Matjaž Kek told reporters his Slovenia side can be proud, if disappointed, after they conceded in the dying seconds of stoppage time to drop points to Serbia.
Embed from Getty ImagesSlovenia’s Žan Karničnik found Slovenia’s goal in the 69th minute to go ahead of Serbia and it looked as though they would take all three points – until Luka Jović equalised with the final touch of the game, heading in from a corner.
Kek said: “We knew Serbia were dangerous from set pieces. We perhaps lapsed in concentration but I am nevertheless proud of the players for their incredible heart.
“Slovenia has shown that it has a place here at the European Championships. Football can be cruel but I am sure that this team will get its redemption.”
Reflecting on Slovenia’s performance in the last stages of the match, Kek admitted: “Maybe we should have pressed a bit more on their defensive line, maybe we weren’t strict enough with the balls going towards the penalty box… We will analyse the match and see what brought this result on.”
He also admitted that having to substitute Benjamin Šeško because of cramp cost them in aerial duels.
However, overall he gave his side a glowing review.
“This is one match where Slovenia wasn’t the underdog for a single moment. I told them from second one, you have to show with your body language who you are and what you played for. I think we have played a really high quality match.
“Our youth bodes well for the future of Slovenian football.”
Slovenia will now face England in their final group game, looking to progress to the knckout stages for the first time. Kek was defiant: “They are clear favourites, but so were the Danes and the Serbs. So we need to lift our heads and prepare.”
The action in Group C continues as England face Denmark. Follow every fixture here on FromTheSpot, and see how Serbia manager Dragan Stojković reacted to his side’s late equaliser.
