualifications.
Branko Oblak period (decline)
When Branko Oblak took charge of the Slovenian national team there were almost no more players from the era of Srečko Katanec as most of them retired from football or in the case of Zlatko Zahovič were scratched by the coach himself. Therefore the new coach had a difficult job finding new players that could compete on the same level as the ones that played for the team in the past decade. This is the main reason why Branko Oblak in his two years as the coach of the national team tried out over 40 different players.He led the team through the qualifications for World Cup 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany. In a group with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
and Moldova
Moldova national football team
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...
the team achieved a victory over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, thus winning seven points in the first three games. Later however the team won only five points on the remaining matches and finished in fourth place.
Branko Oblak also coached the team at the beginning of the qualifications for Euro 2008. In a group with Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
, Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
, Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
the team quickly lost its qualification hopes with two heavy defeats by Bulgaria (3–0) and Belarus (4–2) and a 2–0 win over Luxembourg after a poor performance. Oblak had lost the support from the media and fans some time ago and he was sacked and replaced by Matjaž Kek
Matjaž Kek
Matjaž Kek is a former Slovenian footballer and former manager of the Slovenia national team.-Club career:Kek started his professional football career at his home club Maribor in 1979, before moving to the Austrian club Spittal/Drau in 1985, where he spent 3 seasons...
.
Matjaž Kek period (rebirth)
After Matjaž Kek took charge the national team was in similar situation as in 1998 when Srečko Katanec took charge. On the bottom, having lost the faith from both the media and the fans. With the qualifications hopes for Euro 2008 virtually lost Kek decided to build his team slowly. At the beginning the results were not much better than at the time when Branko Oblak left and Kek was under a lot of pressure because of that. After the campaign for the Euro 2008 was finished it was even speculated that he will be replaced by a well known Italian coach of Slovenian origin Edoardo RejaEdoardo Reja
Edoardo "Edy" Reja is an Italian football coach and former player, currently managing Lazio in the Italian Serie A. Born in Italy to Slovenian parents, Reja speaks Slovene and Italian. He is also fluent in Friulan....
. In the end that did not happen and Kek was given a chance to prove himself in a qualifications for World Cup 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
World Cup 2010 qualifications campaign
Slovenia was drawn into a group with Czech RepublicCzech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
, Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
and San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
. Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław and then won its first two home games against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (2–0),. Slovenia then won only one point in the two games with the Czech Republic and lost away against Northern Ireland, when they got back on track with the home 5–0 victory over San Marino. After that the team really started to play well as they beat Poland at home (3–0) and defeated Slovakia in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
(2–0) who were at the time the main contenders for the first place. In the last round Slovenia needed a win over San Marino (3–0) and a draw/loss of Slovakia in Poland to clinch the first position. Slovakia however won the away game in Poland with 1–0 and therefore Slovenia finished on second position and was headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in history.
Slovenia did not have much luck when the draw appointed Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
as their opponent for the playoffs. Russia had high hopes as it did well at the Euro 2008 and with Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
leading them everything seemed at reach for Russia. Other possible opponents were France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
.
The first leg was played in Moscow and Russia played well as they had the lead 2–0 up until 88 minute when a substitute Nejc Pečnik
Nejc Pecnik
Nejc Pečnik is a Slovenian footballer who plays for FC Krylia Sovetov Samara on loan from C.D. Nacional and the Slovenian national team.-Club career:...
scored a goal that gave hope for Slovenia. In the second leg that was played in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
Slovenia was dominant through the first half but only managed to score once as Zlatko Dedič
Zlatko Dedic
Zlatko Dedič is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a striker for 2nd Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:He started his career with Koper....
scored at the end of the first half. That goal however turned out to be a decisive one as the score remained 1–0 to the end of the match. The final score of the playoffs against Russia was 2–2 aggregate and Slovenia qualified due to the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
. Slovenia was the only unseeded team that managed to qualify from the playoffs.
The main scorer for the national team was Milivoje Novakovič
Milivoje Novakovic
Milivoje Novakovič is a Slovenian footballer who plays for 1. FC Köln and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:...
with 5 goals. Slovenia did particularly well on home games that were played in Maribor
Stadion Ljudski Vrt
The Ljudski vrt stadium also known by the abbreviation LV, is a multi-purpose stadium located on the left bank of the river Drava in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. The stadium is a landmark of the city of Maribor and is considered as one of the most beautiful smaller stadium in the world...
as the team managed to achieve five victories and a draw with a total goal difference 13–1.
World Cup 2010
Slovenia were drawn into Group C alongside EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
and USA
United States national american football team
The United States national American football team represents the United States in international American football competitions. It is the country's official senior national men's football team. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football...
. Slovenia won their opening game against Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
in Peter Mokaba Stadium
Peter Mokaba Stadium
The Peter Mokaba Stadium is a football stadium in Polokwane , South Africa, that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 41,733. and was named after Peter Mokaba, a former leader of the ANC Youth League...
, Polokwane
Polokwane
Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population...
1–0, Robert Koren
Robert Koren
Robert Koren is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hull City and as the captain for the Slovenian national team.-Early career:...
scoring Slovenia's goal. In their second game against the United States
United States national american football team
The United States national American football team represents the United States in international American football competitions. It is the country's official senior national men's football team. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football...
, Slovenia were leading 2–0 at half time with Valter Birsa
Valter Birsa
Valter Birsa is an Slovenian footballer who currently plays for Italian Serie A side Genoa and the Slovenian national team.-Club career:...
and Zlatan Ljubijankič
Zlatan Ljubijankic
Zlatan Ljubijankič is a Slovenian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Belgian First Division club K.A.A...
scoring for Slovenia, however Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....
and Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley (soccer)
Michael Bradley is an American soccer player who currently plays as a central midfielder for Chievo Verona in Serie A and the United States national team, which was formerly coached by his father Bob Bradley.-Early life:...
scored for the USA for the score to finish 2–2. In their last match in the preliminary round, Slovenia lost to England 0–1 by a goal from Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....
. Because the United States beat Algeria with the only goal scored in the 92nd minute of the match, the Slovenian team was eliminated.
Euro 2012 qualifications campaign
Stadium
Slovenia does not have a national stadium, and through history the national team was rotated among various stadia across the country. The team has played home matches in 8 different cities so far. The current policy of Slovenian FAFootball Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
is that home matches of the national teams are fairly distributed among the two biggest cities in the country, Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
while also a stadium in Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
is considered for future matches. There are four main stadiums in three different cities in the country that the team has played the majority of its matches or will play in the future.
Stadion Bežigrad (past)
BežigradStadion Bezigrad
Bežigrad Stadium , also known as the Bežigrad Central Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It has been closed since 2008. Joc Pečečnik, a Slovenian multimillionaire, plans to renovate it starting in January 2011....
stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana and was the main stadium until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure. The stadium was built in 1935 and up until now it hosted a total of 29 matches of the national team, which is the most then any other stadium in the country. It has a total capacity of 8,211 and was the main venue of the national team in the qualifications for Euro 2000 and World cup 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
on which Slovenia qualified and the qualifications for Euro 2004 when the team secured 2nd position in the group and then lost in playoffs.
Currently the stadium is closed for renovation. Plans are for the stadium to be completely renovated by 2012 when it could once again serve as a home venue for the national team. However this is unlikely as there is a brand new stadium that was recently build in Ljubljana and has a capacity of 16,038 seats.
Stadion Ljudski vrt
Ljudski vrt is situated in Maribor, Slovenia's 2nd largest city and is known of being the home ground of the most successful club in the country NK MariborNK Maribor
Nogometni Klub Maribor , commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from...
. After the renovation of the stadium in 2008 the ground became the main venue of the national team and Slovenia played their first match there after nearly a decade. The stadium current capacity is 12,994 covered seats. Ljudski vrt was the main home venue in the qualifications for World cup 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
where Slovenia did particularly well as the team won five and draw one home matches with goal difference 13–1. The stadium was also one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.
Arena Petrol
Arena Petrol is a stadium located in Celje, the 3rd largest city of Slovenia. It was built in 2003 onwards in separate phases and was the main venue for the national team in the qualifications for World cup 20062006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and Euro 2008. The stadium is not popular among the fans as it is build in English style with four separate stands and many fans argue that is the reason for lack of athmosphere during matches. The capacity of the stadium is 13,006 seats from which only around 50% are covered. Slovenia played 16 matches on this stadium, with the last one played in 2007. Former president of Slovenian FA (Ivan Simič) announced that the stadium will be in consideration for the national team matches in the future.
Stadion Stožice
Stadion Stožice is a brand new stadium located in the capital city of Ljubljana. The stadium has a capacity of 16,038 seats and will be one of the main venues for the national team in the future. The opening match was played in August 2010 against Australia, which was won 2–0. The stadium was one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.Kit provider
The current kitKit (football)
In association football, as in a number of sports, kit refers to the standard equipment and attire worn by players. The term "kit" should be distinguished from a "strip" , which refers to just the shirt, shorts and socks, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably...
provider of the national team is Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, which has a contract with the team until 2016. Before that the kit providers were Kappa
Kappa (company)
Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...
, Uhlsport
Uhlsport
Uhlsport is a manufacturer of football equipment. Based in Germany and founded in 1948, the company's products include goalkeeper gloves, football boots, shin pads, footballs, training clothes, and kits....
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and Puma.
Colours controversy
{| class="toccolours" style="background:#ffffff;" align="right" width="100%"||align="center"|
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia
Football Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
in 1991.
Slovenia was a surprise qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
in a playoff. The team then drew with Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, and lost to Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
2–1. Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, this time defeating Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not score any points in the group stage of the finals.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, they were the only team to beat eventual winners Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
with a 1–0 victory on home turf. In 1995 Slovenia played Italy to a 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
Origins
Before SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n independence in 1991, the Slovenian national team existed only as a regional team not officially recognized by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
. It had a similar status as the Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team is the official football team of Catalonia. It is organized by the Catalonia Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecció Catalana, Selecció de Barcelona and the Catalan XI...
or Kosovo national football team
Kosovo national football team
The Kosovo national football team represents Republic of Kosovo in international men's football. Controlled by the Football Federation of Kosovo, the governing body for football in Kosovo, they are not a member of FIFA or UEFA....
. The team had mostly played against similar teams from other republics of SFR Yugoslavia and was represented by Slovenian players under the traditional colours of white, blue and red.
Independence (1991–1998)
In 1991, Slovenia was the first of the republics of Yugoslavia to gain independence. With the recognition of the new country by the international community the team was recognized also by FIFA and UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. The new Slovenian national football team played its first FIFA-recognized game on 3 June 1992 in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Igor Benedejčič
Igor Benedejcic
Igor Benedejčič is a retired Slovenian football midfielder.Benedejčič was capped for the Slovenian national team.He scored the first ever goal for the Slovenian national team....
scoring the first goal for the new team. The first coach of the team was Bojan Prašnikar
Bojan Prašnikar
Bojan Prašnikar is a Slovenian football manager and former player, who currently works as Head Coach of NK Rudar Velenje.- Playing career :...
.
It was not until its third game on 7 April 1993 that the team achieved its first international victory by defeating Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
2–0 in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, with goals scored by Samir Zulić
Samir Zulic
Samir Zulič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played in a defender role.-Club career:Zulič played for NK Koper in the Yugoslav Second League during the 1985-86 season.-International career:...
and Sašo Udovič
Sašo Udovic
Sašo Udovič is a retired Slovenian football player.He played for Hajduk Split , KSK Beveren , Lausanne Sports and LASK Linz in Austria....
.
From 1994–1997 the team coach was Zdenko Verdenik
Zdenko Verdenik
Zdenko Verdenik is a Slovenian football manager and former player.He coached NK Olimpija Ljubljana, U-21 Slovenia NT, Slovenia NT, FK Austria Wien, JEF United Ichihara, Nagoya Grampus Eight and Vegalta Sendai.He is also a university teacher at the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana.-External links:*...
, who was the first to lead the team through qualifications for a major tournament. In a group with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
and Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
the team had mild success, winning three games and taking eleven points on ten matches for the Euro 1996 qualifications.
Verdenik also coached the team through qualifications for France 1998. In a tough group with Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
the team finished last with only one point on eight matches and a goal differential of −15.
Afterwards, Verdenik was sacked and Bojan Prašnikar was named as the Slovenian coach for the second time. At the time he was also the coach of Slovenian top club NK Maribor
NK Maribor
Nogometni Klub Maribor , commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from...
and was given an ultimatum from the NZS
Football Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
that he could only coach one team. He decided in favor of NK Maribor, which later turned out to be a good decision as he led the club to the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
only two seasons later. NZS appointed Srečko Katanec
Srecko Katanec
Srečko Katanec is a Slovenian football manager and a former player capped for Yugoslavia and Slovenia. His last position was as the manager of the United Arab Emirates national football team.-Career:...
as head coach.
Srečko Katanec and Zlatko Zahovič period ('Golden' generation)
Srečko Katanec immediately started to implement his tactics of defensive play with hard work ethic to the players of the national team and the results was seen quickly as the team started to play better.Euro 2000 qualifications campaign
The first qualifications for the new coach were for UEFA Euro 2000. Slovenia was drawn into a group with NorwayNorway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
, Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
and Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
. With excellent performances under the guidance of the new coach and with terrific performances from Zlatko Zahovič
Zlatko Zahovic
Zlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...
, who scored eight out of twelve goals, the team secured 2nd position two rounds before the end of qualifications.
Second place in the group meant that the team was to play additional qualifications with an opponent that was to be decided by UEFA in a draw. Slovenia got somewhat lucky with a draw as they were picked to play with Ukraine. The first leg against Ukraine was played in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
Slovenia won 2–1 after trailing at the half. Zlatko Zahovič scored the first goal, bringing his total in the qualifications campaign to nine. Milenko Ačimovič
Milenko Acimovic
Milenko Ačimović is a former Slovenian footballer who last played for Austria giants Austria Wien. He was a playmaker who has a great passing range and an abundance of skill...
added a spectacular second, late in the game from more than 40 meters. The second leg was played in snowy conditions in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Sergei Rebrov scored in the 68th minute, equalised by Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin is a former Slovenian football player and current director of football in FC Koper.-Club career:He played for clubs such as NK Olimpija, SC Freiburg , Olympiakos Nicosia , APOEL , FC Porto and NK Olimpija.After the original NK Olimpija went bankrupt in 2005, he joined the newly...
ten minutes later. The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified on its first major tournament.
Euro 2000
For its first major tournament, Slovenia was drawn into group C together with SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Yugoslavia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
. Despite being an outsider Slovenia showed the international community that it can play top level football and was by many one of the most pleasant surprises of the tournament. Almost 30,000 fans from Slovenia gathered to see their national team play in three matches on Euro 2000. At the end Zlatko Zahovič was considered one of the best players on the tournament.
In the first game of the group Slovenia stunned Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring twice and Miran Pavlin once. After the red card of Siniša Mihajlović
Siniša Mihajlovic
Siniša Mihajlović is a Serbian football manager and former player. He was in charge of Serie A club Fiorentina since June 2010 to November 2011....
it looked like the team would have won its first game, but then Yugoslavia made a dream comeback as they scored three goals in only six minutes. The final result was 3–3.
The second game was played in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
against Spain. Spain took the 1–0 lead quickly as Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
scored. Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zlatko Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Spain then took the lead again after only sixty seconds as Joseba Etxeberria
Joseba Etxeberría
Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi is a retired Spanish footballer who played mostly as a winger.After starting his professional career at only 17, with Real Sociedad, he quickly switched to Basque neighbours Athletic de Bilbao, going on to spend the rest of his extensive career there.Exteberria...
scored a goal winner. 13,000 Slovenian fans gathered to see the match in Amsterdam Arena
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
, which is still a record for the most Slovenian spectators on a football game outside Slovenia.
In the last round of the group stage Slovenia played against Norway and still had theoretical chances to progress to the quarterfinals. At the end the game was a goalless draw and the team won its second point of the tournament.
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!width=20|L
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World Cup 2002 qualifications campaign
For the World Cup 2002 Slovenia was drawn into a group together with RussiaRussia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
, Yugoslavia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
. Zlatko Zahovič was once more the man behind the success of the team as he scored four goals and made numerous assists to lead his team to second place, which meant that the team had again qualified to the playoffs.
In the playoffs Slovenia played a high flying Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, with other possible opponents such as Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
and Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
.
The games with Romania was similar to the ones against Ukraine in the playoffs two years earlier. The first leg was again played in Slovenia and again the away team scored a goal in the first half to take the lead. However, this time Slovenia managed to equalise with the goal from Milenko Ačimovič in the first half. In the second half Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc is a Slovenian football striker. He is also known as nickame Jagoda.-Club career:He started his career at NK Veržej. Currently, he is a member of one time Slovenian champions FC Koper...
scored a spectacular goal and Slovenia won the game 2–1. In the second leg in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
the first half finished with 0–0 and at the beginning of the second Slovenia took the lead with a goal from Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja is a retired Slovenian footballer who represented his country at two major tournaments - Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.He most often played as a forward or a winger...
, which was the first and only goal from the striker in 65 caps for the national team. Romanians equalised with a goal scored by Cosmin Contra
Cosmin Contra
Cosmin Marius Contra is a retired Romanian footballer who played mainly as a right defender.Offensive-minded, he could also appear as a midfielder, and played professionally in four countries , mainly in Spain, where he appeared for three clubs, mainly Getafe CF, which he helped consolidate in the...
with 25 minutes remaining. The final result was 1–1 and Slovenia was qualified to its second consecutive major tournament and first ever World Cup.
Through the whole qualifications campaign Slovenia played a total of 12 games and was undefeated with a total of 6 wins and 6 draws.
World Cup 2002
Slovenia played in the group B with SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
and South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
. All matches in this group were played in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
On the first game Slovenia played against Spain for the second time in a row on a major tournament. Under heavy rain Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón
Juan Carlos Valerón Santana is a Spanish footballer who plays for Deportivo de La Coruña as an attacking midfielder.Valerón is known for his technical abilities, especially passing skills and ball control...
added a second 15 minutes before full time for a 2–0 lead. Then seven minutes later Sebastjan Cimirotič
Sebastjan Cimirotic
Sebastjan Cimirotič aka Cime is a Slovenian football player, who currently plays for FC Ljubljana. He played for Slovenia national football team and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.-Club career:...
managed to score the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1, giving Slovenia some hope. That hope was soon shattered when Fernando Hierro
Fernando Hierro
Fernando Ruiz Hierro is a retired Spanish footballer. He is mostly known for his spells with Real Madrid and Spain, appearing in more than 500 official games with the former and representing the latter on nearly 100 occasions, whilst appearing in four World Cups and two European...
scored a penalty goal in 87 minute for the final score of 3–1. This match is infamous in Slovenia due to the conflict between coach Srečko Katanec and player Zlatko Zahovič in the dressing room after the game, which resulted in Zlatko Zahovič being sent home and Srečko Katanec's resignation after the tournament. After this conflict the team was not the same and they capitulated on its two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1). Milenko Ačimovič scored the second goal for Slovenia on the tournament.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
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!width=20|Pld
!width=20|W
!width=20|D
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|GD
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#cfc;"
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|- style="background:#cfc;"
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|-
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|3||1||1||1||5||5||0||4
|-
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|}
Bojan Prašnikar period
After the resignation of Srečko Katanec, Bojan Prašnikar was named as head coach for the third time.Euro 2004 qualifications campaign
Slovenia played a solid qualifications campaign for the Euro 2004. Grouped with FranceFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
and Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
, the team finished second and managed to qualify for its third consecutive playoffs.
This time Slovenia had to play its neighboring country as the draw set a duel against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
. The first leg was played in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and Croatia managed to get in the lead as Dado Pršo
Dado Pršo
Miladin "Dado" Pršo is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker.Pršo played for seven different teams and made over 300 league appearances as a professional...
scored a goal in the 5th minute. Slovenia however fought back as Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak is a former Slovenian football player of Bosnian origin. He is renowned as a great finisher, and has top off the ball instincts to get into scoring positions. He currently works as assistant coach at NK Domžale.-Club career:He started his professional career at NK Svoboda...
equalised only 15 minutes later. The match finished 1–1. In the second leg played in Ljubljana the first half finished with no goals. Then 15 minutes into the second Dado Pršo scored again and Croatia took the lead. Later Slovenia, despite the fact that Croatia played the last minutes with 10 players due to a red card, did not produce any quality chances and the match finished 1–0 in favour of Croatia. That meant that Croatia qualified on Euro 2004 with the score 2–1 aggregate. Bojan Prašnikar was later criticised by the media and the fans for his defensive tactics as Slovenia only managed to take one shot on target during the two playoff games. Prašnikar was later replaced by Branko Oblak
Branko Oblak
Branko Oblak is a Slovenian football coach and former international player. He usually played as an offensive midfielder or deep-lying playmaker, notable for his excellent dribbling, stamina, great vision and precision passing...
.
Ermin Šiljak scored a total of eight goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the best goalscorer of the whole UEFA zone qualifications.
Branko Oblak period (decline)
When Branko Oblak took charge of the Slovenian national team there were almost no more players from the era of Srečko Katanec as most of them retired from football or in the case of Zlatko Zahovič were scratched by the coach himself. Therefore the new coach had a difficult job finding new players that could compete on the same level as the ones that played for the team in the past decade. This is the main reason why Branko Oblak in his two years as the coach of the national team tried out over 40 different players.He led the team through the qualifications for World Cup 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany. In a group with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
, Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
and Moldova
Moldova national football team
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...
the team achieved a victory over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, thus winning seven points in the first three games. Later however the team won only five points on the remaining matches and finished in fourth place.
Branko Oblak also coached the team at the beginning of the qualifications for Euro 2008. In a group with Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
, Belarus
Belarus national football team
The Belarus national football team represents Belarus in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus, the governing body for football in Belarus. Belarus' home ground is Dinamo Stadium in Minsk...
, Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
the team quickly lost its qualification hopes with two heavy defeats by Bulgaria (3–0) and Belarus (4–2) and a 2–0 win over Luxembourg after a poor performance. Oblak had lost the support from the media and fans some time ago and he was sacked and replaced by Matjaž Kek
Matjaž Kek
Matjaž Kek is a former Slovenian footballer and former manager of the Slovenia national team.-Club career:Kek started his professional football career at his home club Maribor in 1979, before moving to the Austrian club Spittal/Drau in 1985, where he spent 3 seasons...
.
Matjaž Kek period (rebirth)
After Matjaž Kek took charge the national team was in similar situation as in 1998 when Srečko Katanec took charge. On the bottom, having lost the faith from both the media and the fans. With the qualifications hopes for Euro 2008 virtually lost Kek decided to build his team slowly. At the beginning the results were not much better than at the time when Branko Oblak left and Kek was under a lot of pressure because of that. After the campaign for the Euro 2008 was finished it was even speculated that he will be replaced by a well known Italian coach of Slovenian origin Edoardo RejaEdoardo Reja
Edoardo "Edy" Reja is an Italian football coach and former player, currently managing Lazio in the Italian Serie A. Born in Italy to Slovenian parents, Reja speaks Slovene and Italian. He is also fluent in Friulan....
. In the end that did not happen and Kek was given a chance to prove himself in a qualifications for World Cup 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
World Cup 2010 qualifications campaign
Slovenia was drawn into a group with Czech RepublicCzech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
, Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
and San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
. Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław and then won its first two home games against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (2–0),. Slovenia then won only one point in the two games with the Czech Republic and lost away against Northern Ireland, when they got back on track with the home 5–0 victory over San Marino. After that the team really started to play well as they beat Poland at home (3–0) and defeated Slovakia in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
(2–0) who were at the time the main contenders for the first place. In the last round Slovenia needed a win over San Marino (3–0) and a draw/loss of Slovakia in Poland to clinch the first position. Slovakia however won the away game in Poland with 1–0 and therefore Slovenia finished on second position and was headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in history.
Slovenia did not have much luck when the draw appointed Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
as their opponent for the playoffs. Russia had high hopes as it did well at the Euro 2008 and with Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
leading them everything seemed at reach for Russia. Other possible opponents were France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
.
The first leg was played in Moscow and Russia played well as they had the lead 2–0 up until 88 minute when a substitute Nejc Pečnik
Nejc Pecnik
Nejc Pečnik is a Slovenian footballer who plays for FC Krylia Sovetov Samara on loan from C.D. Nacional and the Slovenian national team.-Club career:...
scored a goal that gave hope for Slovenia. In the second leg that was played in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
Slovenia was dominant through the first half but only managed to score once as Zlatko Dedič
Zlatko Dedic
Zlatko Dedič is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a striker for 2nd Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:He started his career with Koper....
scored at the end of the first half. That goal however turned out to be a decisive one as the score remained 1–0 to the end of the match. The final score of the playoffs against Russia was 2–2 aggregate and Slovenia qualified due to the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
. Slovenia was the only unseeded team that managed to qualify from the playoffs.
The main scorer for the national team was Milivoje Novakovič
Milivoje Novakovic
Milivoje Novakovič is a Slovenian footballer who plays for 1. FC Köln and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:...
with 5 goals. Slovenia did particularly well on home games that were played in Maribor
Stadion Ljudski Vrt
The Ljudski vrt stadium also known by the abbreviation LV, is a multi-purpose stadium located on the left bank of the river Drava in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. The stadium is a landmark of the city of Maribor and is considered as one of the most beautiful smaller stadium in the world...
as the team managed to achieve five victories and a draw with a total goal difference 13–1.
World Cup 2010
Slovenia were drawn into Group C alongside EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
and USA
United States national american football team
The United States national American football team represents the United States in international American football competitions. It is the country's official senior national men's football team. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football...
. Slovenia won their opening game against Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
in Peter Mokaba Stadium
Peter Mokaba Stadium
The Peter Mokaba Stadium is a football stadium in Polokwane , South Africa, that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 41,733. and was named after Peter Mokaba, a former leader of the ANC Youth League...
, Polokwane
Polokwane
Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population...
1–0, Robert Koren
Robert Koren
Robert Koren is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hull City and as the captain for the Slovenian national team.-Early career:...
scoring Slovenia's goal. In their second game against the United States
United States national american football team
The United States national American football team represents the United States in international American football competitions. It is the country's official senior national men's football team. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football...
, Slovenia were leading 2–0 at half time with Valter Birsa
Valter Birsa
Valter Birsa is an Slovenian footballer who currently plays for Italian Serie A side Genoa and the Slovenian national team.-Club career:...
and Zlatan Ljubijankič
Zlatan Ljubijankic
Zlatan Ljubijankič is a Slovenian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Belgian First Division club K.A.A...
scoring for Slovenia, however Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....
and Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley (soccer)
Michael Bradley is an American soccer player who currently plays as a central midfielder for Chievo Verona in Serie A and the United States national team, which was formerly coached by his father Bob Bradley.-Early life:...
scored for the USA for the score to finish 2–2. In their last match in the preliminary round, Slovenia lost to England 0–1 by a goal from Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....
. Because the United States beat Algeria with the only goal scored in the 92nd minute of the match, the Slovenian team was eliminated.
Euro 2012 qualifications campaign
Stadium
Slovenia does not have a national stadium, and through history the national team was rotated among various stadia across the country. The team has played home matches in 8 different cities so far. The current policy of Slovenian FAFootball Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
is that home matches of the national teams are fairly distributed among the two biggest cities in the country, Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
while also a stadium in Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
is considered for future matches. There are four main stadiums in three different cities in the country that the team has played the majority of its matches or will play in the future.
Stadion Bežigrad (past)
BežigradStadion Bezigrad
Bežigrad Stadium , also known as the Bežigrad Central Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It has been closed since 2008. Joc Pečečnik, a Slovenian multimillionaire, plans to renovate it starting in January 2011....
stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana and was the main stadium until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure. The stadium was built in 1935 and up until now it hosted a total of 29 matches of the national team, which is the most then any other stadium in the country. It has a total capacity of 8,211 and was the main venue of the national team in the qualifications for Euro 2000 and World cup 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
on which Slovenia qualified and the qualifications for Euro 2004 when the team secured 2nd position in the group and then lost in playoffs.
Currently the stadium is closed for renovation. Plans are for the stadium to be completely renovated by 2012 when it could once again serve as a home venue for the national team. However this is unlikely as there is a brand new stadium that was recently build in Ljubljana and has a capacity of 16,038 seats.
Stadion Ljudski vrt
Ljudski vrt is situated in Maribor, Slovenia's 2nd largest city and is known of being the home ground of the most successful club in the country NK MariborNK Maribor
Nogometni Klub Maribor , commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from...
. After the renovation of the stadium in 2008 the ground became the main venue of the national team and Slovenia played their first match there after nearly a decade. The stadium current capacity is 12,994 covered seats. Ljudski vrt was the main home venue in the qualifications for World cup 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
where Slovenia did particularly well as the team won five and draw one home matches with goal difference 13–1. The stadium was also one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.
Arena Petrol
Arena Petrol is a stadium located in Celje, the 3rd largest city of Slovenia. It was built in 2003 onwards in separate phases and was the main venue for the national team in the qualifications for World cup 20062006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and Euro 2008. The stadium is not popular among the fans as it is build in English style with four separate stands and many fans argue that is the reason for lack of athmosphere during matches. The capacity of the stadium is 13,006 seats from which only around 50% are covered. Slovenia played 16 matches on this stadium, with the last one played in 2007. Former president of Slovenian FA (Ivan Simič) announced that the stadium will be in consideration for the national team matches in the future.
Stadion Stožice
Stadion Stožice is a brand new stadium located in the capital city of Ljubljana. The stadium has a capacity of 16,038 seats and will be one of the main venues for the national team in the future. The opening match was played in August 2010 against Australia, which was won 2–0. The stadium was one of two main venues for the Euro 2012 qualifications.Kit provider
The current kitKit (football)
In association football, as in a number of sports, kit refers to the standard equipment and attire worn by players. The term "kit" should be distinguished from a "strip" , which refers to just the shirt, shorts and socks, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably...
provider of the national team is Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, which has a contract with the team until 2016. Before that the kit providers were Kappa
Kappa (company)
Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...
, Uhlsport
Uhlsport
Uhlsport is a manufacturer of football equipment. Based in Germany and founded in 1948, the company's products include goalkeeper gloves, football boots, shin pads, footballs, training clothes, and kits....
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and Puma.
Colours controversy
{| class="toccolours" style="background:#ffffff;" align="right" width="100%"||align="center"|
|}
Up until 1992 when Slovenia was not affiliated to either FIFA or UEFA the team played its matches in the traditional colours of Slovenian nation white, blue and red. After independence and recognition by FIFA and UEFA the team continued to play in the same colours up until 1994, when the board of Slovenian FA
decided to change the colours to white and green, which are the traditional colours of the capital city of Ljubljana
and also of the most successful club at the time NK Olimpija
which was based in the same city.
Because of that fact and the fact that green was never the national colour of Slovenian nation many people had argued that the new combination was inappropriate and a movement was started to return the colours back to where they were from the start. Claims to return the national team colours back to white, blue and red were especially strong in the eastern and northern part of the country and according to various surveys conducted after 1994 throughout the country some two thirds of the people did not support the white and green combination and wanted a change (in the eastern part of the country the number of people who opposed the combination was sometimes in excess of 80%). This is the reason why a new board of Slovenian FA, that came to power at the start of 2009 immediately opted for a change of the colours. In December 2009 the board voted for the change of the jersey colours and from 2012 onwards the main colours of the team will be white for home and blue for away matches with shades of red.
In February 2011 it was again confirmed, by the Football Association of Slovenia, that the jersey colours will change in 2012 and that the kit provider, Nike, has already started to design the national team jersey's in white, blue and red.
without it. With the qualification on the World Cup 2010 there where attempts from the home journalists to pick the nickname for the team but that was not well taken among the fans as most of them feel that a process to obtain a nickname should occur naturally.
Recently there were some articles abroad that suggested that the team is called the dragons, however that is not the case in Slovenia as that is the sign only of the capital city of Ljubljana and a nickname of NK Olimpija from the same city and has nothing to do with the country itself. The idea of the dragons is not well taken among the fans and is not used either by home media or the fans nor is it used by the fans of NK Olimpija themself. However, due to the long tradition of NK Olimpija playing in Yugoslav football league some football fans from former Yugoslav republics (Serbia) use this nickname to describe the Slovenian national team. However, things change just across the border as the dragons is one of the nicknames that is used by Bosnian media and fans to describe their own national football team. Most of the former Yugoslav republics also uses the term fantje for the team, which literally means the boys in Slovene language.
Another nickname appeared recently that derives from the surname of Matjaž Kek, that is the Kekci (plural). Kekec is a Slovenian literature folk hero. This nickname again is not widely used among the public. The generation behind coach Srečko Katanec and star player Zlatko Zahovič was and still is referred to as the golden generation.
|-
!Date
!Location
!Opponent
!Score
!Competition
!Slovenia scorers
|-
|15 November 2011
|Ljubljana, Slovenia
|
|align=center|2–3
|align=center|F
|Matavž
, Matavž
|-
|29 February 2012
|TBD
|
|align=center|TBD
|align=center|F
|
on 15 November 2011.
Caps and goals updated as of 15 November 2011.
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
UEFA European Football Championship squads:
|-
!Year
!Round
!Position
!GP
!W
!D
!L
!GS
!GA
|-
|1930
to 1994
||Did not enter||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
1998
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
2002
||Round 1||30||3||0||0||3||2||7
|-
|
2006
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
2010
||Round 1||18||3||1||1||1||3||3
|-
|Total||2/19||||6||1||1||4||5||10
|}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align: center;font-size:90%;"
|-
!colspan=4|List of FIFA World Cup matches
|-
!Year!!Round!!Score!!Result
|-
|rowspan=3|2002
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 3 ||Loss
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 0 – 1 ||Loss
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 3 ||Loss
|-
|rowspan=3|2010
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 0 ||Win
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 2 – 2 ||Draw
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 0 – 1 ||Loss
|}
|-
!Year
!Round
!GP
!W
!D
!L
!GS
!GA
|-
|1960 to 1992||Did not enter||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
1996
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
2000
||Round 1||3||0||2||1||4||5
|-
|
2004
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
2008
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
2012
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
| 2016||||||||||||||
|-
|Total||1/15||3||0||2||1||4||5
|}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align: center;font-size:90%;"
|-
!colspan=4|List of UEFA Euro Championship matches
|-
!Year!!Round!!Score!!Result
|-
|rowspan=3|2000
|Round 1||align="left"| 3 – 3 ||Draw
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 2 ||Loss
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 0 – 0 ||Draw
|}
|-
!#
!class="unsortable"|Name
!class="unsortable"|NT Career
!Caps
!Goals
|-
|1
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatko Zahovič
|1992–2004
|80
|35
|-
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|Aleš Čeh
|1992–2002
|74
|1
|-
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|Milenko Ačimovič
|1998–2007
|74
|13
|-
|4
|style="text-align: left;"|Džoni Novak
|1992–2002
|71
|3
|-
|5
|style="text-align: left;"|Marinko Galič
|1994–2002
|66
|0
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|Aleksander Knavs
|1998–2006
|65
|3
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|Mladen Rudonja
|1994–2003
|65
|1
|-
|8
|style="text-align: left;"|Amir Karič
|1996–2004
|64
|1
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Miran Pavlin
|1994–2004
|63
|5
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|10
|style="text-align: left;"|Robert Koren
|2003–
|61
|5
|}
|-
!#
!class="unsortable"|Name
!class="unsortable"|NT Career
!Caps
!Goals
!Average
|-
|1
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatko Zahovič
|1992–2004
|80
|35
|0.44
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|Milivoje Novakovič
|2006–
|54
|19
|0.35
|-
|3
|style="text-align: left;"|Sašo Udovič
|1992–2000
|42
|16
|0.38
|-
|4
|style="text-align: left;"|Ermin Šiljak
|1994–2005
|48
|14
|0.29
|-
|5
|style="text-align: left;"|Milenko Ačimovič
|1998–2007
|74
|13
|0.18
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|Primož Gliha
|1992–1998
|28
|10
|0.36
|-
|7
|style="text-align: left;"|Milan Osterc
|1997–2002
|44
|8
|0.18
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|8
|style="text-align: left;"|Tim Matavž
|2009–
|12
|7
|0.58
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatan Ljubijankič
|2006–
|33
|6
|0.18
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Sebastjan Cimirotič
|1998–2005
|33
|6
|0.18
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Nastja Čeh
|2001–2007
|46
|6
|0.13
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Klemen Lavrič
|2004–2008
|25
|6
|0.24
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatko Dedič
|2004–
|39
|6
|0.15
|}
|-
!Name
!class="unsortable"|NT Career
!Played
!Won
!Drawn
!Lost
!Win %
!Drawn %
!Lost %
!class="unsortable"|Achievements
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1991–1993
|4
|1
|2
|1
|25.00
|50.00
|25.00
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1994–1997
|32
|10
|8
|14
|31.25
|25.00
|43.75
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1998
|5
|1
|1
|3
|20.00
|20.00
|60.00
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1998–2002
|47
|18
|16
|13
|38.30
|34.00
|27.70
| 2000 Euro; 2002 World Cup
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2002–2004
|16
|6
|3
|7
|37.50
|18.75
|43.75
|2004 Euro Qualifying Play-offs
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2004–2006
|23
|6
|7
|10
|26.10
|30.40
|43.50
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2007–2011
|49
|20
|9
|20
|40.82
|18.37
|40.82
|2010 World Cup
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2011–
|1
|0
|0
|1
|0.00
|0.00
|100.00
|
|}
|-
!Venue
!City
!Played
!Won
!Drawn
!Lost
!GF
!GA
!Win %
!Drawn %
!Lost %
|-
|Bežigrad
|Ljubljana
|29
|15
|6
|8
|48
|34
|51.70
|20.70
|27.60
|-
|Ljudski vrt
|Maribor
|18
|11
|2
|5
|35
|17
|61.11
|11.11
|27.78
|-
|Arena Petrol
|Celje
|16
|5
|3
|8
|15
|19
|31.25
|18.75
|50.00
|-
|Stožice
|Ljubljana
|6
|2
|1
|3
|10
|7
|33.33
|16.67
|50.00
|-
|Fazanerija
|Murska Sobota
|2
|1
|0
|1
|3
|4
|50.00
|0
|50.00
|-
|Športni park
|Nova Gorica
|2
|0
|0
|2
|2
|7
|0
|0
|100
|-
|Športni park
|Domžale
|1
|1
|0
|0
|1
|0
|100
|0
|0
|-
|Bonifika
|Koper
|2
|0
|0
|2
|1
|4
|0
|0
|100
|-
|ŠC Stanko Mlakar
|Kranj
|1
|0
|0
|1
|1
|4
|0
|0
|100
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan="2"|Totals !! 77 !! 35 !! 12 !! 30 !! 117 !! 96 !! 45.45 !! 15.58 !! 38.96
|}
|-
! Against
! Played
! Won
! Drawn
! Lost
! GF
! GA
! GD
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 3 || 2 || 0 || 4 || 1 || +3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 1 || 2 || 1 || 5 || 6 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 4 || 7 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 5 || −5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 3 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 9 || 0 || 3 || 6 || 8 || 16 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 3 || 2 || 1 || 11 || 5 || +6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 1 || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6 || −4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 1 || 11 || −10
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 7 || 5 || 1 || 1 || 9 || 4 || +5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 3 || 1 || 0 || 9 || 3 || +6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 2 || 10 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 2 || 10 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 1 || 2 || 1 || 5 || 4 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 0 || 1 || 3 || 2 || 10 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 5 || −4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 3 || 0 || 1 || 5 || 3 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 10 || 3 || +7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 1 || 2 || 0 || 4 || 2 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 7 || 2 || 1 || 4 || 3 || 5 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3 || 2 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 9 || 1 || +8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 3 || 1 || 0 || 7 || 1 || +6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 1 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 5 || 1 || +4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 3 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 1 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 0 || 1 || 4 || 3 || 12 || −9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 11 || 0 || +11
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 3 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 1 || 2 || 2 || 4 || 5 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 1 || +3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 7 || 1 || 3 || 3 || 6 || 10 || −4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 2 || 1 || 2 || 6 || 7 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 8 || 0|| +8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 3 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 1 || 5 || 0 || 9 || 8 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 2 || 2 || 0 || 5 || 2 || +3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 5 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 1 || 1 || 3 || 5 || 11 || −6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 1 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 3 || 2 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 2 || 2 || 0 || 6 || 4 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 2 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 4 || 5 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|}
Up until 1992 when Slovenia was not affiliated to either FIFA or UEFA the team played its matches in the traditional colours of Slovenian nation white, blue and red. After independence and recognition by FIFA and UEFA the team continued to play in the same colours up until 1994, when the board of Slovenian FA
Football Association of Slovenia
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the following football leagues and cups: 1st division , 2nd division , 3rd division East, 3rd division West, Slovenian Cup - Hervis, Slovenian Women's National League, etc. It is also responsible for...
decided to change the colours to white and green, which are the traditional colours of the capital city of Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and also of the most successful club at the time NK Olimpija
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (1911)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana was a Slovenian association football club based in Ljubljana. The club had traced its origin back to 1911 when it was originally founded as SK Ilirija. It had gone through a series of mergers in the first half of the 20th century before adopting the name Olimpija in 1962...
which was based in the same city.
Because of that fact and the fact that green was never the national colour of Slovenian nation many people had argued that the new combination was inappropriate and a movement was started to return the colours back to where they were from the start. Claims to return the national team colours back to white, blue and red were especially strong in the eastern and northern part of the country and according to various surveys conducted after 1994 throughout the country some two thirds of the people did not support the white and green combination and wanted a change (in the eastern part of the country the number of people who opposed the combination was sometimes in excess of 80%). This is the reason why a new board of Slovenian FA, that came to power at the start of 2009 immediately opted for a change of the colours. In December 2009 the board voted for the change of the jersey colours and from 2012 onwards the main colours of the team will be white for home and blue for away matches with shades of red.
In February 2011 it was again confirmed, by the Football Association of Slovenia, that the jersey colours will change in 2012 and that the kit provider, Nike, has already started to design the national team jersey's in white, blue and red.
Nickname
Slovenia does not have a nickname and was according to media the only team on World Cup 20102010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
without it. With the qualification on the World Cup 2010 there where attempts from the home journalists to pick the nickname for the team but that was not well taken among the fans as most of them feel that a process to obtain a nickname should occur naturally.
Recently there were some articles abroad that suggested that the team is called the dragons, however that is not the case in Slovenia as that is the sign only of the capital city of Ljubljana and a nickname of NK Olimpija from the same city and has nothing to do with the country itself. The idea of the dragons is not well taken among the fans and is not used either by home media or the fans nor is it used by the fans of NK Olimpija themself. However, due to the long tradition of NK Olimpija playing in Yugoslav football league some football fans from former Yugoslav republics (Serbia) use this nickname to describe the Slovenian national team. However, things change just across the border as the dragons is one of the nicknames that is used by Bosnian media and fans to describe their own national football team. Most of the former Yugoslav republics also uses the term fantje for the team, which literally means the boys in Slovene language.
Another nickname appeared recently that derives from the surname of Matjaž Kek, that is the Kekci (plural). Kekec is a Slovenian literature folk hero. This nickname again is not widely used among the public. The generation behind coach Srečko Katanec and star player Zlatko Zahovič was and still is referred to as the golden generation.
Recent and upcoming games
{| class="wikitable"|-
!Date
!Location
!Opponent
!Score
!Competition
!Slovenia scorers
|-
|15 November 2011
|Ljubljana, Slovenia
Stožice Stadium
Stožice Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was designed by Slovenian Sadar Vuga d.o.o. architects and is the biggest football stadium in the country. It is one of two main stadiums in the city and lies in the Bežigrad district, north of the city centre...
|
|align=center|2–3
|align=center|F
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
|Matavž
Tim Matavž
Tim Matavž is a Slovenian football player who plays as a striker for the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.-Club career:Matavž began his football career at the age of 6 playing for NK Bilje. In 2004 he moved to ND Gorica youth squads...
, Matavž
Tim Matavž
Tim Matavž is a Slovenian football player who plays as a striker for the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.-Club career:Matavž began his football career at the age of 6 playing for NK Bilje. In 2004 he moved to ND Gorica youth squads...
|-
|29 February 2012
|TBD
|
|align=center|TBD
|align=center|F
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
|
Current squad
Manager Slaviša Stojanović announced a 23-man Slovenia squad for the friendly match against USAUnited States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
on 15 November 2011.
Caps and goals updated as of 15 November 2011.
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Slovenia squad in 2011.|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
|-
! colspan="9" style="background:#b0d3fb; text-align:left;"|
|- style="background:#dfedfd;"
Previous squads
FIFA World Cup squads:- 2002 FIFA World Cup squad
- 2010 FIFA World Cup squad
UEFA European Football Championship squads:
- UEFA Euro 2000 squad
World Cup record
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"|-
!Year
!Round
!Position
!GP
!W
!D
!L
!GS
!GA
|-
|1930
1930 FIFA World Cup
The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
to 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
||Did not enter||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
19981998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
20022002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
||Round 1||30||3||0||0||3||2||7
|-
|
20062006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
20102010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
||Round 1||18||3||1||1||1||3||3
|-
|Total||2/19||||6||1||1||4||5||10
|}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align: center;font-size:90%;"
|-
!colspan=4|List of FIFA World Cup matches
|-
!Year!!Round!!Score!!Result
|-
|rowspan=3|2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 3 ||Loss
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 0 – 1 ||Loss
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 3 ||Loss
|-
|rowspan=3|2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 0 ||Win
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 2 – 2 ||Draw
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 0 – 1 ||Loss
|}
European Championship record
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"|-
!Year
!Round
!GP
!W
!D
!L
!GS
!GA
|-
|1960 to 1992||Did not enter||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
19961996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
20002000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....
||Round 1||3||0||2||1||4||5
|-
|
20042004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
20082008 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in Austria and Switzerland from 7 to 29 June 2008...
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
20122012 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012, will be the 14th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. The final tournament will be hosted by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012...
||Did not qualify||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|
2016|||||||||||||||-
|Total||1/15||3||0||2||1||4||5
|}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align: center;font-size:90%;"
|-
!colspan=4|List of UEFA Euro Championship matches
|-
!Year!!Round!!Score!!Result
|-
|rowspan=3|2000
|Round 1||align="left"| 3 – 3 ||Draw
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 1 – 2 ||Loss
|-
|Round 1||align="left"| 0 – 0 ||Draw
|}
Statistics
Most appearances
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"|-
!#
!class="unsortable"|Name
!class="unsortable"|NT Career
!Caps
!Goals
|-
|1
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatko Zahovič
Zlatko Zahovic
Zlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...
|1992–2004
|80
|35
|-
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|Aleš Čeh
Aleš Ceh
Aleš Čeh is a retired Slovenian footballer who has represented his country at the two major tournaments for which they have qualified .-Club career:...
|1992–2002
|74
|1
|-
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|Milenko Ačimovič
Milenko Acimovic
Milenko Ačimović is a former Slovenian footballer who last played for Austria giants Austria Wien. He was a playmaker who has a great passing range and an abundance of skill...
|1998–2007
|74
|13
|-
|4
|style="text-align: left;"|Džoni Novak
|1992–2002
|71
|3
|-
|5
|style="text-align: left;"|Marinko Galič
Marinko Galic
Marinko Galič is a former Slovenian footballer who has represented his country at the two major tournaments for which they have qualified .-Club career:...
|1994–2002
|66
|0
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|Aleksander Knavs
Aleksander Knavs
Aleksander Knavs is a former Slovenian football defender.-Club career:He was born in Maribor and started his professional career playing at the club Olimpija Ljubljana from the Slovenian capital city of Ljubljana in 1993...
|1998–2006
|65
|3
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja
Mladen Rudonja is a retired Slovenian footballer who represented his country at two major tournaments - Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.He most often played as a forward or a winger...
|1994–2003
|65
|1
|-
|8
|style="text-align: left;"|Amir Karič
Amir Karic
Amir Karić is a Bosnian-Slovenian footballer.-Club career:After the Euro 2000 was brought to English football by Ipswich Town in September 2000 for £700k....
|1996–2004
|64
|1
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin
Miran Pavlin is a former Slovenian football player and current director of football in FC Koper.-Club career:He played for clubs such as NK Olimpija, SC Freiburg , Olympiakos Nicosia , APOEL , FC Porto and NK Olimpija.After the original NK Olimpija went bankrupt in 2005, he joined the newly...
|1994–2004
|63
|5
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|10
|style="text-align: left;"|Robert Koren
Robert Koren
Robert Koren is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hull City and as the captain for the Slovenian national team.-Early career:...
|2003–
|61
|5
|}
- Last updated: 6 September 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
Top goalscorers
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"|-
!#
!class="unsortable"|Name
!class="unsortable"|NT Career
!Caps
!Goals
!Average
|-
|1
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatko Zahovič
Zlatko Zahovic
Zlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...
|1992–2004
|80
|35
|0.44
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|2
|style="text-align: left;"|Milivoje Novakovič
Milivoje Novakovic
Milivoje Novakovič is a Slovenian footballer who plays for 1. FC Köln and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:...
|2006–
|54
|19
|0.35
|-
|3
|style="text-align: left;"|Sašo Udovič
Sašo Udovic
Sašo Udovič is a retired Slovenian football player.He played for Hajduk Split , KSK Beveren , Lausanne Sports and LASK Linz in Austria....
|1992–2000
|42
|16
|0.38
|-
|4
|style="text-align: left;"|Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak
Ermin Šiljak is a former Slovenian football player of Bosnian origin. He is renowned as a great finisher, and has top off the ball instincts to get into scoring positions. He currently works as assistant coach at NK Domžale.-Club career:He started his professional career at NK Svoboda...
|1994–2005
|48
|14
|0.29
|-
|5
|style="text-align: left;"|Milenko Ačimovič
Milenko Acimovic
Milenko Ačimović is a former Slovenian footballer who last played for Austria giants Austria Wien. He was a playmaker who has a great passing range and an abundance of skill...
|1998–2007
|74
|13
|0.18
|-
|6
|style="text-align: left;"|Primož Gliha
Primož Gliha
Primož Gliha is a retired Slovenian football strikerGliha won 28 caps and scored 10 goals for the Slovenian national team between 1993 and 1998, including a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Croatia in a World Cup qualifier in Split on April 2, 1997.-External links:* - RSSSF...
|1992–1998
|28
|10
|0.36
|-
|7
|style="text-align: left;"|Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc
Milan Osterc is a Slovenian football striker. He is also known as nickame Jagoda.-Club career:He started his career at NK Veržej. Currently, he is a member of one time Slovenian champions FC Koper...
|1997–2002
|44
|8
|0.18
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|8
|style="text-align: left;"|Tim Matavž
Tim Matavž
Tim Matavž is a Slovenian football player who plays as a striker for the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.-Club career:Matavž began his football career at the age of 6 playing for NK Bilje. In 2004 he moved to ND Gorica youth squads...
|2009–
|12
|7
|0.58
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatan Ljubijankič
Zlatan Ljubijankic
Zlatan Ljubijankič is a Slovenian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Belgian First Division club K.A.A...
|2006–
|33
|6
|0.18
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Sebastjan Cimirotič
Sebastjan Cimirotic
Sebastjan Cimirotič aka Cime is a Slovenian football player, who currently plays for FC Ljubljana. He played for Slovenia national football team and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.-Club career:...
|1998–2005
|33
|6
|0.18
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Nastja Čeh
Nastja Ceh
Nastja Čeh is a Slovenian footballer playing for Maccabi Petah Tikva.-Club career:Čeh started his career with his hometown club Drava Ptuj. By the age of 17 he was playing in the first team in the 2. SNL...
|2001–2007
|46
|6
|0.13
|-
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Klemen Lavrič
Klemen Lavric
Klemen Lavrič is a Slovenian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Karlsruher SC in Germany.-Club career:...
|2004–2008
|25
|6
|0.24
|- style="background:#cfecec;"
|9
|style="text-align: left;"|Zlatko Dedič
Zlatko Dedic
Zlatko Dedič is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a striker for 2nd Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:He started his career with Koper....
|2004–
|39
|6
|0.15
|}
- Last updated: 15 November 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
Managers
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"|-
!Name
!class="unsortable"|NT Career
!Played
!Won
!Drawn
!Lost
!Win %
!Drawn %
!Lost %
!class="unsortable"|Achievements
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1991–1993
|4
|1
|2
|1
|25.00
|50.00
|25.00
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1994–1997
|32
|10
|8
|14
|31.25
|25.00
|43.75
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1998
|5
|1
|1
|3
|20.00
|20.00
|60.00
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|1998–2002
|47
|18
|16
|13
|38.30
|34.00
|27.70
| 2000 Euro; 2002 World Cup
2002 World Cup
2002 World Cup may refer to:*Alpine skiing – 2002 Alpine Skiing World Cup*Athletics – 2002 IAAF World Cup*Field Hockey:** 2002 Men's World Hockey Cup** 2002 Women's World Hockey Cup...
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2002–2004
|16
|6
|3
|7
|37.50
|18.75
|43.75
|2004 Euro Qualifying Play-offs
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2004–2006
|23
|6
|7
|10
|26.10
|30.40
|43.50
|
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2007–2011
|49
|20
|9
|20
|40.82
|18.37
|40.82
|2010 World Cup
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|
|2011–
|1
|0
|0
|1
|0.00
|0.00
|100.00
|
|}
- Last updated: 15 November 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
Home venues record
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"|-
!Venue
!City
!Played
!Won
!Drawn
!Lost
!GF
!GA
!Win %
!Drawn %
!Lost %
|-
|Bežigrad
|Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
|29
|15
|6
|8
|48
|34
|51.70
|20.70
|27.60
|-
|Ljudski vrt
|Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
|18
|11
|2
|5
|35
|17
|61.11
|11.11
|27.78
|-
|Arena Petrol
Arena Petrol
Arena Petrol is a football stadium in Celje, Slovenia. It is the home ground of NK Celje and was also the home ground for Slovenian national football team for their international home matches from 2004 until 2008....
|Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
|16
|5
|3
|8
|15
|19
|31.25
|18.75
|50.00
|-
|Stožice
|Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
|6
|2
|1
|3
|10
|7
|33.33
|16.67
|50.00
|-
|Fazanerija
Stadion Fazanerija
Fazanerija City Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Murska Sobota, Slovenia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of ND Mura 05. The stadium was built in 1983 and has a capacity of 3,716 covered seats...
|Murska Sobota
Murska Sobota
Murska Sobota is a city in northeastern Slovenia. It is located in the eponymous municipality near the Mura River in the region of Prekmurje and is the regional capital.-Name:...
|2
|1
|0
|1
|3
|4
|50.00
|0
|50.00
|-
|Športni park
|Nova Gorica
Nova Gorica
Nova Gorica ; 21,082 ; 31,000 ) is a town and a municipality in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy...
|2
|0
|0
|2
|2
|7
|0
|0
|100
|-
|Športni park
|Domžale
Domžale
Domžale is a municipality and city Slovenia. Domžale is known today for its flourishing small businesses, agriculture, and light industry . It is the site of the renaissance Krumperk Castle...
|1
|1
|0
|0
|1
|0
|100
|0
|0
|-
|Bonifika
SRC Bonifika Stadion
Bonifika Stadium is a stadium in Koper, Slovenia. It is used for football matches and is the home ground of FC Koper. The stadium is part of Bonifika sports complex, together with a smaller athletics stadium, indoor hall and a indoor swimming pool. The stadium was built in 1962 and got its name...
|Koper
|2
|0
|0
|2
|1
|4
|0
|0
|100
|-
|ŠC Stanko Mlakar
Športni Center Stanko Mlakar
Stanko Mlakar Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kranj, Slovenia. It is mainly used mostly for football matches and hosts the home matches of ND Triglav Kranj of the Slovenian PrvaLiga. In 2009 the stadium underwent a major reconstruction in which a new stand was built and the stadium now has...
|Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...
|1
|0
|0
|1
|1
|4
|0
|0
|100
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan="2"|Totals !! 77 !! 35 !! 12 !! 30 !! 117 !! 96 !! 45.45 !! 15.58 !! 38.96
|}
- Last updated: 15 November 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
All-time team record
{| class="sortable wikitable"|-
! Against
! Played
! Won
! Drawn
! Lost
! GF
! GA
! GD
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 3 || 2 || 0 || 4 || 1 || +3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 1 || 2 || 1 || 5 || 6 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 2 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 4 || 7 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 5 || −5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 3 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 9 || 0 || 3 || 6 || 8 || 16 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 3 || 2 || 1 || 11 || 5 || +6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 1 || 1 || 3 || 2 || 6 || −4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 1 || 11 || −10
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 1 || 3 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 7 || 5 || 1 || 1 || 9 || 4 || +5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 3 || 1 || 0 || 9 || 3 || +6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 2 || 10 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 2 || 10 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 1 || 2 || 1 || 5 || 4 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 0 || 1 || 3 || 2 || 10 || −8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 5 || −4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 3 || 0 || 1 || 5 || 3 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 10 || 3 || +7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 1 || 2 || 0 || 4 || 2 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 7 || 2 || 1 || 4 || 3 || 5 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 2 || 0 || 1 || 3 || 2 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 9 || 1 || +8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 3 || 1 || 0 || 7 || 1 || +6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 1 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 5 || 1 || +4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 3 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 1 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 0 || 1 || 4 || 3 || 12 || −9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 11 || 0 || +11
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 3 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 1 || 2 || 2 || 4 || 5 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 1 || +3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 7 || 1 || 3 || 3 || 6 || 10 || −4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 2 || 1 || 2 || 6 || 7 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 8 || 0|| +8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 3 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 1 || 5 || 0 || 9 || 8 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 2 || 2 || 0 || 5 || 2 || +3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 5 || −3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 1 || 1 || 3 || 5 || 11 || −6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 1 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 3 || 2 || +1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 2 || 2 || 0 || 6 || 4 || +2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 2 || −2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 4 || 5 || −1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|}
- Last updated: 15 November 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
External links
