EURO 2024: Slovenia, will they continue their fairytale?

Before EURO 2024 officially began, Slovenia was not highly rated by experts regarding their chances of reaching the round of 16. Simply put, the team nicknamed The Boys was drawn into Group C, alongside England, Denmark, and Serbia – all renowned and powerful opponents.

However, under the guidance of coach Matiaz Kek, Slovenia surprised and impressed football fans. They held Denmark (1-1), Serbia (1-1), and England (0-0) to draws. In fact, if luck hadn't been against them, Slovenia's points total might not have stopped at 3.

Nevertheless, coach Matiaz Kek and his team have secured a place in the round of 16. It's worth remembering that Slovenia has never advanced beyond the group stage at the EUROs. It's also worth noting that, apart from Jan Oblak, Josip Ilicic, and Benjamin Sesko, the remaining players are relatively unknown.

With this achievement, coach Matiaz Kek and his team are being hailed as heroes for Slovenia, a country that separated from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991 and has a population of just over 2.1 million. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Slovenia is one of the "interesting phenomena" at EURO 2024, alongside Georgia.

Matiaz Kek's team faces Portugal – the EURO 2016 champions. In every respect, Cristiano Ronaldo's team is clearly superior to Slovenia. According to Transfermarkt, Portugal's squad is valued at over 1 billion euros, while Slovenia's is over 140 million euros. The difference is enormous.

Clearly, to defeat Portugal, coach Matiaz Kek needs a sound strategy, and Jan Oblak and his teammates must perform at over 100% of their ability. Having already inflicted defeats on England, Denmark, and Serbia, there's no reason for Slovenia to fear Portugal.

The match between Slovenia and Portugal will take place at Deutsche Bank Park, the home stadium of Eintracht Frankfurt, at 2:00 AM on July 2nd (Vietnam time). Let's wait and see if coach Matiaz Kek's team can continue their fairytale run in Germany.