Celje hosted Slovan Bratislava in a Champions League play-off on Wednesday evening, and the visitors took a narrow 2:1 victory after 120 minutes of football. The match ended 1:1 before extra time, but C. Martinez's 100th-minute goal proved decisive. A. Kotnik saw red late in the second half, leaving the hosts to see it out with ten men. The result means Slovan move closer to securing their place in the group stage.
The opening exchanges caught Celje off guard. A. Sporar found the net in the 18th minute, giving Slovan an early lead. Celje responded well and equalised when S. Seslar converted a penalty in the 34th minute. To be fair, the hosts had territory and created more chances, but they couldn't find a breakthrough before the break.
The second half brought a flurry of changes from both sides. Celje made four substitutions around the 73rd minute, trying to find a winner. They kept pushing, and their statistics back this up — 154 attacks compared to Slovan's 92, with 3.2 expected goals against just 1.17. By then, the game had opened up, and both teams were searching for something.
Extra time delivered the turning point. Martinez scored in the 100th minute to restore Slovan's advantage, and then Kotnik received a red card in the 119th minute. The Celje manager gave away too many cheap fouls in desperation, and the old head couldn't settle the situation. Slovan's defence held firm, making 33 clearances and winning 21 interceptions.
The numbers tell a familiar story. Celje controlled 62 per cent of possession and completed 612 passes, yet they couldn't convert their dominance into goals. Slovan were more efficient — eight shots on target against seven, with a higher accuracy rate. The hosts had five big chances created but only found the back of the net once, and that wasn't enough.
The final whistle came after 120 minutes plus one minute, with two yellow cards shown in stoppage time. Slovan now hold a slender advantage heading into the return leg. For Celje, it's a painful defeat after dominating the game for long periods. The table goes out of the window in these games, but this one was decided in three or four moments.
