Novikovas penalty helps Lithuania hold Slovenia
Friday, October 9, 2015
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Slovenia 1-1 Lithuania
Arvydas Novikovas's penalty cancelled out Valter Birsa's as the visitors held a home side whose hopes of automatic qualification were ended.
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- Slovenia's hopes of automatic qualification ended by draw
- Hosts go ahead through Valter Birsa's first-half spot kick
- Arvydas Novikovas scores penalty at other end in 79th minute
- Match paused for six minutes in second half due to floodlight malfunction
- Final qualifiers: San Marino v Slovenia, Lithuania v England (Monday)
Slovenia and Lithuania traded penalties in Ljubljana as the hosts' hopes of automatic qualification were ended, though they are still favourites to grab the UEFA EURO 2016 Group E play-off spot.
Srečko Katanec's home team opened ambitiously and went at the Lithuanian defence from the off. Robert Berić, Jasmin Kurtič, René Krhin and Valter Birsa all had efforts but the yellow-shirted visitors stood firm. Lithuania had chances of their own as Slovenia conceded a number of set pieces in their own half and Vykintas Slivka's attempt went just the wrong side of the post.
Yet with seconds to go until the interval Kurtič's strike was blocked in the box by Marius Žaliukas's arm. Birsa was cool from the spot, sending Emilijus Zubas the wrong way. Come the restart, Slovenia came out of the dressing room with guns blazing once again, Dejan Lazarevič shooting wide and Berić being denied by a reflex save.
A six-minute delay caused by floodlight problems gave Lithuania the opportunity to regroup and, upon the resumption of play, Arvydas Novikovas fired narrowly over, though the Slovene side continued to have the majority of the play.
Even so, their Baltic guests levelled with 11 minutes to go after a rare cross into the home area caught the arm of Branko Ilić and Novikovas drilled his conversion into the net. Slovenia scrambled for a winning goal with all they had but Lithuania stood firm.