Fuente : UEFA (English)
http://www.uefa.com/

FIFA World Cup: Slovakia's moment of truth

/noticias.info/ The division of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia 12 years ago saw the fortunes of the two nations' football teams contrast sharply. Well organised and motivated, the Czechs became the darlings of Europe as they came from nowhere to reach the final of EURO '96™, while Slovakia headed for the doldrums.

National gloom
Successive coaches Jozef Vengloš, Jozef Jankech, Jozef Adamec and Ladislav Jurkemik could do little to lift the gloom around the national side. While the best Czech players moved to the best European clubs, their Slovak counterparts had less glamorous careers, and while Czech teams were regulars in the UEFA Champions League, only one Slovak outfit to date has made it to the group stage.

Slovakia resurgent
However, if supporters in Bratislava have had reason to envy their counterparts in Prague, the current FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign has witnessed the emergence of a Slovakia side who might give their neighbours in the Czech Republic a run for their money.

Level pegging
Should Dušan Galis's young squad win their qualifier in Liechtenstein on Wednesday, they will be level on points with Portugal at the top of Group 3. And with a trip to Latvia and home games against Estonia and Russia to come, qualification for Germany is not out of the question.

'Every goal'
"Not only every point, but every goal will be decisive now," said Galis. "We are into the most important phase of qualifying, but so are Russia and Latvia. They are our rivals for a play-off place, as I think Portugal will win our group. There is still a chance of automatic qualification, but we have to win all our remaining matches and hope for help from other teams."

Uphill battle
The task ahead is certainly a difficult one but Slovakia have proved to be a strong side, drawing in Russia and at home to Portugal, and losing just one game in the campaign - 2-0 against the group leaders in Lisbon. That consistency has partly been down to a settled lineup throughout the competition.

Lucky breaks
With plenty of enthusiasm among his players, there has been little need for changes. The only adjustments Galis has had to make have been to cover for injuries to the likes of Vratislav Greško and Stanislav Varga. "I hope this will continue," said Galis. "If the players can avoid serious injuries, I will continue to pick a winning team. It is often a matter of coincidence, intuition and a little bit of luck."

Vaduz tripwire
Now Slovakia are looking to ride their luck to Germany, although the coach is aware that Liechtenstein - who managed to hold Portugal to a 2-2 draw in Vaduz - are no pushovers. "That was a warning for us," he said. "Getting the details right will be extremely important after a relatively long summer break."

Destiny calling
If Galis gets his details right in the remaining qualifying games, he will become a Slovakian legend in his own lifetime. There has been a long wait for Slovak football to rise from its slumber - with FC Artmedia Bratislava leading the way by knocking Celtic FC out of the Champions League, perhaps that historic moment is now. notas_de_prensa_archivo