Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek hopes the last 16 of Euro 2024 will be a springboard to future success for his team after a heartbreaking penalty shootout at the hands of Portugal.
Kek was shown a red card in extra time after Portugal were awarded a penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo, which was saved by Jan Oblak.
But it was Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa who proved to be the hero in the penalty shootout after the 120th minute ended without a goal.
Costa saved all three of Slovenia’s penalties from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec and Benjamin Verbic.
“We feel bitterness, but also a lot of sweetness on the other side,” Kek said after Slovenia’s first appearance in the knockout stages of a major tournament ended in frustration.
“We hope that this tournament will be the starting point for the future of Slovenian football.”
Underdogs Slovenia wondered what would have happened if their highly rated striker Benjamin Sesko had beaten Costa in the closing stages of extra time.
But the team’s players still have fond memories of the 0-0 win over England, which saw them progress to the group stage after thrilling 1-1 draws against Serbia and Denmark.
“What we said is our goal for this tournament, I think we exceeded expectations,” Kek added. “This is the reality of Slovenian football. The players are disciplined, motivated and aggressive.
“They love the emblem and ultimately they have quality.”
