Argentinian Federico Bessone yesterday led the Olimpija team for the first time in a cup match against Domžale, just two days after officially taking over as head coach of the Dragons. He successfully passed his inaugural test.

The second round of the Pivovarna Union Cup initially did not go Olimpija’s way, as numerous opportunities went unutilized, and despite their dominance, the first half ended without goals. However, in the 70th minute, Pedro Lucas, returning after a long-term injury, entered the game, and just seven minutes later, he beat the visiting goalkeeper after a beautiful combination play by Urbančič and Marin on the left side. This was enough for a victory and progression to the next round of the cup competition.

After his first victory at the helm of Olimpija, Bessone told the media: “In the last few days, everything happened very quickly. We didn’t have time to prepare for the match. I watched this season’s matches to better understand the players and their positions, which made my task a bit easier. The coaching staff was fantastic these two days, which further eased the work. I hope we continue in this direction.”

Regarding his team’s performance, he added: “Quality control of the game and the ball is the foundation of my ideas, so the biggest emphasis before this match was on us being more reliable in ball possession. At the beginning of the match, we struggled a bit, but we tried to correct certain things during the game. When I watched previous matches, it seemed to me that after losing the ball, there was no real response, no real pressure. Against Domžale, however, we were significantly better in this aspect.”

Olimpija’s footballers face an away game in Murska Sobota on Sunday, while in front of their home fans, the Dragons will play again on Friday, October 3, at 8:15 PM, when Aluminij visits Ljubljana.