The Slovenian football team finished the qualifications for the 2018 World Championship in Russia with a draw. The match of the F group final round in Stožice against Scotland concluded with a draw – 2:2.
The Slovenian football players were behind at the end of the first half, but then the reserve player Roman Bezjak, who entered the match in the beginning of the second half, changed the score. It seemed that the home team will be victorious, but in the final moments of the match another reserve player Robert Snodgrass equalled the score. The points went to both teams, and in this way the Slovenians did a great favour to the Slovaks, who replaced the Scots at the second place.
The English took the first place in the group; in ten matches they never tasted the bitter taste of defeat, and as expected classified directly for the Mundial. The Slovaks won against Malta (3:0) and took the second place, Scotland the third, and Slovenia with 15 points took the fourth place.
Griffiths beat Oblak in 32nd minute
In the beginning of the match the Scots were slightly better, but soon after the Slovenian took the initiative and created some opportunities. Srečko Katanec's team controlled the game in the middle of the field, but after half an hour of good effort suddenly received a goal. James McArthur received a rebound header into the penalty area, approached by the left side by Leigh Griffiths alongside Aljaž Struna, and Jan Oblak was defeated by a great diagonal shot which landed in the goal next to the left goalpost: 0:1.
Reserve player Bezjak changed the score
Katanec made two changes before the beginning of the second half. Jan Repas was replaced by Roman Bezjak, and Struna by Nejc Skubic. The home team had a great start in the second half, immediately pushing towards the Scotland goal, and in the 52nd minute they equalized the score.
Josip Iličić's free kick sent the ball towards the second goalpost with precision, and Bezjak managed to score with a header for 1:1; the Scot captain Darren Fletcher was a bit late. Immediately after Bezjak almost managed to change the score; after Matavž's shot he caught the rebound, but Gordon somehow managed to stop the ball with his left palm. During the following minutes the Scottish players remained stunned, midfielders were completely without ideas, and mistakes were again made in the defence. The Slovenians again took advantage of the mistakes, and Bezjak again changed the score.
The Scots didn't manage to kick the ball out of their penalty area, Mevlja passed it quickly to Bezjak, who pushed the ball into the goal from the distance of 10 metres.
Thanks to Snodgrass the last minutes of the match were exciting
The Scotland selector Gordon Strachan in the 79th minute replaced McArthur with Robert Snodgrass; he proved worthy of his trust some ten minutes later by equalizing to 2:2. And to make the last minutes of the match – the first referee Jonas Eriksson added four minutes – even more exciting, Boštjan Cesar was expelled after the end of the regular time. The Scots tried to score the winning goal, and thus enter the additional qualifications for the World Championship, but they ran out of time – and of.