In the 1. SNL game on 19 September 2026, Maribor beat Aluminij 2:2. Match numbers: shots on target 11:9, possession, % 55.00:45.
Match report
Maribor and Aluminij played out a 2:2 draw at Ljudski Vrt on Saturday evening in the first league, regular season round 10. The result keeps the hosts unbeaten at ten games, though it also leaves Aluminij firmly in mid-table rather than climbing any further. We had backed the home side for victory with 54 per cent confidence, but the match took a different shape entirely.
I remember the twentieth minute distinctly — the game was still finding its legs when B. Osuji picked up a yellow card after a sharp challenge. Then came the first real moment at the other end: I. Tshipamba broke the deadlock in the twenty-second minute, a quick finish that put Maribor ahead before anyone could settle into the rhythm. Aluminij responded when they needed to, with P. Petrisko equalising in the fifty-second minute after a period where the visitors pressed higher up the pitch.
The second half brought a flurry of changes. N. Viher and B. Feta came on together for Maribor in the sixty-fifth minute, while Petrisko was withdrawn himself in the seventy-fourth — a curious move given he had just scored. V. Tezak restored Aluminij's lead in the eightieth minute, and then the match turned on its head. L. Zahovic stepped up for a penalty in ninety-plus seven minutes to salvage a point for the hosts. By then, the crowd had been through every emotion.
The numbers tell a story of dominance without control. Maribor held 55 per cent possession and registered eleven shots on target against nine for their opponents, yet their accuracy sat at 52 per cent compared to Aluminij's 69 per cent. The visitors were more clinical with fewer chances, which is often the case in these tight fixtures. Maribor's nine corners matched Aluminij's tally, but it was the quality of the finish that decided who got what from the afternoon.
What this means on the table is straightforward. Maribor remain top of the first league with twenty points from ten games, five wins and five draws without a defeat. Aluminij sit fifth with thirteen points, three victories, four draws and three losses. The hosts extended their unbeaten run, but they also learned that holding every card doesn't guarantee three points. One mistake ends it, and sometimes the other side is waiting.
HT🟨12' D. Simunic — Yellow card🟨19' B. Osuji — Yellow card⚽22' I. Tshipamba — Goal⚽52' P. Petrisko — Goal⇄65' N. Viher — Substitution⇄65' B. Feta — Substitution⇄74' P. Petrisko — Substitution⇄79' J. Mlakar — Substitution⇄80' B. Osuji — Substitution⚽80' V. Tezak — Goal⇄83' Z. Jevsenak — Substitution⇄88' H. Sorensen — Substitution⚽90+7' L. Zahovic — Penalty
