After Wednesday’s 0: 5 loss to Spain in the EURO 2020 E-group, the Slovak footballers finished in the group phase of the championship. They finished third in the table with three points and a score of 2: 7 (-5) and it is certain that in the table the third teams will end up worse than in fourth place.
–
Photo: SITA/AP, Thanassis Stavrakis
The Slovaks were clueless in Seville.
–
The winners of the “éčka” were the Swedes, who defeated Poland 3: 2 in a parallel fierce battle in St. Petersburg. Spain advanced from 2nd place with five points, Poland finished with one in the last 4th place.
Martin Dúbravka made a bid to take the lead as a ball coming in on the right hand side left Martin Dúbravka completely alone with keeper Pablo Sarabiu, who made a spectacular block. Aymeric Laporte added a second hit in the set time, and after the change of sides, Sarabia and Ferran Torres also scored, the result was closed by another Slovak own goal, which was scored by Juraj Kucka.
Slovakia set a negative record in competitive matches, losing 0: 5 to Poland in 1995. In a preparatory match in the same year, it lost to Argentina 0: 6.
Spain made up the highest goal difference in the history of the European Championships, the Netherlands has held the record since 2000 with a triumph over Yugoslavia 6: 1, 5: 0 also won Denmark over Yugoslavia (1984), France over Belgium (1984) and Sweden over Bulgaria (2004).
SLOVAKIA – Spain 0: 5 (0: 2)
Goals: 30. Dúbravka (own), 45. + 3 Laporte, 56. Sarabia, 67. F. Torres, 71. Kucka (own). Judges: Kuipers – Van Roekel, Zeinstra (all Hol.), ŽK: Duda – Busquets, Alba.
SLOVAKIA: Dúbravka – Pekarík, Šatka, Škriniar, Hubočan – Kucka, Hromada (46. Lobotka) – Haraslín (69. Suslov), Hamšík (90. Bénes), Mak (69. Weiss) – Duda (46. Ďuriš)
Spain: Simon – Azpilicueta (77. Oyarzabal), Garcia (71. P. Torres), Laporte, Alba – Koke, Busquets (71. Thiago), Pedri – Sarabia, Morata (66. F. Torres), Moreno (77. Traore)
The Spaniards needed to score a goal and worked out the opening opportunity in the 4th minute, when after a pass Morena fired Morata from a sharp angle from the left edge of the penalty area. Dúbravka came on, Azpilicueta for Škriniar has to leave the fray.
At first, the Spaniards attacked mainly from the sides, but the Slovak defense was able to cope with their centers without complications. They could have come soon, Hromada in the penalty area hit Koke unhappily from behind in the fight for the ball, and the main referee Kuipers, after a short consultation with the VAR, ordered the eleven. However, Dúbravka captured the direction of Morat’s half-shot and maintained a goalless state with a brilliant intervention.
Photo: SITA / AP, Jose Manuel Vidal
Stefan Tarkovic
Desperate Slovak coach Stefan Tarkovic.
–
The Spaniards continued to try to put the Slovaks under pressure, but they resisted carefully, and Hamšík’s overview and balance in the middle of the field also helped them a lot. They couldn’t eliminate the chance, Sarabia finished off a quick charge from the left of the field by chipping the ball just past the home side’s keeper. Immediately, the Azpilicuet center also flew in from the opposite side, which Morata did not reach. Five minutes later, Morata relaxed in front of the sixth, Dúbravka fired his sharp shot.
In the 30th minute, the Slovaks themselves ended the Spanish suffering in the end. First, Scarf played Sarabia from the age of sixteen directly on the leg, who hit the crossbar. The ball fell in front of the goal and Dúbravka knocked it into his own net in an attempt to clean it to safety.
The favorites then performed a calmer passage and hid the second shot until the set time of the first act. Škriniar turned a dangerous cross into the corner, after which the Slovaks kicked the ball only in front of the penalty area. Pedri returned it “to the fire”, Moreno overtook Dúbravka in a duel for the ball and centered on the head of Laporte, who doubled the lead with a bow.
The situation for both teams turned around in the second half, now the Slovaks had to score goals. During the break, they responded with a double substitution, Lobotka replaced Hromada in the middle of the field and Ďuriš came to the tip of the attack instead of Duda.
However, the image of the game did not change much, the Spaniards controlled the lead and did not let the ball from the feet too much, because they did not let the opponent close to their penalty area. With 56 minutes played, a phenomenal play on the left side freed Sarabia, of Sarabia, to dash through and score another goal for the visitors.
Photo: SITA/AP, David Ramos
Spain Slovakia Euro 2020 Soccer
Pablo Sarabia overcomes Martin Dúbravka.
–
The duel in Seville dangerously quickly began to turn into a Spanish exhibition. Shortly after his arrival on the lawn, F. Torres pushed through the foot after Sarabiu’s pass. He added efficiency to the newly discovered Spanish efficiency with his introductory touch with the ball.
In the 71st minute, the Slovaks collected for the fifth time and for the second time the “patriot”. Once again, they were unable to clean the ball from the goal, Dúbravka set off the end of the substitute P. Torres, but Kucka knocked the ball into the net in an attempt to defend it. Spain had a chance to achieve the highest victory in the history of the European Championships, but the record goal was no longer driven too much with the outlook for the elimination part.
– .
