Tentative Slovenia still a mystery, despite first win
Valter Birsa could be a threat when the Slovenians take on the US in Group C.
This much is clear after Slovenia slogged past Algeria on Sunday: the US and England are the class of Group C, but neither heavyweight is actually wearing the crown.
That distinction belongs to an opportunistic Slovenian side, which capitalized on another Group C goalkeeping howler and took the first three points of the group. The Slovenians – the wild card of this group with just enough talent to threaten their American and English foes – head into Friday’s match against the US exactly where they wanted to be after their first World Cup match since 2002.
But do they deserve it? Hardly. The Slovenians surely boasted a more talented lineup than their foes, but lacked any real flair en route to the win, getting by on Algeria’s miscues as much as their own might.
Algeria goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi took the heat off England goalkeeper Robert Green for at least an instant, thanks to a 79th minute flop on a seemingly harmless shot from Slovenia captain Robert Koren.
The goal – which eerily mirrored Green’s dubious moment from Saturday night against the US – was one of the few trademark moments of a cross-culture slogfest. Slovenia played largely tentative and rarely threatened to break the game open, and Algeria did what they could with an overachieving side of grinders.
We learned, among other things, that Slovenia are still a mystery. They were a cohesive and patient group, reliant on the achievements of dangerous midfielder Valter Birsa (who plays for Auxerre in France) and Bundesliga stalwart Milivoje Novakovič. But neither took the initiative on Sunday, aside from a dangerous strike from Birsa in the 43rd minute that would give most goalkeepers fits.
The Slovenians controlled the tempo for much of the second half, but certainly looked vulnerable at times. Algeria threatened early and again even after substitute Abdelkader Gheezal was shown the door for a laughable hand ball in the 73rd minute (the fastest two yellows for a sub in World Cup history), meaning that a more talented team like the US should see prime opportunities to capitalize.
Still, it’s tough to know what to make of this Slovenia side, which toppled Russia to get into the World Cup. They played just two World Cup tune-ups against less-than-telling opponents Qatar and New Zealand, and showed little other than good fortune in taking the top spot in the group.
Algeria, we know now, is the most unpredictable team of the bunch. They were an inconsistent group even before they arrived in South Africa, and their dubious mistakes Sunday cancelled out an otherwise salvageable effort in an underdog role.
But those mistakes – Chaouchi and Gheezal, in particular – left the lasting impression. The Algerians have beaten Egypt and the Ivory Coast in the last year, but they’re borderline self-destructive, and they crumbled when it counted in their first World Cup match since 1986.
Expect both teams to play less cautious when they return to action on Friday, but that’s all that’s safe to predict. In this group, at least so far, things aren’t always as they seem.
