Posts Tagged ‘Slovakia’

Ousted Slovakia hail ‘genius’ Robben

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Slovakia bowed out of the FIFA World Cup™ with a Round of 16 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands on Monday as coach Vladimir Weiss hailed Dutch winger Arjen Robben an “absolute genius”. Robben scored the first Dutch goal, controlling a long Wesley Sneijder pass and cutting in past defenders Jan Durica and Radoslav Zabavnik to drill a left-footed shot in at the near post past the despairing dive of Jan Mucha.

Weiss, whose team had claimed the famous scalp of defending champions Italy in the group stage to ensure their progression to the knock-out phase on their FIFA World Cup debut, said the Bayern Munich winger had been “decisive”.

“We prepared for three days for Robben, but he’s an absolute genius,” said Weiss. “He knows exactly what he’s doing, that’s why he’s played for all those great clubs. When I saw his name on the team startlist I knew it made the Netherlands 50 per cent stronger.”

Weiss admitted that his team failed to capitalise on three opportunities at 1-0, Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg producing some fine saves before Sneijder made it 2-0 in the 85th minute, although the Slovaks pulled one back with a late consolation penalty from Robert Vittek.

“With a bit of luck we could have been in it,” he said. “The penalty will make us feel a little better on the flight home, but the one who advances is the better team. The Netherlands were great opponents. My players showed great heart and courage, and good football against Italy and the Dutch.

“I’m very proud that we were in a position to play in the Round of 16 and the players showed what they were capable of. No coach is ever happy to lose having had three high-quality chances. But we didn’t manage it.”

In the group stages, Slovakia were held to a 1-1 draw before losing to table-toppers Paraguay. In a do-or-die match, the Slovaks beat Italy 3-2 to ensure their own qualification and also sending the Azzurri back home.

“We were searching for something else here today, but it was not to be,” said Weiss.

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Returning Robben helps sink Slovakia

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Slovakia’s fairy-tale run came to an end at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Monday, with Arjen Robben returning to the starting line-up and helping fire the organised Oranje into the quarter-finals with the first goal in a 2-1 win. As the only debutants at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ head for home with their heads held high, the Dutch – who have never before won their first four matches at the finals – can now start preparing for a last-16 test against either Brazil or Chile in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

Vladimir Weiss’s Slovakia were not overawed by their fancied opponents in the early going. Erik Jendrisek fired over the bar from a decent position after only two minutes, though if that was an intended warning shot, the Dutch – with nine points from their three games so far – are not a team that rattle easily. Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder both had good chances to score subsequently before Robben, in his first start at these finals, made his mark on the match. Chasing a long ball up from midfield, the Bayern Munich winger outpaced Radoslav Zabavnik up the wide-right channel, cut inside and fired low inside the near post, beating goalkeeper Jan Mucha who might have done better. It was only the second first-half goal scored by the Netherlands in South Africa.

Arsenal ace Van Persie had the next chances as the break approached. He surprised the Slovakia defence in the 41st minute but, after cutting in from the left, could only muster a tame toe-poke at Mucha. With just seconds to go before half-time, he then stole in behind the backline but failed to control Mark van Bommel’s low cross, that was whipped in through the six-yard box. Robben was in the mood again when the second period got underway. After Van Persie dragged the Slovakia defence out of position, the ball fell kindly for the former Chelsea man, who wriggled inside the area only for his sizzling low shot to be thwarted by Mucha’s fingertips. The goalkeeper was called into action again from the resulting corner, bravely blocking a Joris Mathijsen effort from close range.

Suddenly, Slovakia – who shifted into a more attacking 4-4-2 for the second half – came to life in the 67th minute. Marek Hamsik pushed the ball out wide for Dutch-based striker Miroslav Stoch, but his shot was tipped over for a corner. Robert Vittek was then guilty of missing a glorious chance only seconds later. Collecting the ball in acres of space and with bags of time, he shot directly into the palms of Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg to groans from the section of the crowd not dressed in orange.

The Dutch continued to push forward in search of another goal and with six minutes to go, and the withdrawn Robben now on the bench, Dirk Kuyt chased down a long ball and crossed low for Sneijder. The Inter Milan man made no mistake with the goal at his mercy and calmly bulged the back of the net. Even though Vittek managed a consolation goal for the Slovaks in the dying seconds of stoppage time – netting from the penalty spot after Stekelenburg had brought him down – it was too late to signal a change of fortune. The Dutch now march on to meet either Brazil or Chile, who contest their Round of 16 contest at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park later in the evening.

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Vittek: Win has moved the goalposts

Friday, June 25th, 2010

Robert Vittek believes Slovakia’s shock FIFA World Cup™ win over Italy has “moved the limits” of what the country can achieve in the game. A goal in each half from Vittek put the eastern European side in charge at Ellis Park and Kamil Kopunek’s third finally proved decisive in fending off a late Italian fightback as Vladimir Weiss’ side booked a place in the last 16 on their World Cup debut.

They came into the match as the outsiders in Group F but now have a knockout match against the Netherlands to look forward to in Durban on Monday. Vittek, who plays his club football in Turkey with Ankaragucu, said: “This is a huge success, we have really moved the limits of Slovak football somewhere else.

“We are so extremely happy that we showed everybody that we were capable of achieving this. In our first two matches we were not lucky but against Italy we were the better side and that’s why we are moving on,” he continued. “I wouldn’t say it was a domination, but we were better, we played with our heart and that is what decided the match.”

“This is a huge success, we have really moved the limits of Slovak football somewhere else.”

Robert Vittek, Slovakia forward

The striker also believes his side will play with total freedom against their Dutch opponents in the last 16. “We have nothing to lose,” he added. “We came here as outsiders, as newcomers, and we wanted to surprise. We have already surprised once and we hope we can do the same again against Holland, but they are one of the favourites.”

In theory, Slovakia can only get better ahead of the UEFA European Championships of 2012 and the FIFA World Cup in 2014, with Weiss’ squad containing 10 players aged 25 or under. The Slovakia coach was full of praise for his young side, led by Napoli star Marek Hamsik, following their memorable win: “Hamsik was under pressure and he showed his high quality, he was a good captain. But everybody was excellent, we played like a team, there was good quality. This experience is good for the future.”

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Slovakia advance, eliminate Italy

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Slovakia survived a late onslaught to beat Italy 3-2, reach the Round of 16 and eliminate their illustrious opponents. A Robert Vittek double and a stoppage-time lob from substitute Kamil Kopunek proved enough for Vladimir Weiss’s team to advance as Group F runners-up, after late goals from Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quagliarella had ensured a dramatic conclusion to a thrilling contest in Johannesburg.

Slovakia went into the meeting at Ellis Park needing victory to progress. While Italy also required three points to guarantee a place in the knockout phase, they knew a draw would likely prove enough, as transpired to be the case. Disappointingly for the FIFA World Cup™ holders, the visionary Andrea Pirlo was only fit enough to make the bench, but Gennaro Gattuso and Di Natale were handed starts.

Vladimir Weiss had urged his side to be bold but rational against Marcello Lippi’s men, and Slovakia were clearly enjoying the better of the play in the initial exchanges. They could certainly claim to have had the better chances. In the sixth minute, Vittek nodded a long ball into the path of Marek Hamsik, although the latter could only drag his volley wide. And the two exchanged roles six minutes later, with Hamsik squaring the ball to Vittek, but Italy goalkeeper Federico Marchetti was quickest to react.

So, perhaps, it came as no surprise when, in the 25th minute, Marchetti found himself picking the ball out of the back of the net. The pressure of the occasion clearly got to De Rossi, whose pass was easily intercepted by Erik Jendrisek just outside of the Italian box. He promptly found Vittek and the Slovakian fired into the bottom corner to give his side a deserved lead.

Marcello Lippi’s men had failed to get going in their previous two matches, and they were lacking inspiration here, too. Di Natale, Daniele De Rossi and Simone Pepe all found themselves in potential scoring positions, but were unable to make them count. Gattuso’s threatening cross was headed over by Martin Skrtel as Vincenzo Iaquinta looked to profit, but there was no real punch to the Italy attack. The AC Milan veteran was, typically, terrier-like in midfield, looking to knock the Slovakians out of their stride, but it was Weiss’s side that continued to look the more likely scorers – Zdenko Strba forced Marchetti to palm his 35-yard drive off target, Miroslav Stoch had a shot blocked, and Juraj Kucka watched his long-range effort flash inches wide deep into first-half stoppage time.

Lippi reshuffled his side at the break, with Christian Maggio and Quagliarella coming on in place of Gattuso and Domenico Criscito, as they searched for a crucial goal. Iaquinta almost the found the target five minutes in but his header lacked direction. The same could be said for his team as a whole, who were lacking the required creativity – which explained why the Italian fans, at last, found their voice when Pirlo was introduced to the game in the 56th minute, shortly after a woeful finish from Di Natale.

As Pirlo begin to guide proceedings from the centre of the park, Di Natale almost made up for his miss but Jan Mucha was equal to his curling shot. Italy were, at last, stepping up a gear and when Pepe’s cross was beaten away by the Slovakia goalkeeper, Quagliarella could only look on in dismay as his left-footed shot was hooked off the line by Skrtel.

Slovakia, however, remained a match for Italy and minutes after Stoch’s drive had fizzed a yard over, Vittek thought he had put the game out of Gli Azzurri’s reach when he beat Giorgio Chiellini to Hamsik’s squared ball. However, Di Natale was able to pull one back ten minutes from time, before Kopunek restored the two-goal advantage. Quagliarella’s late strike set up a thrilling finish, but it was not enough for Lippi’s men, who were left to contemplate a disastrous FIFA World Cup campaign.

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Jakubko accepts Italy challenge

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Slovakia striker Martin Jakubko says there will no surprises when they face Italy in their final FIFA World Cup™ Group F match on Thursday.

Vladimir Weiss’s side need a victory if they are to have any hope of making it through to the second phase. Slovakia, in the finals for the first time, lost to Paraguay on Sunday after a draw against New Zealand.

Jakubko said: “Italy are a well-known team. They have won the World Cup four times, including last time. That says it all about Italy.

“There are a few national teams who are traditionally strong in these tournaments. Germany, for example. They are used to reaching finals. We are newcomers.”

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Weiss senior backs son to shine

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss has admitted the pressure is on his starlet son as his team prepares to meet New Zealand during their FIFA World Cup™ opener in the Royal Bafokeng stadium.

Weiss junior, 20, who was on loan at Bolton from Manchester City for the latter part of last season, will almost certainly start in midfield for a Slovakian team participating at a FIFA World Cup finals for the first time as an independent nation.

But Weiss senior revealed that the father-coach-son relationship could be tough on both of them. Weiss said: “He is a very clever boy but it is not easy for him because his coach is his father. And he is not an easy player to coach, but I am sure he will show an excellent performance and will help his team.”

Slovakia have been drawn in Group F alongside Italy and Paraguay as well as New Zealand and they are confident of progressing having been impressive in qualifying where they finished above Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Poland.

Weiss added: “We are all full of expectation. The atmosphere is very good. It is the peak of the careers of every coach and player and there is a nice tension. We will play with modesty but will be going for a win. In our group there is not a top favourite so we will just concentrate on the match ahead of us.”

The only doubt is midfielder Miroslav Stoch who has not trained with a knee problem. Midfield playmaker Marek Hamsik, meanwhile, revealed he was about to sign a new contract at Serie A club Napoli and admitted the Italians would be tough opponents in the group.

Hamsik, 22, said: “Italy have always been one of the favourites at every World Cup and they are the holders of the title. They have a great team and many players have experienced the World Cup. Their team is still very strong but I am not thinking about Italy. We are concentrating only on New Zealand.

“I’m very happy the (Napoli) president is content with me and values me. I am about to sign a new contract in a few days.”

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Skrtel nearing fitness

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Slovakia’s Martin Skrtel is nearing fitness as he continues his recovery from injury. The 25-year-old Liverpool defender has been unable to train with his team-mates since their arrival in South Africa yesterday, but is expected to step up his work tomorrow as coach Vladimir Weiss prepares for Tuesday’s opening Group F clash with New Zealand in Rustenburg.

“He is now almost completely healthy and on Friday, he will no longer be training without the ball.”

Vladimir Weiss, Slovakia coach

Asked about his squad, Weiss said: “All are healthy, although Martin Skrtel still on Wednesday prepared individually. But he is now almost completely healthy and on Friday, he will no longer be training without the ball.”

Meanwhile, Weiss has spoken of the warmth of welcome the Slovakians have received since arriving at their Pretoria base.

“It is a little crazy,” he said. “The people are rejoicing. This is Africa, that is something completely different to what we are accustomed to in Europe.”

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Weiss ready to attack All Whites

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss is determined his side will adopt an attacking approach when they face New Zealand in their Group F opening game on Tuesday.

The Slovaks open their 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ campaign against Ricki Herbert’s outsiders and know a win will be crucial if they are to qualify from a group which also contains Italy and Paraguay.

“We will try to win playing offensively and if we do that we have created a good starting point.”

Vladimir Weiss, Slovakia coach

Weiss, whose team arrived in South Africa today, said: “We will try to win playing offensively and if we do that we have created a good starting point. But I also expect the same (approach) from our opponent.

“Although it will be tough match, I think we have a better team. Any failure by us will complicate the situation and it would mean in the other two games we would have to try something different.”

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Skrtel boost for Slovakia

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Martin Skrtel is expected to be fit for Slovakia’s opening 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ match against New Zealand in Rustenburg.

Skrtel was substituted early on in the 3-0 friendly win over Costa Rica on Saturday, prompting fears that he would miss the tournament with an ankle problem.

“Based on preliminary conclusions, there is no damage to the tissue.”

Ladislav Pavlovic, Slovakia chief physician

However, scans showed the injury was not as serious as first thought, and the Liverpool defender has responded well to treatment.

“Based on preliminary conclusions, there is no damage to the tissue (in his ankle),” said Ladislav Pavlovic, the squad’s chief physician.

Slovakia face New Zealand on Tuesday before taking on Paraguay and Italy in their remaining Group F games.

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Sestak: Nothing to lose

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Slovakia striker Stanislav Sestak believes low expectations around his side could work in their favour at the FIFA World Cup™.

Slovakia are contesting the tournament for the first time as an independent nation after surprisingly topping their qualification group but few pundits expect them to make waves in South Africa.

And VfL Bochum forward Sestak is happy for that to be the case. He told bundesliga.de: “We have nothing to lose. The fact we are participating is already a big achievement, so now we can play freely.

“However, our main goal is to get through the group stage. We want to reach the second round. Italy are obviously the big favourites to win the group, but the game against Paraguay will be close and we reckon we can beat New Zealand too.”

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