Vanja Drkusic scored late to pull Slovenia level at 1-1 with Cyprus, turning a tight friendly into a draw in the closing minutes. His right-footed finish was the goal that changed the match and left both sides sharing the points.
That equalizer is what gives this result its edge today, because the game had been drifting toward a scoreless finish before Slovenia found the breakthrough and the fourth official signaled four minutes of added time. Drkusic’s strike came after a series of substitutions on both sides, including Slovenia changes for Tian Nai Koren, Adrian Zeljkovic, Ester Sokler, Andraz Sporar, Zan Karnicnik and Drkusic himself, while Cyprus answered with switches involving Giorgos Naoum, Giannis Satsias, Andreas Christou, Charalambos Kyriakou, Andronikos Kakoullis and Ioannis Kosti.
The final minutes were not tidy. Cyprus collected several late yellow cards, with Fabiano, Christos Shielis and Andronikos Kakoullis all booked, and Panagiotis Andreou shown a second yellow for a bad foul even as the match finished level. That sequence underlined how quickly the contest tightened once Slovenia found its goal and how much discipline shaped the ending more than open play did.
The only unresolved detail is what came after the final whistle, because the live match text stops at the end of the action and gives no post-match reaction or further update. For now, the story is simple: Slovenia rescued a point, Cyprus let one slip away, and Drkusic’s late strike is the moment that will be remembered from a match that never really opened up until the clock was almost gone.
