Line-ups and game details on UEFA.com

by Luca Ranocchiari - Futsalplanet.com editor

Slovenia vs Serbia 2-2 (2-1)

10.212 enthusiastic futsal fans were attending the classic inaugural game of such an event, in which nerves and fear to make the "wrong debut" usually defeat spectacle and entertainment. But in the end the futsal nature of unpredictable sport emerged again as undisputable winner with the thrilling last minute goal that forced hosts Slovenia and rivals Serbia on the definitive 2-2 draw. Italian joy?

Missing giants
How will Serbia survive from Marko Peric and Miodrag Aksentijević suspensions? That was the main question just before the beginning of the game, with the addition of the hard job to face the "home team" just in the opening game.

Slovenian wave, local delight
Andrej Dobovičnik guys started the game as they were supposed to do. It took less than four minutes for Alen Fetic in order to show one of his "topics", the 1vs1 challenge. Result: shot at goal and not the best Momcilovic meant 1-0 Slovenia.
The rest of first half is a story of balance, with a minimal local superiority. But Slovenia was in need of a masterpiece by Gaspar Vrhovec to score again after a corner kick: 2-0 Slovenia. End of the game? No, that's futsal and not soccer guys.

Serbian pride never dies
When everything seemed to be lost for Ivancic roster things, on the opposite, started to change. The game was still balanced but Slovenia lost the momentum (just in the score, never actually reached in terms of playing style) and didn't close the game: as a consequence Ramic was helped in his great shot by a late slovenian touch to score the 2-1 which leaded to half time

Last gasp equalizer
Not a brilliant second part of the game, as we could say for the whole game, but a final surprise was on the horizon though not the one hoped by the joyful fans of Ljubljana. One more time the controversial "flying keeper" proved to be the key for those who are able to use it. That was the case of the man of the match (Futsalplanet opinion) Mladen Kocic, who's shot got the final touch on the second goalpoast by Tomic: 2-2 in the frozen silence of the Arena Stozice. Good news for Italy, maybe.