Sensation in Slovenia: Trenchovski's Olimpija eliminated by third-tier Rudar Trbovlje in Cup first round

Third-tier NK Rudar Trbovlje produced one of the surprise results of the early Cup rounds by eliminating NK Olimpija — coached by Jugoslav Trenchovski — in the first round of the Slovenian Cup. The upset took place at Rudar's home ground on 26.08.2026; the match report was posted at 22:19.

Rudar's lone goal came in the 11th minute when Maj Sajovic found the net, and the visitors were unable to reply. The scoreline owed much to Rudar's goalkeeper Jasim Mujkanovic, whose saves kept Olimpija off the scoreboard and secured a clean sheet for the underdogs.

Olimpija, one of the favourites for the competition, repeatedly threatened but were repeatedly denied by Mujkanovic, while frustration grew in Trenchovski's side as the match progressed.

Past cup form and present shock

The defeat leaves Olimpija with another early Cup exit after last season's run ended in the quarterfinals, when they were knocked out by Brinje Grosuplje. Expectations were higher for Trenchovski's squad this year, which makes the loss especially stinging.

For NK Rudar Trbovlje the victory is a major boost — a third-division side advancing at the expense of a top-flight Ljubljana club will be remembered as one of the Cup's early surprises. Rudar now look ahead to the next round, while Olimpija must regroup quickly after this unexpected setback.

Photo: press material from the event