The traditional football rivalry between Ljubljana and Maribor has tipped in favour of the former after 21 years. Before the last round of the national championship, Olimpija - Ljubljana's biggest football club - has gained a 3-point advantage against Maribor, which celebrated a 3-1 win in Novo mesto. The statistics of matches between Olimpija and Maribor also works in favour of the former. Maribor's renowned football club, also referred to as the "Violet Ones", won the Slovenian national championship in the past five seasons. In total, the club holds 13 championship titles.

Ljubljana has become a champion for the first time since the 1994/95 season, when the so-called "old" Olimpija won the national championship. The "new" Olimpija was founded in 2005, rising from the ashes of the bankrupt old club. It took the new club seven seasons in Slovenia's premier league to carry the title again.

Penalty kick for Wobey from reserve team
The decisive moment of the match in Velenje came in the 3rd minute of the referee's extra time, when David Kašnik knocked down Julius Wobey from Olimpija's reserve team. Referee Nejc Kajtazović ordered a penalty kick, which was expertly transformed into a goal by Rok Kronaveter. Goalkeeper Matic Čretnik managed to guess which side Kronaveter would pick but his arms did not reach far enough. Celebrations at the grandstands, with over a thousand supporters cheering to Olimpija, could begin.

Bitter after taste for Maribor and Novo mesto
The centre of the Dolenjska region saw two disappointed teams after the final judge's whistle sounded. Maribor did not get their hoped-for slip of Olimpija, while Krka – the club from Novo mesto - will need to move into the second-best league due to their loss against the Violet and the win of Koper against Gorica. Krka is behind Koper by three points, and has a worse outcome in matches played against each other.

R. K., MMC; translated by K. Z.