"La magia della nuvola al 95° minuto: deve essere un incubo, non posso crederci"

Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak preserved his club’s sixth consecutive league victory with a critical save in the 95th minute of Saturday’s match against Deportivo Alaves. The intervention denied the visitors an equalizer, securing three points for Atletico Madrid and keeping them close to the top of the Spanish La Liga table. The game had been scoreless at halftime before Julian Alvarez broke the deadlock in the 48th minute. Despite leading, the home side could not extend their advantage and faced intense pressure late in the contest. In the final moments, Adama Traore delivered a dangerous pass into the box, placing Kevin Sanchez in a position to strike. Sanchez attempted a low shot toward what appeared to be an empty net, but Oblak reacted quickly to smother the ball. The Slovenian international stated he did not have time to think during the incident. He explained that he focused solely on reacting to defend the shot and noted that the ball fortunately came directly toward him. Spanish media outlets described the save as decisive, emphasizing that a goal would have leveled the scoreline. Oblak had previously made a significant intervention in the first half by stopping a dangerous attempt from Lorenzo Amutchi. This performance marks his 550th appearance for Atletico Madrid, a milestone reached recently in a match against Stuttgart. He is now just three games away from matching the second-highest total in the club’s all-time appearances list. After twelve years in Madrid, Oblak remains a pivotal player under manager Diego Simeone. Reactions to the save were mixed among fans. Supporters of Atletico celebrated the moment through social media, with one user describing the keeper as the greatest of all times. Another fan posted that Oblak shone exactly when the team needed him most. Conversely, a supporter of Deportivo expressed frustration, calling the sequence a nightmare and asking to be woken up from the difficult experience. The official English-language channel of Atletico shared footage of the save with the caption JAAAAAAAN, noting it went against all expectations. Other Slovenian players abroad experienced varied fortunes this weekend. Zane Vipotnik entered a Premier League match for Swansea City in the 74th minute after the score was already 4-0 against Queens Park Rangers. His team suffered a heavy defeat, marking a challenging start to the season for the striker who was last year’s top scorer in the Championship. Earlier in the summer, Hull City offered 15 million euros for Vipotnik, but his current employers rejected the bid. Danijel Sturm played the final 20 minutes for Slavia Prague in a 1-1 draw with Mlada Boleslav. He hit the woodwork in the 79th minute before his team equalized four minutes before the end. The result ended Slavia’s winning streak in domestic competition, a consequence attributed to their European Champions League commitments where Sturm holds a central role. Zane Celar has found form since returning to Switzerland to join Basel. The forward scored eight goals in his first 12 matches for the new club, making him their leading scorer. His move follows difficulties during stints at Queens Park Rangers and in Germany. Timi Max Elschnik also revived his scoring record for Red Star Belgrade, netting twice in one week after being goalless for over six months. Manager Albert Riera reportedly blocked a transfer offer from the Arab world for Elschnik, a decision the player does not seem to resent. Matjaz Kek faces a significant test on Tuesday when Rijeka hosts Dinamo Zagreb in a major Croatian derby. This will be one of the first serious challenges for the former national team coach since returning to the Rijeka bench. Dinamo arrives at the match following a disappointing European campaign and a 4-2 home loss to Nijmegen. The outcome will indicate how much progress Kek has made in the early months of his second tenure at the club.