National Team Friendly

National Stadium
Spectators: 10300 (Terracing: 7725, Seating: 2369, VIP seats: 206) Freddy Hawkins made the kick off and thus started the match. After having played for 4 minutes, Austen Farmer managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. U21 England's supporters crossed their fingers, but Austen Farmer was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. An unexpectedly hard shot by Semir Cijan in the 5th minute of play forced U21 England's goalkeeper Pat Jennings to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 7 minutes into the match, U21 England's Austen Farmer sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Ferucio Junuzović narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Freddy Hawkins sent away a hard shot on goal in the 8th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. A collision led to U21 Slovenia getting a freekick after 9 minutes play. Duško Kotnik hit a great ball. When Freddy Hawkins came up free with the goalie in the 9th minute, the U21 England fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Freddy Hawkins couldn't finish the play. The U21 England fans' excitement grew in the 14th match minute when U21 England's Freddy Hawkins looked to have a clear shot with the ball near the goal. The shot wasn't hard, but the ball still rolled over the goal line to make it 0-1 before the goalkeeper had a chance to intervene. Ferucio Junuzović took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Aaron Dawson, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 19thth minute of the game Freddy Hawkins who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but U21 Slovenia's Ferucio Junuzović was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. The audience was convinced that Freddy Hawkins's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Ferucio Junuzović was relentless in the 23rd minute of the game. Ferucio Junuzović didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Freddy Hawkins went, in the 27th minute, to the upper right corner, 0-2 was the resulting score. 33 minutes into the game, U21 Slovenia's Vito Mohar nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Pat Jennings made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 1-2. U21 England's Aaron Dawson got a good chance for a goal in the 35th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Vito Mohar's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Pat Jennings read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 39th minute of play. In the 42nd minute, Semir Cijan hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Disappointed in the 1-2 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.

U21 England's Dennis Durkin was substituted for Austen Farmer. U21 England's Rueben Fowler was substituted for Robert Moorhouse. The wind increased when Vito Mohar made the kick off in the second half. A collision led to U21 England getting a freekick after 54 minutes play. Hayden Westlake hit a great ball. After 59 played minutes U21 Slovenia got a freekick which was hit by Jožko Gril. Aaron Dawson's shot straight on target was not completely harmless. The ball had pretty good speed, but Ferucio Junuzović firmly grabbed it by the left post. Pat Jennings took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Vito Mohar, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After 81 played minutes U21 England got a freekick which was hit by Freddy Hawkins. Mitja Terčon took the ball and in the 84 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Pat Jennings. Pat Jennings dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 3-2. The audience was convinced that Mitja Terčon's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Pat Jennings was relentless in the 88th minute of the game. For all the effort they put into the match, the U21 England players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for U21 Slovenia.