By FRANCO PANIZO
Slovenia may be a small country of only two million people, but the Slovenians Abroad represented in a big way this weekend with three different goal scorers.
Nejc Pecknik's contributions were the most notable as the midfielder added an assist to his goal in a 2-1 comeback victory for Nacional de Madeira over Vitoria Setubal. Pecknik equalized with a diving header in the first half before delivering the game-winning assist in the waning moments of the match.
The other pair of Slovenian scorers were defender Matej Mavric (pictured on the right) and forward Milivoje Novakovic. Mavric redirected a free kick for TUS Koblenz's lone goal in its 4-1 defeat to Duisburg, while Novakovic scored a penalty kick in FC Cologne's 4-1 mauling of Hannover 96.
It wasn't all positive this weekend though, as two Slovenians found themselves taking early showers. Midfielder Mirnes Sisic was given a second yellow card 70 minutes into Giannina's 2-0 loss against Iraklis, and defender Bostjan Cesar was ejected for retaliating after being elbowed. If Cesar's name sounds familiar, it is probably because he was the player publicly targeting revenge on Wayne Rooney following the World Cup draw.
As for the Algerians Abroad, it was a relatively modest weekend with one of the better outings being forward Karim Matmour's 89-minute showing in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 1-0 triumph over Hamburg.
Here is how the Algerians and Slovenians Abroad performed this weekend:
ALGERIA
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
- Defender Nadir Belhadj did not dress in Portsmouth's 2-0 loss vs. Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
- Midfielder Hassan Yebda did not dress in Portsmouth's 2-0 loss vs. Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Forward Kamel Ghilas did not dress in Hull City's 2-0 win vs. Fulham on Saturday.
ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
- Forward Hameur Bouazza did not dress in Blackpool's 2-0 loss vs. Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
- Defender Madjid Bougherra did not dress in Rangers' 4-1 win vs. Heart of Midlothian on Saturday. He is recovering from a hamstring injury.
- Defender Ismael Bouzid did not dress in Heart of Midlothian's 4-1 loss vs. Rangers on Saturday.
SPANISH LA LIGA
- Midfielder Mehdi Lacen started and played 90 minutes in Racing Santander's 4-3 loss vs. Atletico Bilbao on Monday.
ITALIAN SERIE A
- Midfielder Abdelkader Ghezzal started and played 90 minutes in Siena's 0-0 draw vs. Genoa on Sunday.
- Midfielder Mourad Meghni did not dress in Lazio's 1-1 draw vs. AC Milan on Sunday.
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
- Defender Antar Yahia dressed but did not play in VfL Bochum's 2-1 loss vs. Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.
- Midfielder Karim Matmour started and played 89 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 1-0 win vs. Hamburg SV on Sunday.
- Midfielder Karim Ziani did not dress in VfL Wolfsburg's 2-0 win vs. Mainz on Saturday.
- Forward Chadli Amri came off the bench and played 32 minutes in Mainz's 2-0 loss vs. VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Forward Noureddine Daham did not dress in TUS Koblenz's 4-1 loss vs. MSV Duisburg on Friday.
FRENCH LIGUE 1
- Midfielder Yazid Mansouri came off the bench and played 12 minutes in Lorient's 4-0 win vs. St Etienne on Sunday.
PORTUGUESE LIGA SAGRES
- Defender Rafik Halliche started and played 90 minutes in CD Nacional de Madeira's 2-1 win vs. Vitoria Setubal on Sunday.
GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
- Forward Rafik Djebbour started and played 90 minutes in AEK Athens' 1-1 draw vs. Panionios on Sunday.
- Midfielder Salim Arrache started and played 76 minutes in PAS Giannina's 2-0 loss vs. Iraklis on Sunday.
SLOVENIA
ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
- Defender Suad Filekovic did not dress in Barnsley's 1-0 loss vs. Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.
- Midfielder Robert Koren did not dress in West Bromwich Albion's 1-1 draw vs. Reading on Saturday.
ITALIAN SERIE A
- Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic started, played 90 minutes and made five saves in Udinese's 4-1 loss vs. Fiorentina on Sunday.
- Defender Bojan Jokic did not dress in Chievo Verona's 0-0 draw vs. Parma on Sunday.
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
- Forward Milivoje Novakovic started, played 88 minutes and scored a GOAL in FC Cologne's 4-1 win vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.
- Defender Miso Brecko started and played 90 minutes in FC Cologne's 4-1 win vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.
- Forward Zlatko Dedic came off the bench and played 28 minutes in VfL Bochum's 2-1 loss vs. Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Defender Matej Mavric started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in TUS Koblenz's 4-1 loss vs. MSV Duisburg on Friday.
- Midfielder Goran Sukalo did not dress in FC Augsburg's 4-0 loss vs. Alemania Aachen on Sunday.
FRENCH LIGUE 1
- Defender Bostjan Cesar started, played 76 minutes and received two yellow cards in Grenoble's 2-0 loss vs. Lyon on Saturday.
- Forward Valter Birsa started and played 90 minutes in AJ Auxerre's 0-0 draw vs. Monaco on Saturday.
DUTCH EREDIVISIE
- Midfielder Dalibor Stevanovic came off the bench and played 7 minutes in Vitesse Arnhem's 2-1 win vs. Willem II Tilburg on Saturday.
PORTUGUESE LIGA SAGRES
- Midfielder Nejc Pecknik started, played 65 minutes, scored a GOAL and had an ASSIST in CD Nacional de Madeira's 2-1 win vs. Vitoria Setubal on Sunday.
GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
- Midfielder Aleksander Radosavljevic came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Larissa's 2-1 win vs. PAOK Salonika on Sunday.
- Midfielder Mirnes Sisic started, played 70 minutes and received two yellow cards in PAS Giannina's 2-0 loss vs. Iraklis on Sunday.
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What do you think of these performances? Any player(s) you're particularly worried about? Impressed by Pecknik, Mavric or Novakovic's goal? Think Sisic and Cesar's ejections show a lack of discipline by Slovenia? Starting to believe that Matmour and Algeria will pose less of a problem than Slovenia this summer?
Share your thoughts below.