Maribor beat Bravo 3-1 at Ljudski vrt on Sunday to extend their unbeaten run to eight matches. The Slovenian first division fixture ended in the sixth round of the regular season, with the hosts maintaining their position at the top of the table. They now sit four points clear of third-placed Bravo after seven games played.
D. Omoregie opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute, giving Maribor an early lead. Bravo responded through T. Cipot, who equalised in the fifty-ninth minute after J. Arinze had been shown a yellow card. And here's the thing — Arinze was then sent off in the sixty-fifth minute, reducing his side to ten men. By then, Maribor had already pulled away with L. Stravs' own goal in the seventy-eighth minute.
D. Vizinger sealed the result with two goals in quick succession, scoring in the eightieth and eighty-first minutes. He had been brought on as a substitute earlier in the second half, and his introduction proved decisive. Maribor made several changes in the final quarter, bringing on O. Mazie, Z. Repas, and L. Zahovic in an effort to manage the game.
The statistics tell the story of a one-sided afternoon. Maribor dominated possession at 71 per cent, registered 88 attacks compared to Bravo's 63, and won 10 corners to their opponent's single corner. They also showed 7 shots on target against Bravo's 5, though the visitors had more yellow cards — 3 to Maribor's 0 — and ended with a red card.
Maribor remain unbeaten in seven league games, with 4 wins and 3 draws accumulating 15 points. Bravo's defeat leaves them in third place on 11 points, still two points ahead of the teams below them but unable to close the gap at the summit.
