|
Slovakia doesn't have a rich football history, having only officially become an independent nation in 1992. However, this year they managed a shocking upset in their first World Cup when they reached the last 16 of the tournament by defeating then reigning champions, Italy, in the group stages and kicking them out of the tournament.
The Slovakian football team was founded in 1993, following the desolation of Czechoslovakia and the emergence of Slovakia as an independent nation. They didn't play their first international competitive match until the qualifiers for Euro '96, when they finished third in their qualifying group, failing to make it into the tournament. In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, they finished fourth in their group, again failing to qualify, though an early run of wins allowed them to be briefly ranked 17th in the world according to FIFA. They qualified for their first major tournament in 2009 when they topped their group following a 1-0 win over Poland.
This is undoubtedly the most successful Slovakian team, their run in the World Cup being the nation's biggest footballing success. Several of their players are fixtures at top flight clubs like Liverpool, Napoli, and Manchester City.
Slovakia were drawn in Group F, with Italy, New Zealand and Paraguay. They drew to New Zealand 1-1, with New Zealand scoring the equaliser in extra time. They then lost 3-0 to Paraguay. In their final match against Italy, the current world champions were heavy favourites, but Slovakia took an early lead and pulled 2-0 ahead in the 73rd minute. Then in an action packed last ten minutes 3 goals were scored (two by Italy, one by Slovakia), and Slovakia ended up winning 3-2. In the last 16 they faced Holland and lost 2-1, ending their tournament.
 |
 |
 |
Robert Vittek Slovakia's top scorer of all time and their top scorer in the World Cup with four goals, Vittek is probably best known for his two goals in their match against Italy. He plays for Turkish club Ankaragucu. |
Marek Hamšík The captain of the Slovakian side and a midfielder with Italian club Napol. Hamsik was the top scorer for his club in back to back years, and was a runner up for Slovakian footballer of the year in 2009. |
Martin Škrtel The centre back is a crucial part of Slovakia's defence and a rising star at club Liverpool, where he started most of the 08/09 season. An injury kept him out of most of last season, but he was fit enough to play for Slovakia at the World Cup. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
