Slovenia Salvages Point in Frantic Two-Minute Swing Against Israel

The margin between frustration and relief in qualifying football can be measured in seconds. For Slovenia's Under-21 side, that margin was precisely 120 of them.

In a match that epitomized the razor-thin margins of UEFA's qualification gauntlet, Slovenia clawed back from the brink to secure a 1-1 draw with Israel at Árok utcai pálya on Friday, with Topalovic Luka's 56th-minute equalizer arriving just two minutes after Tai Abed Kassus had given the hosts what looked to be a decisive advantage.

The result leaves Slovenia in third place in their qualification group with 16 points from 10 matches, a position that simultaneously keeps their tournament hopes alive while underscoring the precariousness of their situation. For Israel, the draw extends a stubborn unbeaten streak to three matches but represents another opportunity squandered to climb the qualification ladder.

Slovenia arrived in dire need of points after suffering a humbling 5-0 defeat to Norway in September, a result that threatened to derail their entire campaign. That loss exposed defensive fragilities that had been papered over during a middling qualification run that's produced four wins, four draws, and now three defeats. The pressure was palpable: drop points against Israel, and the path to Albania and Serbia in 2027 would narrow considerably.

Israel, meanwhile, came into the match riding momentum from back-to-back draws—a creditable 2-2 result against Netherlands and a resilient 0-0 stalemate with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Those performances suggested a team finding its identity, learning to grind out results even when outclassed. But grinding out results and seizing opportunities are different skills entirely, and Friday's match would test which version of Israel would show up.

The opening 53 minutes passed in a tense stalemate, both sides clearly cognizant of what was at stake. Chances were created and squandered, half-chances were cobbled together and cleared away. The match had the feel of a chess match played at double speed—calculated, cautious, yet somehow frenetic.

Then Kassus changed everything. In the 54th minute, the Israeli forward found space in the box and finished clinically, sending the home supporters into raptures and leaving Slovenia facing the nightmare scenario: another defeat, another blow to qualification hopes, another step toward watching the tournament from home.

But Slovenia responded with the kind of immediacy that defines teams with genuine resilience. Before the Israeli celebration had fully subsided, before the tactical adjustments could even be communicated, Topalovic Luka struck. His 56th-minute goal was equal parts opportunism and necessity, a finish that carried the weight of an entire campaign behind it.

The final half-hour became an exercise in controlled chaos. Israel pushed for a winner that would validate their recent improved form and potentially transform their qualification outlook. Slovenia defended with the desperation of a team that understands the mathematics of qualification all too well—16 points from 10 matches leaves little room for error in the remaining fixtures.

Neither side could find the breakthrough. The match ended level, leaving both teams to wrestle with the ambiguity of a draw: Is it a point gained or two dropped?

For Slovenia, the result arrests the slide that began in Norway but hardly represents the kind of statement performance needed to surge up the standings. Their record—four wins, four draws, three losses—tells the story of a team capable of competing but struggling for consistency. With qualification spots at a premium and multiple teams jostling for position, Slovenia can ill afford more performances like Friday's, where they needed a desperate equalizer to avoid disaster.

Israel will rue the missed opportunity. Their unbeaten run now stands at three matches, but draws alone won't secure a spot in the tournament. The two-minute window when they held the lead will haunt them—a glimpse of what could have been, snatched away before it could be properly savored.

As both teams turn their attention to the grueling qualification schedule ahead, Friday's draw serves as a reminder of the unforgiving nature of this format. In a competition where the margins are measured in goal difference and head-to-head records, every dropped point carries weight, every missed opportunity compounds.

Slovenia remains in the hunt, but third place is a precarious perch. Israel continues to show improvement, but improvement without victories means little. The path to Albania and Serbia runs through moments like these—moments when 120 seconds can define an entire campaign.