FIFA International Friendly | Thursday, 4 June 2026 Stadion Stožice, Ljubljana, Slovenia | Attendance: 7,500 | Referee: Patrik Kolaric
Cyprus scored in the seventh minute. At Stožice. Against Slovenia. Jan Oblak in goal.
Nobody saw that coming.
Marinos Tzionis put the visitors ahead almost immediately and for the whole of the first half Cyprus held on. Stubbornly, impressively, completely against the odds considering Slovenia are ranked 68 places above them in the FIFA world rankings. The half-time whistle went with the score at 0-1 and the home crowd were not happy.
Slovenia got level in the second half. Bostjan Cesar made changes, brought on fresh legs, and eventually the pressure told. The equaliser came. But they could not find a winner and the game finished 1-1.
Not what Slovenia wanted. Not what they needed before the Nations League cycle kicks off in September. This was one of two warm-up friendlies before the summer ends — Croatia next on June 7 — and a draw at home against Cyprus is not the form statement you are after.
The goal that started it all came quickly. Tzionis — who has been one of the better players in the Cypriot national team setup over the last couple of seasons — got on the ball in the seventh minute in a half-space just inside the box. Slovenia’s defence backed off slightly. Tzionis did not hesitate. He finished and the ball was in the net before Oblak could get across. The away bench celebrated. The home crowd went very quiet.
Cyprus settled into a low block after that and used it well. Their organisation was good. Loizou and Andreou screened the defence and stopped Slovenia from getting the free runs in behind that they were looking for. Kastanos, Charalampous and Pittas worked hard across the front line without overcommitting. Kakoullis had a couple of moments where he broke forward and caused panic.
Slovenia had the ball. Lots of it. Verbic and Seslar pushed wide and tried to find angles. Vipotnik held the ball up in the centre and linked play. Lovric was involved everywhere in the middle third but the key pass kept not arriving. Sporar came on at some point and changed the forward dynamic slightly. The home side created without finding the clinical moment.
Begic replaced Seslar at the break. Lovric replaced Svetlin. Cesar threw changes at it.
The equaliser eventually came in the second half. The commentary does not specify the minute or the scorer from confirmed sources — but it came and it came from sustained pressure. Koren came on for Sturm, Sokler came on for Vipotnik, and the fresh bodies changed the energy. Slovenia’s pressure finally told and the score moved to 1-1.
From that point on the game opened up slightly. Cyprus made their own substitutions — Naoum for Shikkis, Satsias for Kastanos, Christou for Georgiou, Fabiano picking up a yellow card late on. Four minutes of added time were signalled at the end but neither side could find a winner.
1-1. Full time.
For Cyprus this is a reasonable evening’s work. Coming to Ljubljana, scoring first through Tzionis, holding the lead for 45 minutes and leaving with a draw against a team ranked so much higher — that is not a bad result. Apostolos Mantzios has been trying to build consistency in this squad and there were positive signs in how they defended for large stretches.
For Slovenia it is quietly frustrating. They failed to qualify for the World Cup after drawing four and losing two in their qualifying group — not a single win across six matches. That record needs addressing. The Nations League coming up in September will be the first real test. They face North Macedonia, Scotland and Switzerland in their group. None of those are walkovers. If Slovenia play the way they did for the first 45 minutes here — dominant possession, no cutting edge — they will struggle.
Oblak conceding to Cyprus after seven minutes at home will not sit easily with him either. He is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet. He could not stop it. These things happen. It does not make it easier to digest.
Croatia on June 7 is the next game. A bigger test. A chance to sharpen before the summer break.
For live international scores and football coverage, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full Nations League groups and fixtures at the official UEFA website.
Slovenia 1-1 Cyprus FIFA International Friendly | Thursday, 4 June 2026 Stadion Stožice, Ljubljana | Attendance: 7,500 | Referee: Patrik Kolaric
Goals: Marinos Tzionis 7′ (Cyprus), Slovenia equaliser (second half)
Slovenia (4-3-3): Oblak; Janza, Brekalo, Bijol, Kuzmic; Svetlin (Lovric HT), Gnezda Cerin (Zeljkovic 65′), Seslar (Begic HT); Verbic, Vipotnik (Sokler 65′), Sturm (Koren 65′)
Cyprus (4-2-3-1): Michail; Shikkis (Naoum 65′), Sielis, Panagiotou, Correia; Loizou, Andreou; Charalampous, Kastanos (Satsias 65′), Tzionis; Pittas (Christou 70′)
Yellow Cards: Fabiano (Cyprus, late second half) | Half-time: 0-1
