Bitter Draw for Slovakia

In the final minute, New Zealand really did spoil Slovakia’s World Cup debut, leaving them to settle for a meagre 1–1 draw against the technically far inferior Kiwis. In the end, they could even count themselves lucky, since the goal that made it 1–0 was scored from an offside position. Slovakia will therefore need to improve considerably if they are to achieve their stated goal of reaching the knockout round. Their remaining opponents are world champions Italy and Paraguay.

The Slovak national football team qualified for a World Cup for the first time as an independent country. Before that, however, they had already enjoyed considerable success alongside the Czechs, including two runner-up finishes at the World Cup and a victory over Germany at the 1976 European Championship. Since 1994, the Slovaks have competed as an independent team in international tournaments. In qualifying for South Africa, they even finished ahead of favourites the Czechs and Poland to top their group and secure direct qualification for the World Cup.

After a goalless first half, Slovak Vittek’s goal in the 50th minute caused a stir. Under normal circumstances, it should not have stood, as it was scored from an offside position. Almost no one in the stadium in Rustenburg then expected New Zealand’s Reid to come from nowhere and earn his team its first-ever point at a World Cup.
For goalscorer Vittek, the Man of the Match award is probably little consolation. He was substituted in the 84th minute and was therefore unable to do much about New Zealand’s goal.

Coach Vladimír Weiss will have to reset his team for the remaining two matches. He is part of a tradition of Slovak football professionals: his father contributed to Czechoslovakia’s early successes, while his son is a promising young star at Manchester City.

The next opponent, Paraguay, now awaits in Mangaung / Bloemfontein, before the final group-stage match in Johannesburg could become a genuine decider against world champions Italy. Italy managed only a fortunate 1–1 draw against the South Americans yesterday, Monday. For now, everything remains open for the Slovak team.