Kopar and Aluminij met at Bonifika Stadium on Thursday evening, 28 August 2026, in the seventh round of the 1. SNL. Aluminij took all three points with a 1-0 victory, decided by L. Rimac's goal in the fifty-third minute.
And here's the thing about this match — it turned on a single moment. Kopar had controlled the early exchanges, pressing with intent, but Aluminij's discipline held firm. N. Simon had picked up a yellow card in the twenty-fifth minute, a warning that the away side would not give anything away cheaply.
The breakthrough came after the interval. Aluminij came out with purpose, and Rimac found the space he needed. Kopar had already made a change at the break, bringing on L. Gucek for A. Ruedl, who had been cautioned in the seventeenth minute. The home side tried to respond, throwing bodies forward with substitutions at sixty-first, sixty-ninth, seventy-seventh and eighty-fifth minutes.
To be fair, Kopar's manager did everything he could to find an equaliser, but Aluminij's back line stayed compact. I. Matondo came on for Simon in the sixty-second minute, adding pace to the away side's approach. L. Bas picked up a yellow card in stoppage time, but by then the result was beyond doubt.
By then, Kopar's frustration was showing. They had made four substitutions, compared to Aluminij's two, and still could not break through. The home side now sits second in the table with twelve points from seven games, while Aluminij moves to fourth with eight points from six matches.
What this means for the standings is worth noting. Kopar can no longer afford another slip if they want to stay in touch with the leaders. Aluminij, meanwhile, has extended their unbeaten run and proved they can take points away from tough fixtures. The clean-sheet run came to an end for Kopar, but Aluminij knows they cannot afford another slip if they want to climb higher.
