These polls are for both Slovakia fans and fans of other countries.

Personally, I was only sort of a Slovakia supporter. Slovakia was a close second for me after my home country, the United States. Now, though, I’m torn between Spain and Germany, so I’m basically just along for the ride!

Things began poorly for the Slovaks when less than 20 minutes in, Arjen Robben scored a vintage goal for the Netherlands. However, the Slovaks kept up the fight- pushing forward when needed and defending solidly (although a bit panicky at times). The Netherlands were able to score again off of a beautiful move and a great Sneijder strike toward the end of the game, but Vittek earned a penalty in the final seconds of the match and scored a consolation goal for Slovakia- a goal which made him Slovakia’s all-time top scorer.

Overall, I believe Slovakia showed a more determined performance than the Dutch and it looked to me as though the Netherlands won on sheer talent alone. Weiss, Stoch, and Vittek in particular played very well today and threatened numerous times- if Weiss and Stoch were a bit more experienced and Vittek a bit more talented, there is no doubt in my mind that Slovakia could have advanced to the quarterfinals. In defense, Jan Mucha made a total of seven saves, at least two of which looked brilliant, while Martin Skrtel did what he had to do at times.

I’ll say again, Slovakia can leave this tournament with no regrets and with their heads high. The team played an excellent game and pulled off a thrilling upset against Italy. It was, in my eyes, enough of an accomplishment that Slovakia made it out of a group that included a feisty New Zealand, an excellent Paraguay, and the defending World Cup champions. There is no shame in losing to the Dutch, who some have going on to win the tournament. Today’s loss was not for lack of fight or determination, in the end it came down to talent and experience, and nobody can doubt that Slovakia performed better than expected today.

Most of the current Slovakia team is young enough to feature again at the next World Cup and for the 2012 Euro championships. If players like Stoch and Weiss develop, they could very well become great players. While Hamsik was mostly disappointing during this World Cup, he is definitely young enough to feature in tournaments to come- tournaments where more experience on his part can go a long way. Jan Mucha faces a battle at Everton for the #1 goalkeeping spot (which he likely won’t get), but experience in the Premier League will likely only turn him into a better player. Martin Skrtel is also young enough to be featured at the 2014 World Cup, should Slovakia again qualify, while Vlad Weiss senior seems to have recovered from a downturn and looks like a talented coach.

The future looks bright for Slovakia, and all fans of this team should be proud of and happy with their team, despite defeat. The players and staff should be happy with the end result of this tournament, for it was not lost due to a lack of heart.

Video Highlights

With today’s win over Italy, Slovakia finish second in Group F to Paraguay, and are through to the next round (likely agains the Netherlands).

Today, things finally came together for the Slovaks, while the Italians continued their poor play. Marek Hamsik (finally) showed up to play, providing some good defense and some nice deliveries. In defense, Skrtel was a rock in the back and barely rescued a goal right on the line. And then was Robert Vittek, who put in a tremendous performance to score two goals and did a great job at beating Italian defenders physically. Vladimir Weiss (the elder) seemed to have finally realized how to properly play his team, and it paid off.

Despite the positives, I am disappointed with three things:

1. The fact that Vladimir Weiss didn’t play- he had been the only offensive player in the previous two matches who was consistently a thread. Luckily, the rest of the team stepped up enough so that he wasn’t needed.
2. Jan Mucha- Mucha didn’t look like himself this game, and actually looked rather angry. Had the Italian player who he punched not acted, well….Italian, he would have been carded. He did what he had to do today, but never looked quite on top of his game. Again, the attitude didn’t help
3. The final few minutes of the game were nervy. Slovakia’s players were clearly tired and, I would say that is half the reason for their staying down for a long time toward the end. It was a bad time to become weary, as Italy finally woke up. Luckily for Slovakia, it was too late for Italy.

And that’s all for now! Congrats to Slovakia and good riddance to Italy (never liked them much)- even if the Slovaks fall in the next round, we can still consider this day a resounding success.

Video Highlights

“The mister has his own ideas about where I should play. I play where he asks me to without any problem.”

“Our problem is in creating the play. The tactic is different from that at Napoli. Every Coach has his own ideas.”

Hamsik’s (and everyone else’s) assessment seems to be correct: Slovakia’s problem is building up successful attacks. Against New Zealand, the Slovaks spent much of the game in their opponent’s end but could only manage two shots on net. Some credit must go to the All Whites for defending well, as they repeated their trick against Italy a few days later, but Slovakia’s offence went from bad to worse against Paraguay. The team managed just one shot on net, in the 92nd minute after the scoreline was 2-0 for the South Americans.

Manager Weiss has gone from cutting press conferences short to allegedly threatening to smack a reporter in the mouth. His position seemed secure after Slovakia’s storybook qualifying campaign, but now he appears to be at the root of the problem for Slovakia. The attacking players – not just Hamsik but the entire team – seems to be confused and lacking a clear philosophy when they get the ball in the attacking third. Striker Erik Jendrisek started the New Zealand game as outside left midfielder, and played a full 90 minutes, but didn’t appear at all in the Paraguay match. These are the kinds of decisions that have people questioning Weiss’ tactics.

Slovakia’s chances of advancing are remote. Not only do they need to beat world champion Italy – both Paraguay and New Zealand played Italy tough but neither was able to beat them – they also need to hope that New Zealand doesn’t defeat Paraguay. If that happened, New Zealand would win the group with 5 points, and Paraguay and Slovakia would be tied for 2nd with 4 points. Right now Paraguay’s goal difference is +2 and Slovakia’s is -2, meaning the Slovaks could be eliminated on goal difference. So basically Slovakia needs a win and Paraguay to draw or win against New Zealand.

After the tournament ends, there will likely be many questions as to why the team didn’t play better in the attacking third. Expect much of the blame to fall on Hamsik and Weiss. But as we all know, it’s easier to replace a manager than a 22 year old captain with a bright future.

Today, Slovakia fell 2-0 to Paraguay. We know the scoreline, and I’m sure many of you saw the match (if not, video highlights are linked below), so I’ll keep my recap short.

Once again, Slovakia were rather toothless and, as in the New Zealand game, started off the game very slowly. As in the previous game, Marek Hamsik was shut down and had a poorer game than he did against New Zealand. Slovakia’s attackers managed only 6 shots (1 on goal), compared to Paraguay’s 11 shots (5 on goal). Paraguay’s physicality and attacking mentality proved too much for the Slovakia defense, and the Fighting Jondas have paid the price in the end. Vladimir Weiss and Jan Mucha, once again, were the only Slovaks who looked up for the game and that one can say genuinely played well.

Slovakia managed 52% possession, but without any sort of creativity and drive, it counted for little. This is further indication of Hamsik’s uselessness as of now.

Video Highlights

Still, however, hope remains alive.

New Zealand surprised everyone (once again) and managed a 1-1 draw with Italy. As of now, Paraguay is in first place with 4 points, Italy and New Zealand tied at second with 2 points, and Slovakia at the bottom with just one point. ANY of these teams, then, have a chance to advance after the final Group F matches on June 24.

Paraguay plays New Zealand on that day. While New Zealand have been impressive, Paraguay are the only team in the group who look truly on top of their game. I expect Paraguay to easily win this game and come out on top of the group with seven points.

The second spot, then, will likely be contested between Italy and Slovakia. Neither team has impressed, however, I believe Slovakia may actually wake up, and, to be honest, Slovakia’s attack looks better on paper to me than that of the Italians. Of course, the Slovaks will have to contend with a great defense- but it is a defense that is weakened by the absence of Gianluigi Buffon in goal. I am feeling the upset in this game, but we’ll probably know within the first 15 minutes if that is possible. If Slovakia don’t start well, the end result of this game will be similar to the past two. A draw will see Slovakia finish in last place in the group, a win could very well see them through to the next round with, barring a New Zealand upset.

Do you believe in miracles? I do.

Where: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein. Capacity- 40,911

So far: In their First group F matches, all four teams began the World Cup with a draw. Neither team really impressed in their first matches, but it is important to keep in mind that Paraguay’s result came against a strong Italy side, while Slovakia conceded late (very late) to a New Zealand squad they should have beaten.

The situation: A win in this game will definitely be important to determine who moves on to the next stage. With Italy still left to play, this is more of a do-or-die situation than the one that Paraguay faces. The two teams are also very different from one another- Paraguay are experienced and more physical, while Slovakia are made up of younger, talented players that possess more flair. I expect to see both teams to come out aggressively to start, and whoever scores first will likely try to hang on to their lead for the rest of the game. Most are calling Paraguay the favorites for this match, but I’m going to chalk this one down as a 1-0 win for Slovakia. I believe beginner’s luck may be with the Slovaks tomorrow, and maybe long enough to see them through the group. Still, if a draw or a Paraguay win end up being the result, I wouldn’t call that a surprise at all.

Likely XI- Slovakia (4-4-2): Mucha, Zabavnik, Skrtel, Durica, Cech; Weiss, Strba, Hamsik, Stoch; Vittek, Sestak

Likely XI- Paraguay (4-3-3): Villar, Bonet, Da Silva, Alcazar, Morel; Vera, Caceres, Riveros; Santa Cruz, Valdes, Lucas

Key Players- Slovakia: In the midfield, Slovakia’s maestro is, without a doubt, Napoli’s Marek Hamšík. He is the creative force of the team, and Slovakia’s only major scoring threat from outside the box. It is also important to remember that Paraguay were weak through the middle against Italy- if they keep that up, Hamšík could run riot. Keep an eye on Vladimir Weiss (the younger), a fast winger who was the spark for Slovakia against New Zealand. If Martin Škrtel has a good day in defense and Jan Mucha is on his game, Paraguay won’t be scoring very much.

Key Players- Paraguay: Up front, Paraguay have Manchester City target-man Roque Santa Cruz, who hasn’t done much recently for his club, or country for that matter. However, he had some very good seasons at Blackburn Rovers and is probably waiting to explode at any moment and prove his recent critics wrong. Antolin Alcaraz, a defender, scored against Italy and did a very good job at holding off Italy’s attack. He could be a game-changer from the back.

In the first half, New Zealand came out of the gates looking very good, and, had they kept that up, they may have won. Luckily, the Slovaks regrouped some, but overall I’d say the first half was boring (as most of the first halves of games this World Cup seem to have gone). The half ended 0-0, although Slovakia did create some good chances and could have scored. Marek Hamsik also managed a nice long-range shot (see linked highlight video at the end of the post), which commentators evidently forgot about proclaiming Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-range shot “the first on-target long-range shot of the tournament”, promptly pissing me off .

Then, only about 5 minutes into the second half, Vladimir Weiss delivered from the right wing and Robert Vittek headed home Slovakia’s first ever World Cup goal. After the goal, Slovakia continued to apply pressure, but New Zealand admirably kept the score at 1-0.

Toward the end of the game, the fourth official announced three minutes of added time. It looked as though Slovakia had it in the bag- as long as they could keep possession the game would end 1-0, it also looked quite possible that Repre could keep up the pressure and maybe steal another goal. However, with less than a minute left in the game, New Zealand defender Winston Reid headed home the tying goal. Instead of the game being remembered for Slovakia’s first World Cup goal, instead of it being remembered for Slovakia’s first World Cup win, it is now remembered as New Zealand’s first ever point in the World Cup (even though it’s Slovakia’s, too).

As far as the late goal- it shouldn’t have happened. It was a beautiful goal, no doubt, and a great moment for New Zealand, but it was clear that the Slovaks became a bit complacent and expected to trot off with a win. If Slovakia wants to make it out of the group, this CANNOT happen again.

As I said, this was the best chance for Slovakia to gain three points. Those three would have put them atop the group and in striking position to advance. Now, everyone remains square with Italy and Paraguay (probably the group’s strongest teams) left to play. We’ll see what happens.

Slovakia 1-New Zealand 1: Video Highlights