Slovakia national football team

The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in international football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Football Association was founded in 1993, and has been affiliated to both FIFA and UEFA since the same year. They will be participants at the 2010 World Cup for the first time since independence.

History

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.
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 Slovakian 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 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.
Slovakia will participate 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]

Stadium

Tehelné pole is most popular name for a football stadium in Bratislava. Named after the surrounding neighbourhood in Bratislava. The stadium is the home field for Slovan and Slovakia national football team. Capacity of the stadium is 30,085 spectators. The construction of the stadium was begun in 1939 and was finished in 1944 however the stadium was opened already in September 1940. The first official match was played on 27 October 1940 when Slovan hosted Hertha. The match ended 2-2. The stadium was also the home field for Czechoslovakia national football team in common era and it was second biggest stadium in Czechoslovakia after the Strahov. In 2005-06 season Artmedia used this stadium for a contests in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. The Fighting Jondas also use Stadium Pod Dubňom in Žilina and Stadium of Anton Malatinský in Trnava.

Latest results

2010

Date	Venue	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Goals
3 March 2010	Pod Dubňom	Slovakia	0–1	Norway	67. Moldskred
29 May 2010	Hypo-Arena	Slovakia	1–1	Cameroon	6. Kopúnek – 83. Enoh
5 June 2010	Pasienky	Slovakia		Costa Rica
15 June 2010	Royal Bafokeng	New Zealand		Slovakia
20 June 2010	Free State	Slovakia		Paraguay
24 June 2010	Ellis Park	Slovakia		Italy
3 September 2010	TBA	Slovakia		Macedonia
7 September 2010	TBA	Russia		Slovakia
8 October 2010	TBA	Armenia		Slovakia
12 October 2010	TBA	Slovakia		Republic of Ireland

Score bar: Blue – World Cup 2010, Yellow – Euro 2012 qualifying, Green – International Friendly

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1994 - See Czechoslovakia

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
1998	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2002	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2006	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2010	Qualified	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	1/4		-	-	-	-	-	-

2010 FIFA World Cup

Team v • d • e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Paraguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 New Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slovakia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

15 June 2010 13:30 (UTC+2)	New Zealand	v	Slovakia	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

20 June 2010 13:30 (UTC+2)	Slovakia	v	Paraguay	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

24 June 2010 16:00 (UTC+2)	Slovakia	v	Italy	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

European Championship record

• 1960 to 1992 - see Czechoslovakia
• 1996 to 2008 - Did not qualify

UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Team v • d • e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Russia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Slovakia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Republic of Ireland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Macedonia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Armenia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Andorra	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Andorra	—	2 Sep '11	8 Oct '10	7 Oct '11	3 Sep '10	26 Mar '11
Armenia	12 Oct '10	—	7 Oct '11	3 Sep '10	4 Jun '11	8 Oct '10
Macedonia	6 Sep '11	7 Sep '10	—	4 Jun '11	12 Oct '10	11 Oct '11
Republic of Ireland	7 Sep '10	11 Oct '11	26 Mar '11	—	8 Oct '10	2 Sep '11
Russia	11 Oct '11	26 Mar '11	2 Sep '11	6 Sep '11	—	7 Sep '10
Slovakia	4 Jun '11	6 Sep '11	3 Sep '10	12 Oct '10	7 Oct '11	—

Current squad

The following 23-men squad has been selected at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Caps and goals as of 29 May 2010.

#	Name	Date of birth	Club	Caps (goals)	Debut
Goalkeepers
1	Ján Mucha	5 December 1982 (1982-12-05) (age 27)	Legia Warszawa	14 (0)	v Hungary, 6 February 2008
22	Dušan Kuciak	21 May 1985 (1985-05-21) (age 25)	Vaslui	3 (0)	v UAE, 10 December 2006
12	Dušan Perniš	28 November 1984 (1984-11-28) (age 25)	Dundee United	2 (0)	v Iceland, 12 August 2009
Defenders
5	Radoslav Zabavník	16 September 1980 (1980-09-16) (age 29)	Mainz 05	43 (1)	v Greece, 30 April 2004
4	Marek Čech	26 January 1983 (1983-01-26) (age 27)	West Bromwich Albion	39 (5)	v Japan, 9 July 2004
2	Martin Petráš	2 November 1979 (1979-11-02) (age 30)	Cesena	38 (1)	v Iran, 6 February 2002
3	Martin Škrtel	15 December 1984 (1984-12-15) (age 25)	Liverpool	38 (5)	v Japan, 9 July 2004
16	Ján Ďurica	10 December 1981 (1981-12-10) (age 28)	Lokomotiv Moscow	36 (1)	v Japan, 9 July 2004
23	Peter Pekarík	30 October 1986 (1986-10-30) (age 23)	Wolfsburg	20 (1)	v UAE, 10 December 2006
21	Kornel Saláta	24 January 1985 (1985-01-24) (age 25)	Slovan Bratislava	3 (0)	v Switzerland, 24 May 2008
Midfielders
17	Marek Hamšík	27 July 1987 (1987-07-27) (age 22)	Napoli	31 (8)	v Poland, 7 February 2007
10	Marek Sapara	31 July 1982 (1982-07-31) (age 27)	Ankaragücü	24 (2)	v Estonia, 8 February 2005
8	Ján Kozák	22 April 1980 (1980-04-22) (age 30)	Timişoara	23 (2)	v Hungary, 30 November 2004
20	Zdeno Štrba	9 June 1976 (1976-06-09) (age 33)	Skoda Xanthi	20 (0)	v Cyprus, 13 February 2003
15	Miroslav Stoch	19 October 1989 (1989-10-19) (age 20)	Chelsea	11 (1)	v Ukraine, 10 February 2009
6	Kamil Kopúnek	18 May 1984 (1984-05-18) (age 26)	Spartak Trnava	8 (1)	v France, 1 March 2006
7	Vladimír Weiss	30 November 1989 (1989-11-30) (age 20)	Manchester City	8 (0)	v Iceland, 12 August 2009
19	Juraj Kucka	26 February 1987 (1987-02-26) (age 23)	Sparta Praha	6 (0)	v Liechtenstein, 19 November 2008
Strikers
11	Róbert Vittek	1 April 1982 (1982-04-01) (age 28)	Lille	69 (18)	v Germany, 29 May, 2001
13	Filip Hološko	17 January 1984 (1984-01-17) (age 26)	Beşiktaş	37 (5)	v Germany, 3 September 2005
9	Stanislav Šesták	16 December 1982 (1982-12-16) (age 27)	Bochum	30 (10)	v Luxembourg, 18 August 2004
14	Martin Jakubko	26 February 1980 (1980-02-26) (age 30)	Saturn Moscow Oblast	22 (4)	v Estonia, 26 March 2005
18	Erik Jendrišek	26 October 1986 (1986-10-26) (age 23)	Schalke 04	14 (2)	v San Marino, 11 October 2008

Recent call-up

The following players have also been called up to the Slovakia squad since 2009.

Name	Date of birth	Club	Caps (goals)	Debut	Most recent callup
Goalkeepers
Štefan Senecký	6 January 1980 (1980-01-06) (age 30)	Slavia Praha	12 (0)	v France, 22 August 2007	v England, 28 March 2009
Ľuboš Kamenár	17 June 1987 (1987-06-17) (age 22)	Nantes	2 (0)	v San Marino, 11 October 2008	v Cameroon, 29 May 2010
Defenders
Roman Kratochvíl	24 June 1974 (1974-06-24) (age 35)	Retired	35 (0)	v Romania, 27 March 1999	v England, 28 March 2009
Jozef Valachovič	12 July 1975 (1975-07-12) (age 34)	Free agent	33 (1)	v Portugal, 5 June 1999	v England, 28 March 2009
Matej Krajčík	19 March 1978 (1978-03-19) (age 32)	Slavia Praha	18 (0)	v Spain, 16 November 2005	v Cyprus, 11 February 2009
Peter Petráš	7 May 1979 (1979-05-07) (age 31)	Levski Sofia	9 (0)	v France, 1 March 2006	v Cyprus, 11 February 2009
Marián Čišovský	2 November 1979 (1979-11-02) (age 30)	Timişoara	8 (0)	v Iran, 6 February 2002	v Northern Ireland, 9 Sept 2009
Tomáš Hubočan	17 September 1985 (1985-09-17) (age 24)	Zenit Saint Petersburg	5 (0)	v San Marino, 21 November 2007	v Cameroon, 29 May 2010
Ľubomír Michalík	13 August 1983 (1983-08-13) (age 26)	Leeds United	4 (1)	v UAE, 10 December 2006	v Cameroon, 29 May 2010
Martin Dobrotka	22 January 1985 (1985-01-22) (age 25)	Slovan Bratislava	1 (0)	v Cyprus, 11 February 2009	v Poland, 14 October 2009
Ľuboš Hanzel	7 May 1987 (1987-05-07) (age 23)	Spartak Trnava	1 (1)	v San Marino, 6 June 2009	v Northern Ireland, 9 Sept 2009
Csaba Horváth	2 May 1982 (1982-05-02) (age 28)	ADO Den Haag	1 (0)	v Iceland, 12 August 2009	v Northern Ireland, 9 Sept 2009
Mário Pečalka	29 December 1980 (1980-12-29) (age 29)	MŠK Žilina	1 (0)	v Ukraine, 10 February 2009	v Cameroon, 29 May 2010
Midfielders
Miroslav Karhan	21 June 1976 (1976-06-21) (age 33)	Mainz 05	96 (13)	v Israel, 6 September 1995	v Cameroon, 29 May 2010
Dušan Švento	1 August 1985 (1985-08-01) (age 24)	Red Bull Salzburg	20 (1)	v Malta, 15 August 2006	v Cameroon, 29 May 2010
Balázs Borbély	2 October 1979 (1979-10-02) (age 30)	AEL Limassol	13 (0)	v Japan, 9 July 2004	v San Marino, 6 June 2009
Branislav Obžera	29 August 1981 (1981-08-29) (age 28)	Slovan Bratislava	6 (0)	v Rep. of Ireland, 8 Sept 2007	v England, 28 March 2009
Róbert Jež	10 July 1981 (1981-07-10) (age 28)	MŠK Žilina	4 (2)	v Croatia, 16 October 2007	v Cyprus, 11 February 2009
Strikers
Marek Mintál	2 September 1977 (1977-09-02) (age 32)	Chernomorets Burgas	45 (14)	v Iran, 6 February 2002	v England, 28 March 2009
Ján Novák	6 March 1985 (1985-03-06) (age 25)	MFK Košice	4 (0)	v Turkey, 20 May 2008	v Poland, 14 October 2009
Peter Štyvar	13 August 1980 (1980-08-13) (age 29)	Spartak Trnava	2 (0)	v Ukraine, 10 February 2009	v Cyprus, 11 February 2009

Coaching staff

1.Mucha

3.Pekarík

5.Saláta

6.Štrba

2.Petráš

17.Hamšík (C)

10.Kopúnek

14.Kozák

7.Weiss

18.Jendrišek

9.Šesták

Slovakia line-up for match against Poland at October 14, 2009

Head Coach	Vladimir Weiss
Assistant Coach	Michal Hipp
Goalkeeping Coach	Miroslav Mentel
Technical Manager	Róbert Tomaschek
Fitness Coach	Martin Rusňák
Support Team	Boris Kitka
	Stanislav Varga
Video Analyst	Michal Slyško
Team Doctors	MUDr. Vladimír Pener
	MUDr. Ladislav Pavlovič
Backroom Staff	Jiří Jurza
	Viliam Kálmán
	Marián Drinka
	Ján Beniak

Most goals and appearances

As of 29 May 2010. Bold are still available for selection.

Top goalscorers

Most goals for Slovakia (1993–present)

#	Player	Career	Goals	Caps
1.	Szilárd Németh	1996–	22	57
2.	Róbert Vittek	2001–	18	69
3.	Marek Mintál	2002–2009	14	45
4.	Miroslav Karhan	1995–	13	96
5.	Peter Dubovský	1994–2000	12	33
6.	Marek Hamšík	2004–	10	30
7.	Tibor Jančula	1995–2001	9	29
	Ľubomír Reiter	2001–2005	9	28
9.	Stanislav Šesták	2007–	8	31
10.	Jaroslav Timko	1994–1997	7	18
	Dušan Tittel	1994–1998	7	44

Most goals for Czechoslovakia (1922–1939 and 1945–1993)^[2]

#	Player	Career	Goals	Caps
1.	Adolf Scherer	1958–1964	22	36
2.	Marián Masný	1974–1982	18	75
3.	Jozef Adamec	1960–1971	14	44
4.	Andrej Kvašňák	1960–1970	13	47
5.	Karol Jokl	1963–1972	11	27
6.	Anton Moravčík	1952–1960	10	25
7.	Ján Kozák	1976–1984	9	55
	Ladislav Kuna	1966–1974	9	47
	Anton Ondruš	1974–1980	9	58
10.	Stanislav Griga	1983–1990	8	34

Most capped players

Most capped for Slovakia

#	Player	Career	Caps	Goals
1.	Miroslav Karhan	1995–	96	13
2.	Róbert Vittek	2001–	69	18
3.	Szilárd Németh	1996–	57	22
4.	Stanislav Varga	1997–2006	54	2
5.	Róbert Tomaschek	1994–2001	50	4
6.	Marek Mintál	2002–2009	45	14
7.	Peter Dzúrik	1997–2003	44	2
	Dušan Tittel	1994–1998	44	7
9.	Miroslav König	1997–2004	43	0
	Radoslav Zabavník	2004–	43	1

Most capped for Czechoslovakia^[3]

#	Player	Career	Caps	Goals
1.	Marián Masný	1974–1982	75	18
2.	Karol Dobiaš	1967–1980	67	6
3.	Ján Popluhár	1958–1967	62	1
4.	Anton Ondruš	1974–1980	58	9
5.	Ladislav Jurkemik	1974–1983	57	3
6.	Koloman Gögh	1974–1980	55	1
	Ján Kozák	1976–1984	55	9
8.	Jozef Barmoš	1977–1982	52	0
	Jozef Chovanec	1984–1992	52	4
10.	Jaroslav Pollák	1968–1980	49	1

Managers

As of 29 May 2010.

Name	Years	MC	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PG
Jozef Vengloš	1993–1995	16	5	4	7	21	30	-9	1.19
Jozef Jankech	1995–1998	34	18	6	10	51	33	+18	1.76
Dušan Radolský[4]	1998	1	0	0	1	1	3	-2	0.00
Jozef Adamec	1999–2001	34	13	11	10	38	31	+7	1.47
Ladislav Jurkemik	2002–2003	19	6	5	8	27	26	+1	1.21
Dušan Galis	2004–2006	31	12	12	7	53	36	+17	1.55
Ján Kocian	2006–2008	17	3	5	9	30	28	+2	0.82
Vladimír Weiss	2008–	20	9	3	8	34	27	+7	1.50
Totals		172	66	46	60	255	214	+41	1.42

References

1. ^ "Thrilling win in the snow". ESPN. 2009-10-14. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=236564&cc=5739. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
2. ^ List of players shows Slovak top goalscorers in the Czechoslovakia national football team.
3. ^ List of players shows the most capped Slovaks in the Czechoslovakia national football team.
4. ^ Only for friendly against Poland at November 10, 1998.

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