Second Cyprus win keeps Slovenian dream alive

Slovenia moved third in Group E and kept their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification chances alive with a 2-0 victory against bottom side Cyprus in Nicosia.

Goals in each half from Milivoje Novakovič and substitute Josip Iličić secured Srečko Katanec's visitors their second victory over Cyprus, who suffered a second 2-0 loss in four days having gone down by the same score in Norway.

Slovenia opened the scoring on 12 minutes when Zlatan Ljubijankič broke free on the right and teed up 34-year-old Novakovič to beat Antonis Georgallides with an easy finish from close range.

Andraž Kirm and Andraž Struna missed chances to double the lead and Slovenia could have been punished were it not for similar profligacy from an unmarked Nektarios Alexandrou, while Vincent Laban had a powerful effort brilliantly saved by Samir Handanovič.

The game was finally put beyond the stubborn Cypriots with ten minutes remaining when the busy Novakovič turned provider for Iličić, who neatly tucked his side's second into Georgallides' bottom corner.

With two matches to go Slovenia are now third in Group E, a point adrift of Iceland and a point ahead of Norway, whom they host on October 11.