Serbia strike final blow to Slovenia
Friday, January 22, 2010
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Slovenia 0-2 Serbia
Milan Rakić and Slobodan Janjić struck to knock out industrious Slovenia and earn Serbia – and also Russia – quarter-final berths.
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Group C's 'derby' ended in success for Serbia, as victory in their opening UEFA European Futsal Championship finals fixture took them and Russia into the last eight and marked the end of the road for Slovenia, with their second consecutive defeat ensuring their elimination.
Goalless half
Neither side scored in the first half, but that was not for want of trying. Serbia's tiny dynamo Vidan Bojović shot wide after turning in the area, then hit the ball across Slovenia goalkeeper Alan Pertovt and against the post from an almost identical position within a few minutes. Pertovt, whose team lost their opener 5-1 to Russia, then did well to stand up to Mladen Kocić as Serbia broke away, but at the other end Slaviša Goranovič was denied by goalkeeper Vladimir Ranisavljević's foot.
Off the bar
Serbia, though, continued to have marginally the better of a free-flowing contest, with Bojan Pavičević just failing to get a head to Bojović's cross from the byline. Slovenia, though, came close in the closing seconds as Goranovič's angled shot was acrobatically palmed wide by Ranisavljević, but from the resulting corner Serbia broke away, with Milan Rakić's cheeky long-range lob dipping over the back-pedalling Pertoft and striking the crossbar on its way into touch.
Goalscoring flurry
The deadlock, however, would be broken within a minute of the restart, Marko Perić's diagonal ball allowing Rakić to angle the ball home at the far post. The post denied Serbia's Slobodan Rajčević shortly afterwards but it was 2-0 when Bojan Pavićević fed Vladimir Lazić and his ball was turned in by Slobodan Janjić from close range. Slovenia's lively travelling fans deployed drums, horns, an accordion and even an air-raid siren to keep their side motivated, and when Kristjan Čujec's powerful shot beat Ranisavljević but pinged into the post there was an audible sigh of agony.
Serbia through
Deploying Gorazd Drobnič as a flying goalkeeper for the latter stages, they penned their oppnents back, but there were to be no goals. The result of Russia's game against Serbia on Sunday will now decide who tops the section. Russia lead on goal difference but both sides will have a quarter-final on Tuesday.