Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe a new rule. Assistant coach Vladimír Weiss Jr. was the first to get off the bus that brought the Slovak representatives to the stadium. Head coach Vladimír Weiss spoke last.
The veteran coach of the national team thus started his second era on the national team bench. Slovakia in the preliminary match defeated Malta 2:1 in Dunajská Stredabut the victory did not come easily.
Unusual atmosphere
The national football team experienced its premiere in the MOL Arena in Dunajská Streda. During league matches, it is a specific environment where cheering is almost exclusively in Hungarian. That’s also why there was a question mark as to how the national team match would look like.
A fan zone was created not far from the stadium. Half an hour before kick-off, there was a line of about fifty meters before the entrance to the sector intended for families with children.
In the photo, spectators during the preparatory football match Slovakia – Malta in Dunajská Streda. (Author: TASR)
However, the atmosphere was not traditional. The children’s scream saved the situation so that there was no silence in the stadium.
“Slovakia, Slovakia,” chanted en masse almost exclusively by children. There were maybe a thousand of them. It was reminiscent of matches where the club had a disciplinary penalty and only children could be in the stands.
“It was great. I’m glad that the spectators are starting to come to our matches again. It’s one of our goals to attract them to the stands. There were a lot of children here and I hope we made them happy. We’re idols for them, so we’re glad they came in such numbers. I believe they’ll continue to come to our matches,” described winger Lukáš Haraslín.
The announcer announced the attendance of 5721 viewers. The tribune behind one of the gates remained closed.
During the match, two Weiss people sat on the sides of the bench – one on the far left, the other on the far right.
Weiss was angry after half an hour
Coach Weiss, who has a reputation for being rowdy, seemed calm at first. Sometimes he got up from the bench and watched the action on the field.
For the first time, a vulgar word flew out of him only after about half an hour of the game.
VIDEO: Coach V. Weiss senior. after the win over Malta
“Where the hell are you…,” he was angry at debutant Petr Pokorný, who missed his first start in the national team. At the same time, Weiss knows him from Slovan Bratislava and even before the meeting he identified him as a possible alternative for Stanislav Lobotka.
Another newcomer Hugo Pavek from Trenčín made his debut on the right side of the defense.
Haraslín opened the scoring, Malta did not give up
The Slovaks entered the match actively and Lukáš Haraslín opened the scoring in the 9th minute.
David Strelec could have added another goal, but he threw away a clear chance. The Outsider from Malta subsequently revived and became more and more daring.
When the guests equalized at 1:1 in the 37th minute, Weiss took off his glasses. Moreover, the injured David Strelec did not finish the first half, and he was replaced by Róbert Boženík.
The half-time draw 1:1 caused a squeal in the stands. Malta is in the 161st place in the FIFA world rankings.
Weakened Slovakia
The Slovaks started without several supports. Stanislav Lobotka and Milan Škriniar were absent due to health problems, Dávid Hancko is recovering from an injury.
Not even the three best goalkeepers were available – Martin Dúbravka, Marek Rodák and Dominik Greif. Tomáš Rigo also apologized.
That’s why several newcomers got the opportunity. Roland Galčík, Artur Gajdoš, Michal Faško, Petr Kováčik earned their first start for the national team, and Krisztián Bari in the end.
Weiss improvised, the rookie decided
The Slovaks pushed the opponent after the break, but they could not find a recipe for Malta’s defense for a long time.
A great opportunity was thrown away by Róbert Boženík, who aimed his head disastrously.
In defense of coach Weiss, it must be said that he significantly improvised during the match and gave a chance to up to seven players who had never played for the national team until then.
It finally paid off for him.
Roland Galčík decided the victory in extra time.
Galčík: One does not forget such a debut
You couldn’t have dreamed of a better scenario. Winger Podbrezová decided Slovakia’s victory 2:1 in his national team debut.
“I’m very happy that it fell to me there. Moreover, at the end of the match like this. I saw that the captain got the ball, I tried to offer it to him in tandem. He left it to me and then I took it on myself,” he described the decisive situation.
For the young footballer, the hit was of extraordinary value.
“It’s a great feeling. I think that for every football player the national team is something special. I appreciate it even more that I scored in my first start. It can’t even be described in words.”
In the photo, Slovakian players are enjoying Roland Galčík’s winning goal during the preparatory soccer match Slovakia – Malta. (Author: TASR)
He admitted that the path to the national team was not always easy.
“There were also more difficult moments. I underwent knee surgery and it was not an easy period. But that also belongs to football. It means even more to me that I have now scored a goal for the national team.”
After the match, he became the target of traditional cabin jokes.
“Almost all the guys came to me that it would cost me something. But I’d rather not say the amount,” he laughed.
Everyone can play football today
Galčík refused to underestimate his opponent.
“Everyone knows how to play football and everyone knows how to prepare for the opponent. We knew that nothing easy awaits us. If we had converted our chances in the first half, we could have led by two or three goals and the match would have developed much more calmly. But the most important thing is that we won and the team will have a positive atmosphere.”
He mainly received tactical instructions from the implementation team.
“The coach is very well prepared tactically, so we mainly dealt with defensive tasks. At the same time, he encouraged me to play bravely, not to be afraid and to show my strengths.”
He added with a smile:
“I feel his support from the beginning. He knows how to treat players not only from a footballing point of view, but also from a human point of view.”
Haraslín: We made a drama out of it
The author of the first goal, Lukáš Haraslín, admitted that the match could have been calmer.
“I think we dominated the whole game. There are no easy opponents today and Malta showed their quality, especially with the ball.
We could have calmed down the game already in the first half if we had converted the opportunities we created. We have been struggling with the ending for a long time. In the end, we turned it into a drama, but with a happy ending.’
In the picture, from the left, Zach Muscat (Malta) and Lukáš Haraslín (Slovakia) score a goal during a preparatory football match. (Author: TASR)
According to his own words, he took a bit of a risk with his goal.
“Perhaps I did it a bit rashly, because I didn’t retreat as deep into the defense as I maybe should have. I waited for a counterattack and Ondrej Duda sent me an excellent ball.
At first I wanted to throw it to my left and go closer to the goal, but the touch was not ideal. In the end, I prepared her for the second way of ending and it came out exactly the way I wanted.’
Praise for newcomers
Haraslín praised the performances of the young players.
“It’s great to see how the guys are working. From day one, they’ve been working hard and showing themselves in a very good light. It’s not easy to come to the national team at a young age and immediately make an impact, but they’re trying to improve every day. They’ve fit in perfectly both in terms of football and people.”
He singled out Hugo Pavek in particular.
“It’s not easy to jump into a national team game, but Hugo did a great job. So did the other guys who started or came off the bench. They did a great job.”
In the picture, the basic eleven players of Slovakia are posing before the preparatory soccer match Slovakia – Malta. (Author: TASR)
The winning goal also showed the strength of the Nike League.
“It’s not a coincidence that they got a chance. They deserved it. I even said on the bench that I have a feeling that a rookie will decide today. In the end it was Rolo. I’m looking forward to how we’ll give him a little bit for that goal.”
Tribute to Pekarík and a gesture from Škriniar
Haraslín also commented on the approaching national team farewell of Petr Pekarík.
“I won’t reveal what we have in store for him. I asked him if he was going to cry, because if he did, I would probably cry too. I’m quite sensitive about it.”
“Peka deserves huge admiration. There are not many people like that in football. His humility, hard work and character are exceptional. I sit next to him in the dressing room and sometimes I just don’t understand what he has achieved.”
He also appreciated the gesture of captain Milan Škriniar.
“It shows the strength of our collective and especially the kind of personality Milan is. He came during the vacation to be with us. He is the leader, the captain and one of the main characters of this team. We are happy for every moment we can spend together. Things like this make the team stronger.”
Pavek: The most valuable career experience
Even Hugo Pavek will not forget his national team debut.
“I’m still in match mode, so it hasn’t fully dawned on me. I still have to sort it out in my head. When I calm down and go back to the room, I’ll go over it all. It’s a huge experience for me and the most valuable experience of my career so far.”
He knew that he could start in the starting line-up already during the training sessions.
“I felt from the beginning that I could play because I trained with the starting lineup. But the final decision came after a few days. The coach told me to show up, be confident and play my game.”
In the picture, from the left, Hugo Pávek (Slovakia) and Keyon Ewurum (Malta) during the preparatory football match Slovakia – Malta. (Author: TASR)
He also admitted that Malta checked the favorite properly.
“It helped us to score the first goal. But then we relaxed a bit and the opponent surprised us with that.
During the break, we analyzed everything and in the second half it was already clear that we were pushing them into a deep block. In my opinion, it was only a matter of time before the decisive goal was scored. I’m glad it finally worked out.”
