In a match defined by raw physicality, relentless tension and a deafening Faroese crowd, Slovenia held their nerve to claim a 30–27 victory and carry two crucial points into the main round. For the Faroe Islands, the defeat meant a cruel exit – eliminated on goal difference after pushing one of Europe’s toughest teams to the limit.
Switzerland’s emphatic 43–26 win against Montenegro earlier in the day left the Faroe Islands with no margin for error. To reach the next stage, they needed points against Slovenia – a task that quickly proved as demanding physically as it was tactically.
Slovenia set the tone within the opening minutes. After an early situation in which Blaž Janc caught Elias Ellefsen A Skipagøtu in the head – reviewed by video but punished with only a two-minute suspension – the Slovenians raced into a 6–2 lead after eight minutes. The Faroe Islands struggled to stop anything defensively and, initially, received little help from their goalkeeping, while Slovenia played with calculated efficiency.
Janc soon found himself back on the bench again. Just nine minutes into the match, he was handed his second two-minute suspension after shoving Skipagøtu to the floor. The fall may have looked theatrical, but there appeared to be clear tension between the two, and the duel set the emotional temperature for the rest of the half. The match became increasingly heated, edgy and openly confrontational.
Pauli Jacobsen kept the Island nation in the game
While Slovenia’s approach flirted constantly with the line, the Faroe Islands stayed alive thanks to crucial saves from goalkeeper Pauli Jacobsen. His interventions prevented the game from slipping away entirely and kept the Faroese within touching distance.
As the half progressed, Slovenia’s intentions became impossible to miss. They played on – and at times beyond – the limit. Around the midway point, Óli Mittún took a heavy blow that left him bleeding, prompting another video review. Slovenia’s line player Borut Suholežnik appeared to strike Mittún in the face with a clenched fist, and this time it ended up in a red card.
Despite the relentless physical pressure, the Faroe Islands kept fighting. Mittún made it 10–11 after 21 minutes, underlining both his importance and Slovenia’s clear focus on disrupting him and Skipagøtu. More red cards could arguably have been shown, but Slovenia’s aggressive strategy was, at least in the first half, effective.
With Janc sidelined for large stretches due to his suspensions, the Makuc brothers stepped up and carried much of Slovenia’s attacking responsibility. Still, the Faroe Islands refused to fold. Jacobsen saved a late penalty, and in the final second of the half, Skipagøtu converted from the seven-metre line to make it 15–16 at the break.
The Faroe Islands went into halftime battered but very much alive – and with the promise of an equally dramatic second half to come.
Great start to the second half by the Faroe Islands
The second half could hardly have started in a more dramatic fashion. Mittún equalised immediately, and moments later the arena erupted as Teigum gave the Faroe Islands their first lead of the match at 17–16. When Mittún struck again for 18–16 shortly after, the atmosphere was nothing short of electric. Backed by a roaring crowd and a couple of sharp saves from Jacobsen, the Faroese suddenly had real momentum.
That momentum was halted by a spell of discipline problems. A pair of Faroese suspensions allowed Slovenia to regain control, tightening up defensively and punishing the gaps at the other end. In a matter of minutes, the score had swung back to 22–20 in Slovenia’s favour.
The Faroe Islands then began to struggle offensively, while Slovenia found solutions with far greater ease. Domen Makuc and Blaž Janc took charge, pushing the lead to 24–22 and forcing a Slovenian timeout as the game entered a critical phase. A three-goal deficit loomed as a serious threat to Faroese hopes, but a missed opportunity and a technical error instead handed Slovenia another opening. Janc, inevitably, capitalised to make it 25–22 with just over ten minutes remaining.
Things quickly started to look grim. A missed chance from the wing was followed by Slovenia switching to an attacking setup with four backcourt players, and when Makuc’s brother added another to make it 26–22 with nine minutes left, it felt like a decisive blow. Another Faroese miss from the wing only reinforced the sense that the match was slipping away, with goalkeeper Vujović also playing a key role in stabilising Slovenia at the back.
A suspension for the Faroe Islands’ Poulsen with just over five minutes remaining, while trailing by three, further tilted the balance. Still, the Faroese refused to surrender. Teigum made it 26–28 with three minutes to go, keeping the dream alive and forcing Slovenia to slow the game down and play deliberately for the clock.
Domen Makuc – man of the match
Slovenia wasted time but missed, offering the Faroe Islands a final lifeline at 27–28. Under pressure and with the passive play warning looming, the Faroese attack dragged on too long, prompting a timeout with 1:10 left on the clock. When Skipagøtu fired a rushed shot wide, the outcome was effectively sealed. Slovenia closed the game at 30–27.
The defeat meant heartbreak for the Faroe Islands. Slovenia advanced to the main round with two points in hand, while the Faroese were eliminated on goal difference, narrowly beaten by Switzerland. Yet if the result crushed their hopes, it did not silence their supporters. As the final whistle blew, the crowd sang louder than at any point all evening.
Domen Makuc was the outstanding player of the match, steering Slovenia through the chaos and physical intensity of a contest that will be remembered long after the scoreboard was forgotten.