Maribor 2-1 Aluminij

Maribor 2-1 Aluminij
Slovenian PRVA Liga
Saturday 14th September 2019

If Maribor go on to win the Slovenian PRVA Liga (which they usually do) then even at this early point in the campaign, this will be looked back on as a crucial three points.

Despite being the most successful club in Slovenia, the ‘purple and yellows’ found themselves languishing down in fifth spot ahead of this fixture - six points behind their opponents, Aluminij, who were unbeaten at the summit.

It promised to be a tough game for the hosts and so it proved.

Though they had the majority of possession and chances, Maribor made VERY hard work of victory because when they took a deserved lead just after half-time, they were immediately pegged back. Then, having gone ahead once more, standards dropped in the closing stages and Aluminij can count themselves unfortunate not to have equalised; not once, but twice - even rattling the woodwork in their late quest for a leveller!

All in all, it means Olimpija Ljubljana have gone top with a quarter of the season played and five sides are separated by just three points - suggesting it might be a closely-run thing in the battle to come out on top this year.

For those not really interested about the specifics of the Slovenian PRVA Liga and who just want to know a little bit more about this random place, then continue reading...

Maribor is located in North-Eastern Slovenia close to the borders of Austria, Croatia and Hungary. It’s a couple of hours drive from Zagreb and Graz and though it does have it’s own tiny little airport, you’re far more likely to end up here either via Flixbus (a company which runs budget travel throughout Europe at dirt cheap prices) or by rail. Travel prices from any of the aforementioned destinations will be around €20 and potentially even cheaper, depending on how flexible you are with  your dates.

It’s a small, compact and bloody lovely city on the banks of the River Drava with all the main sites, monuments, buildings that make nice photographs, etc, near to one another and very much within walking distance.

Even folk with no sense of direction, blindfolded or downright stupid (and I know plenty who fit into the latter category) would be able to easily find their way around.

Stadion Ljudski VRT is also an absolute gem; modern, clean, comfortable, colourful and a pleasure to visit. Compare and contrast that to the tatty old Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb (see my previous blog post) and you couldn’t get two greater opposites.

Unlike in Zagreb, where I’d spent the previous night, even the snack bars were open for business.

Like at many other stadiums in Europe, refreshment kiosks here have gone contactless, and it was clearly my lucky night as I managed to blag some free popcorn simply for wanting to pay in cash and speaking with an English accent. Whilst I admit popcorn isn’t really a football-related snack, being a tight bloke from Yorkshire and ‘savvy’ when it comes to money, then quite simply, I’m not going to turn down a freebie!

My match ticket was €13 though cheaper ones were available in the same stand as Maribor’s Ultras for just €10. Given the issues sitting with ‘Ultras’ can sometimes bring, it was worth paying that little bit more to escape it and also have a better view of the action.

These prices aren’t bad by any means even if they’re above average at similarly sized clubs in Central Europe. Again, to put it into perspective, give or take a few quid, ticket prices will be comparable to the upcoming ‘Eternal Derby’ in Belgrade later this month.

Surprisingly, there were also plenty of visiting Aluminij fans in the section near to me but there wasn’t ever a hint of trouble and everyone was friendly, laid back and relaxed - even in the dying stages when the hosts were clinging on precariously.

On the whole, this was a good trip.

Afterwards, it was around a ten-minute stroll back to my hostel where I ended up rooming with a very weird ‘lady’ who fell out of bed, claimed to be homeless, pestered me relentlessly with questions and then left around midnight never to be seen again. Whether she was a hooker or a nutter is open for debate, but it’s fair to say that if Maribor was a village then she’d definitely be its idiot!