Slovakia Camp Focus - Slovakia ‘proud’ of World Cup heroics
Slovakia bid farewell to the World Cup after Monday’s defeat to Holland in Durban. Goals from Arjen Robben and Weslye Sneijder were enough to secure a quarter final spot at the expense of the Repre, who pulled one back late on through Robert Vittek. Despite elimination Slovakian Coach Vladimir Weiss was full of praise for his side: "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."
The 45-year-old has every right to be proud of his side after their first ever appearance in the World Cup Finals. The campaign began slowly for the Slovaks who dropped points to minnows New Zealand, before suffering defeat to Gerardo Martino’s Paraguay, leaving them on the verge of elimination heading into their final group game against Italy. But a shock victory against the defending World Champions saw Weiss’ men march onto the Final 16, setting up a tie with Group E winners Holland.
However the Oranje proved to be too strong for the Slovaks as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat, a result deemed fair by Weiss: “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.”
It did not take long for Holland to edge ahead in Durban as Sneijder’s long ball was met by Robben who skipped past the challenges of Radoslav Zabavnik and Jan Durica before squeezing his shot past Jan Mucha from 20 yards. The 26-year old winger drew special praise from Weiss: "We prepared for three days for Robben, but he's an absolute genius, 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 start list I knew it made the Netherlands 50 per cent stronger."
Chances were few and far between for both sides for the remainder of the first half, but some heroics from Mucha in the second period denied Joris Mathijsen and Robben once more. However it was not to be for the Slovaks as Mucha, excellent throughout the game, misjudged a long free kick allowing Dirk Kuyt to round him before coolly squaring the ball to Sneijder who slotted home in 84th minute.
There was some reason to celebrate for the Repre as second half sub Martin Jakubko was felled in the area by Martin Stekelenburg allowing Robert Vittek to slot home from the spot. Vittek’s fourth goal of the tournament saw him break the all time Slovakian scoring record taking his tally to 23, leapfrogging former Middlesborough striker Szilard Nemeth. With 74 caps Vittek is Slovakia’s second highest capped player behind Mainz midfielder Miroslav Karhan - who missed out on the world cup due to injury – and the 28-year-old front-man drew special praise from defender Peter Pekarik: “He is not just a great striker; he is a great guy and holds us together. He is one of the most experienced players. His success has a big influence on us and motivates us."
Slovakian attention will now turn to qualification for the 2012 European championships where they have been drawn in Group B with Russia, Macedonia, Armenia, Andorra and The Republic of Ireland. If Weiss’ men perform anything like they have done in South Africa then qualification should be a formality. Who knows just how far they could go in Poland and Ukraine, when Hamsik and co have the benefit of a few more years experience.
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