Orlic scored three goals as Илирия hammered Бистрица 6-0 in the Second Slovenian League on Saturday afternoon. The result leaves the visitors second in the table with 10 points after five games, while the hosts drop to ninth place on 7 points. It was a thorough performance from the away side, who never looked troubled.
N. Orlic opened the scoring just nine minutes in, and by then Бистрица were already scrambling. He added two more before half-time, and to be fair, the home side had no real answer. The pattern was set early and never really changed.
The second half brought three more goals, though the match was effectively over. N. Podlesnik found the net in the 65th minute, and then came a pair of late strikes. N. Belovic doubled his tally in the 80th minute before C. Rotar added a sixth in stoppage time.
Orlic's hat-trick was the headline, but the defensive organisation was equally impressive. Бистрица failed to register a single shot on target all afternoon, and the visitors kept a clean sheet without breaking a sweat. Sometimes the difference between sides is simply that one side decides to show up.
The result closes a chapter for Бистрица's early season hopes, while Илирия move closer to the automatic promotion places. The gap between the two sides in the table is now three points, and there is no sign of them closing it anytime soon.