Slovenia's national football team is ending the year on a high note after a 1:0 win against Montenegro in a friendly this weekend, the team's third victory in the last four games.

The team has not lost a game since a terrible 1:4 defeat against Serbia in June, when it faced harsh criticism. Since then, things have gone uphill.

"This streak has lasted for a while and I hope it will inspire us further as opposed to making us lethargic," said Slovenia's coach Matjaž Kek.

Slovenia played ten matches this year, winning the last two, both friendlies against Romania and Montenegro.

Though the Slovenian team had a bit of luck, they showed they are capable of maintaining possession of the ball and controlling the game.

"Our opponent played how we needed them to. That is how the qualifiers will look in Kazakhstan, Belfast, Helsinki," said Kek of the match against Montenegro.

The qualifications for the Euro 2024 will begin on 23 March when Slovenia will play Kazakhstan. In Group H it will also face Denmark, Finland, Northern Ireland and San Marino.

After a ten match group stage, the best two teams of each group will qualify for the final tournament in Germany.

Kek believes that the team has really come together during this turbulent year, though he is keeping his options open for next year's line-up. The 19-year-old Benjamin Šeško is shaping up to be a key player of the national team with four goals in the last five matches.

Slovenia opened the year 2022 with friendly matches against Croatia and Qatar. After six matches in the League of Nations B league, Slovenia has secured a spot in the second tier of European football in the 2024-2025 season.