Luxembourg suffered a deserved defeat at home on Friday night, losing 1-0 to a more assertive Slovenia side at the Stade de Luxembourg.
The only goal of the match came just before halftime, when Slovenian midfielder Svetlin found the net with a stylish back-heel goal. The first half offered little else of note from the home team, apart from an early chance by Gerson Rodrigues in the 5th minute.
Slovenia controlled much of the second half, with Luxembourg showing little in terms of creativity or structure. Coach Luc Holtz' men struggled to build meaningful attacks and rarely troubled the Slovenian defence.
The game saw a spark around the 60-minute mark with the introduction of Dzogovic and, especially, Dardari. The FC Augsburg forward made an immediate impact on the left flank, unsettling defenders Karnicnik and Drkusic and narrowly missing the target in the 65th minute.
His presence helped Rodrigues move into a more central role, nearly resulting in an equaliser late in the game.
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Luxembourg's best late chances included a near-assist from Rodrigues to Dardari in the 81st minute and a close-range free-kick effort from Sinani, finished by Carlson but too centrally placed to beat the keeper in the 88th minute.
Despite a brief spell of pressure in the final 15 minutes, Slovenia held firm to secure another international victory, following their March win over Slovakia.
For Luxembourg, inconsistency remains a concern. With Ireland set to visit next week, Holtz' squad will need to regroup quickly to face a much tougher challenge.
