Slovan — Celje: 33:34, 1. NLB Liga

Slovan hosted Celje in the NLB First League on 20 September and lost 33:34. The hosts had been unbeaten in three games, sitting third on six points. Celje arrived fifth with four points from three matches. By then we had forecast a home win at 55 per cent confidence.

And here's the thing — that forecast didn't come through. The match stayed tight until the final exchanges, when Celje found the extra goal. Slovan had everything to play for and pushed hard, but it wasn't enough.

To be fair, both sides had been scoring freely in recent outings. Slovan's last five games included victories over Rudeš Riberica and Al-Ahli, while Celje had shown resilience against Zagreb earlier in September. Neither side had been far from their scoring rate.

The result shifts the table slightly. Slovan remain third on six points, their perfect record ended. Celje move into fourth place on seven points, with their unbeaten run continuing.

What it means is that the early-season hierarchy is still fluid. Three games in and the gap between positions is minimal. The winner takes another step toward the top, but there's plenty of ground left to cover.