Slovakia national football team
| Nickname(s) | Repre | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Slovenský futbalový zväz (SFZ) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Stanislav Griga Michal Hipp |
||
| Captain | Martin Škrtel | ||
| Most caps | Miroslav Karhan (107) | ||
| Top scorer | Róbert Vittek (23) | ||
| FIFA code | SVK | ||
| FIFA ranking | 54 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 16 (September 2010) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 150 (December 1993) | ||
| Elo ranking | 63 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 28 (May 2001) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 71 (October 2011) | ||
|
|||
| First international | |||
(Bratislava, Slovakia; 27 August 1939) Second Slovak Republic: (Dubai, UAE; 2 February 1994) |
|||
| Biggest win | |||
(Bratislava, Slovakia; 8 September 2004) (Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia; 13 October 2007) (Bratislava, Slovakia; 6 June 2009) |
|||
| Biggest defeat | |||
(Zagreb, Croatia; 8 September 1942) (Fortaleza, Brazil; 22 February 1995) (Zabrze, Poland; 7 June 1995) |
|||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 2010) | ||
| Best result | Round of 16, 2010 | ||
The Slovakia national football team (Slovak: Slovenské národné futbalové mužstvo) represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association (SFZ), the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coaches are Stanislav Griga and Michal Hipp. They replaced Vladimir Weiss after Euro 2012 qualifications. Slovakia are one of the newest national football teams in the world, alongside their neighbours the Czech Republic, whom they originally both formed the Czechoslovakia national football team, until the dissolution of the unified state in 1993. Slovakia maintains its own national side that competes in all major professional tournaments.
Slovakia qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2010 after winning their qualifying group despite two defeats against Slovenia, and progressed beyond the group stage after a 3–2 win against Italy, before bowing out of the tournament after a 2–1 defeat in the second round against eventual runners-up the Netherlands. It was the first time the team have ever played in a major football competition, after playing every FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign since 1998 and every UEFA European Football Championship qualifying campaign since 1996, after a 50 year absence from international football due to representing part of the Czechoslovakia team. They did come close to securing a berth at the 2006 finals in Germany, after finishing second in their group ahead of Russia and behind Portugal, before drawing Spain in their qualification play-off, in which the Slovaks lost by a wide margin on aggregate. The team have achieved some noteworthy results, however, such as the aforementioned win over the then title holders Italy at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and a 1–0 win against Russia in September 2010 which helped the team reach their best ever position of 16th in the FIFA World Rankings. Despite this success however, the team later dropped down the rankings and a considerable drop in form went with this, as the team failed to qualify for Euro 2012 finishing in their group in 4th place. They also only scored seven goals in the group, only more than minnows Andorra.
Slovakia's team are collectively known as the Repre. Repre is an abbreviation for Representation, while the origins of The Fighting Jondas is currently heavily disputed. Slovakia's traditional rival is the Czech Republic which they played twice in the qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in 1996 and 1997 winning 2–1 in Bratislava, before losing 3–0 in Prague with both teams already eliminated, before playing each other again in 2008 and 2009 in the qualifying round for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In these two meetings the teams drew 2–2 in Bratislava with the Slovaks winning 2–1 in Prague. But before that, they also playing each other in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, and they loss 3–1 in Prague and 0–3 in Bratislava.
Contents |
History [edit]
The first official match of the first Slovak Republic (1939–1945) was played in Bratislava against Germany on 27 August 1939, and ended in a 2–0 victory for Slovakia. After the Second World War, the national football team was subsumed into the team of Czechoslovakia, and for over fifty years Slovakia played no matches as an independent country. During this period they contributed several key players to the Czechoslovak team, including the majority of the team that won the 1976 European Championships (eight of the eleven players who defeated West Germany in the final were Slovak).
Slovakia's first official international after regaining independence was a 1–0 victory in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates on 2 February 1994. Their match back on Slovak soil was the 4–1 defeat against Croatia in Bratislava on 20 April 1994. Slovakia suffered their biggest defeat since independence (6–0) on 22 June 1995, in Mendoza, against Argentina. Their biggest wins (7–0) have come against Liechtenstein in 2004 and San Marino (twice) in 2007.
Slovakia played in a major championship as an independent team for the first time in Euro '96 qualifying, but finished in third place in their qualifying group, behind Romania and France, having recorded wins against Poland, Israel and Azerbaijan, twice. In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Slovakia finished fourth in their six-team group with five wins, one draw and four defeats. Their first four games in this were all wins, with one of these against their Czech neighbours, helping the team reach their highest FIFA World Ranking to date of #17.
Slovakia participated in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history as an independent nation after finishing in first place in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3 ahead of Slovenia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, and Poland. On 14 October 2009, they clinched qualification with a 1–0 away win against Poland.[1] On 24 June 2010, Slovakia finished second in the group stage after defeating World Cup titleholders Italy in a game which ESPN called "epic". The game saw three goals being scored after the 80th minute, two by Italy and one by Slovakia, as well as, a disallowed goal by Italy flagged offside by "the tightest of decisions". The result led Slovakia to the knockout stage and eliminated Italy, which finished last in the group.[2] The result of this match meant that for the first time in World Cup history both finalists from the previous tournament have been eliminated from the first round, champion Italy and runner-up France.[3][4] From here the Slovaks played the Netherlands in the round of 16, Slovakia were complete underdogs going into the game, but for most of the match until conceding their first goal were creating chances. From here Slovakia lost belief they could go back into the match and then fell 2–0 behind only to score a late goal from the penalty spot which turned out to be the last kick of the game.[5] This returned Róbert Vittek to the top of the goalscoring charts joint top with David Villa until Villa himself scored against Portugal in a 1–0 win.
For UEFA Euro 2012 qualification, Slovakia was drawn against Russia, Ireland, Armenia, Macedonia and Andorra. The good campaign in South Africa boosted team performance ahead of the qualifiers, which started in September with two 1-0 wins against Macedonia in Stadion Pasienky and Russia away, this one in particular giving Slovakia the perfect start. However, October came and team form slipped steadily, as Repre was easily beaten in Armenia (3-1) and couldn't do better than a 1-1 home draw against Ireland. At that point, Russia topped the group charts with 9 points, with Slovakia, Armenia and Ireland all in 2 point-gap of the leaders.
However, 2011 came in things got terribly worse. In February, the team was stunned in a 2-1 friendly defeat against Luxembourg, before needing to fight hard for two 1-0 wins against group minnows Andorra, who had conceded 11 goals in the previous four matches. Playing in Ireland in a six-point match, Slovakia got a goalless draw, despite having the best chances, which kept both teams two points behind Russia, and leading Armenia by three. Four days later, even though, Slovakia had its most disastrous performance in years, as, after creating chances in a goalless first half, went on to concede four goals to an effective and brave Armenian team, what definitely ended team confidence in the tournament spot. In the final two matches, Slovakia was beaten at home by Russia, 1-0, despite playing much better than against Armenia, and drew in Macedonia 1-1, to a mediocre fourth place, and scoring only seven goals in the whole process. Actually it was the first time since UEFA Euro 1996 that Slovakia finished a qualifying campaign with a negative goal difference. Vladimír Weiss left his job after four full years, being replaced by his assistant Michal Hipp and Stanislav Griga, who will form a coaching duo starting from the next campaign.
Stadium [edit]
The Slovakia national football team is using three stadiums on the present: Štadión pod Dubňom in Žilina, Štadión Pasienky in Bratislava and Štadión Antona Malatinského in Trnava. The national team recently played, last in 2009, at the biggest Slovak stadium Tehelné pole in Bratislava but the stadium does not meet UEFA criteria for international games today. In the past, home games have occasionally been played at other venues as Všešportový areál and Lokomotíva Stadium in Košice, Štadión pod Zoborom in Nitra, Mestský štadión in Dubnica or Tatran Stadion in Prešov.
Stadiums which have hosted Slovakia international football matches:
| Number of matches |
Stadium | First international | Last international |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava | 20 April 1994 | 14 November 2009 |
| 11 | Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina | 30 April 2004 | 26 March 2013 |
| 10 | Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava | 24 April 1996 | 29 March 2011 |
| 9 | Pasienky, Bratislava | 18 August 1999 | 16 October 2012 |
| 4 | Všešportový areál, Košice | 8 March 1995 | 15 November 1995 |
| 2 | Štadión pod Zoborom, Nitra | 27 March 1996 | 24 May 2000 |
| 2 | Lokomotíva Stadium, Košice | 19 August 1998 | 5 September 1998 |
| 2 | Mestský štadión, Dubnica | 8 September 1999 | 13 October 2007 |
| 1 | Štadión na Sihoti, Trenčín | 5 September 2001 | 5 September 2001 |
| 1 | Štadión 1. FC Tatran Prešov, Prešov | 14 May 2002 | 14 May 2002 |
| 1 | Štadión FC ViOn, Zlaté Moravce | 26 March 2008 | 26 March 2008 |
Nickname [edit]
In Slovakia, the team is typically referred to as the Repre (Representation) or Národný tím (National team), whereas in foreign media, they are incorrectly described as Bojovní Jondovci ( The Fighting Jondas).
Kit [edit]
Slovakia's home kit since the 1993 was blue, but currently Slovakia changed their home kit from blue to white. The team wears either a set of white jerseys, shorts and socks or a set of blue jerseys, shorts and socks. A combination of a blue jersey and white shorts has also been used in some matches. The official shirt supplier is Puma which has signed a long-term agreement with the Slovak Association until 2016.
Tournament records [edit]
World Cup record [edit]
- 1930 to 1994 – See Czechoslovakia
| Year | Results | Position | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Round of 16 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | |
| Qualifying begins in 2012 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Total | 1/4 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| List of FIFA World Cup matches | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Score | Result | Slovakia goalscorers |
| 2010 | Round 1 | Draw | Vittek | |
| Round 1 | Loss | |||
| Round 1 | Win | Vittek (2), Kopúnek | ||
| Round of 16 | Loss | Vittek | ||
European Championship record [edit]
- 1960 to 1992 – See Czechoslovakia
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Total | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Olympic Games [edit]
- 1896 to 1992 – See Czechoslovakia
| Host nation(s) / Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not Qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Did not Qualify | ||||||||
| Total | 1/4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
Results and schedule [edit]
The box below, show the results of all A-level matches played within the last 12 months, and the scheduled matches for the nearest future.
* Slovakia score always listed first
2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying [edit]
|
|
All-time team record [edit]
The following table shows Slovakia's all-time international record, correct as of 26 March 2013.
| Opponents | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | |
| 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | |
| 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 33 | −16 | |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 6 | +8 | |
| 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 21 | −12 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | |
| 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 22 | −13 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | |
| 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | +25 | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | |
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +2 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | |
| 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 13 | −3 | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | |
| 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 19 | −8 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | |
| 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | +21 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | −8 | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 |
Players [edit]
Current squad [edit]
The following 22 players were named in the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Lithuania on 26 March 2013 and for the friendly match against Sweden on 26 March 2013.
- Caps and goals as of 22 March 2013.
Recent call-ups [edit]The following players have also been called up to the Slovakia squad within the last twelve months.
Player statistics [edit]Players in bold are still active.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
