Defence-prone Maltese team were dealt the first blow during stoppage time after the first halftime by the best player of the match, Josip Iličić, who expertly hit the “small net” of the Maltese goalkeeper Andrew Hogg from the right side.

Novaković scores at last match of his career
In the second part of the match, Slovenia’s predominance was re-confirmed by Milivoje Novaković (84’), who scored from close proximity to the goal after a good pass from Iličić. Novaković, for whom this was the last match of his career, has thus concluded the path of a professional footballer in the best possible way.

Slovenia heavily dominated the play, reveal the final statistics: ball possession 70:30, shots on target 23:3, shots into goal frame 9:1. Head coach Srečko Katanec and his team can now calmly wait for the autumn part of qualifications, where they will try to pave Slovenia’s way toward the world championship in Russia.

Aleš Vozel, MMC; translated by K. Z.