Celje beat Nafta 3-1 in the 1. SNL on Saturday, extending their run of good results away from home. The visitors took control early, scoring twice in the opening half before Nafta pulled one back. M. Zabukovnik added a late goal to make it 1-3, securing all three points for the fourth-placed side.
And here's the thing about those first ten minutes — Celje were already on the front foot. V. Tusha opened the scoring in the third minute, a quick strike that caught Nafta flat-footed. By then the home side had barely settled into their shape. Y. Dukuly doubled the lead in the seventeenth minute, and it looked like the visitors might have this wrapped up before the break.
Nafta responded after the interval. L. Poredos found the net in the thirty-third minute, giving the home crowd something to cheer about. But it was too little, too late. The hosts tried to roll the dice, throwing bodies forward, and that left them exposed. M. Zabukovnik made them pay in the sixty-ninth minute, slotting home after a period of sustained pressure.
The statistics tell the story you'd expect. Celje had two-thirds of the possession and 133 attacks compared to Nafta's 78. They registered nine corners to four, and while Nafta had more shots on target — eight to six — the quality of chances told a different story. The high line was picked apart repeatedly by a Celje side that felt comfortable on the ball.
Nafta sit sixth with 10 points from eight games, three wins and four defeats. Celje are two places above them on 11 points from seven matches. This result extends Celje's unbeaten run and maintains their push for European qualification, while Nafta's recent inconsistency continues to hurt them.