Appearing for the first time in a major international competition, Slovakia have been striving to relive the glory years enjoyed by the former Czechoslovakia since going it alone in 1993.
While their team is hardly filled with household names, Slovakia can rely on a well-organised collective with plenty of admirable qualities. Likewise, their continuing progress gives them good reason to be optimistic about their voyage to South Africa.
The road to South Africa
Fourth in their section in qualifying for France 1998, third on the road to Korea/Japan 2002 and runners-up ahead of Germany 2006, Slovakia continued their rise by sealing the top spot in Group 3. Vladimir Weiss’s side booked their place by upsetting predictions that they would struggle to cope with a difficult pool.
Their passage was far from smooth, but they lost only to Slovenia and secured their spot in South Africa with a 1-0 win over Poland.
Star players
Defender Martin Skrtel is a central figure for his country, while midfielder Marek Hamsik has both a knack of scoring goals for Napoli and the welcome habit of shining for the national side. The latter is unlikely to go unnoticed in South Africa and the same applies to Stanislav Sestak, who finished top scorer for Slovakia with six goals during the qualifying stages.
The coach
Former Slovakian international Vladimir Weiss was appointed after Jan Kocian failed to take the side through to Euro 2008. Known for his strong personality, Weiss learnt the coaching ropes at Artmedia Bratislava, leading the underrated Slovakian outfit into the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League group phase in 2005/06. The following season, he opted to boost his credentials with Saturn Moscow Oblast in Russia, before celebrating a triumphant return to Artmedia with the Slovakian league title a year after.
Facts
- This may be Slovakia’s first appearance on the global stage, but the country’s soccer past is tied up with that of the former Czechoslovakia, who participated in eight finals overall. Czechoslovakia even reached the final in 1934, losing 2-1 after extra time to Italy, and 1962, when they succumbed 3-1 to Brazil. They also advanced as far as the last eight in 1990. — Fifa