The friendly match between the national teams of Slovenia and Armenia took place on June 4 in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. The outcome was not in favor of the Armenian team, despite their superiority in many aspects of the game.
Teams and Goals
Slovenia — Armenia 2:1
1-0 Jan Mlakar (11') 1-1 Varazdat Haroyan (55') 2-1 Josip Iličić (63')
Armenia's lineup: Ognjen Čančarević - Varazdat Haroyan (C), Gevorg Harutyunyan, Stepan Mkrtchyan, Kamo Hovhannisyan (79, David Davidyan), Nair Tiknizyan (79, Edgar Grigoryan), Eduard Spertsyan, Artak Dashyan (73, Hovhannes Harutyunyan), Edgar Sevikyan (67, Vahan Bichakhchyan), Artur Serobyan (67, Zhirayr Shaghoyan), Artur Miranyan (73, Gevorg Tarakhchyan).
Slovenia's lineup: Belec - Karnicnik, Drkušič (79, Zaletel), Bijol, Janža - Horvat (71, Lovrić), Gnezda, Kurtić (59, Elšnik), Šporar (79, Stochnovic), Vipotnik (Iličić), Mlakar (59, Stojanović).
Josip Iličić returned to the Slovenian national team after a three-year break and marked his comeback with a goal.
Match Progress
The game started with active play from the Slovenian team, and Jan Mlakar opened the scoring in the 11th minute, sending the ball into Armenia's net. The first half ended with a minimal advantage for the home team.
In the second half, the Armenian team showed significant improvement. In the 55th minute, Varazdat Haroyan equalized with a goal. Armenia continued to dominate, but substitute Josip Iličić put Slovenia back in the lead in the 63rd minute with a decisive goal.
For the Armenian team, the only goal was scored by captain Varazdat Haroyan after Eduard Spertsyan's corner. This was Haroyan's 4th goal for the national team.
Match Statistics
Despite the defeat, the game statistics clearly favor the Armenian team:
Shots: 16-7 in favor of Armenia Corners: 10-1 in favor of Armenia Possession: 49% - 51% in favor of Slovenia
These numbers clearly show that the Armenian team created more scoring chances and had significant territorial advantage.
This match was a good test for both teams, and despite the final score, the Armenian team showed an excellent performance, which undoubtedly brings optimism for the upcoming official matches. We hope that in the next games they will be able to capitalize on their advantage and achieve deserved victories.
Armenia's next match will take place on June 7 in Yerevan against Kazakhstan, while Slovenia will play against Bulgaria, before heading to EURO 2024, where they will compete in Group C alongside England, Denmark, and Serbia.
