HAMSIK CONTINUES MARADONA RECORD CHASE

Marek Hamsik holds Argentina football legend Diego Maradona in the highest regard but that would not stop him from chasing his record.

The Slovakia international is chasing Maradona’s 115-goal record at Napoli. Hamsik scored in the 7-1 rout at Bologna over the weekend, bringing his total to 111 goals.

Maradona’s record stands for the past 25 years but Hamsik is only a few goals away from breaking the record at the club. Hamsik’s contribution has helped the club moved to the second spot in the Serie A. The morale at the club is high ahead of their tough test when they face European champions Real Madrid next week in the Round of 16 first leg clash in Spain.

Hamsik scored his first hat trick in the Serie A in the game against Bologna and hopes to contribute more goals to break the record soonest.

“It was my first hat trick in Serie A and I’m delighted. Maradona is unique, there are no players like him, but I want to overtake his record. I could target it this year but if not I will target it in the future,” Hamsik declared.

Hamsik is likely to break this record this term. So far he has netted nine times in 23 games but there are still 15 games to go before the season ends. However the player says that upsetting Juventus to win the Serie A is the priority.

“It was crucial for us to win, especially after our slip-up in Palermo last week. We wanted to score as many goals as possible. We started really well, in six minutes we’d already made the difference,” Hamsik said.

Juventus defeated Inter Milan 1-0 to remain six points above every other contender for the Serie A but Napoli have vowed to snatch the title this year after the Turin-based side cornered the title for five years.

IS ALEX ISAK THE NEW IBRAHIMOVIC?

One of the biggest question in the football world is if Alex Isak is the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The player broke records to become the youngest goalscorer ever for Sweden. Again he broke records when it was confirmed that he left AIK for German giant Borussia Dortmund, being the most expensive teenager.

The youngster has surely attracted a lot of buzz with many comparing him to former Swede captain Ibrahimovic with his transfer fee exceeding that offered to Malmo for the United striker in 2001. Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea and even Real Madrid were linked to the player before Dortmund did their magic to lure him.

Isak made quite a mark when he scored in the clash against Slovakia in December, days after his debut in the senior team – becoming the youngest ever goalscorer. With the displays for his club AIK, scoring on his debut, it is obvious that the youngster is keen on breaking records.

Sweden under-17 coach Magnus Wikman who discovered him said the player has made big leaps in the past year to reach current levels.

“It was around December 2015 and we had training camp. He was playing for us already but he was not the special one. He was not like he is now.

“But at that camp there were 66 players and he was much better than everyone else his age. He was just excellent. Something had happened and in the space of two or three months,” Wikman said.

Wikman added that when Isak played in the European Under 17, he developed so more. Wikman added that Isak would need to play regularly aside just training with top players to complete his rapid development.

“I don’t know his full potential yet…He needs to be in a good environment where he can play games every week and maybe twice a week. That’s most important,” Wikman added.

Slovakia aiming for top spot

Ever since their excellent performance at the Euros in France, Slovakia has become an ambitious team and wants to compete with the best teams in the world.

This is no surprise when you know that they have managed to get out of a tough group at the Euros.

Robert Mak said that the Slovakian team is desperate to qualify for the World Cup in Russia and that they are giving their best to be part of the tournament. He said that he was part of the team that participated at the Euro 2016 in France and stated that this was an amazing experience. He believes that the team can make it to the World Cup and that it is important that each player gives their best on the field.

He admitted that England is the favorite team to win the automatic qualification for the World Cup in the group, but they have to continue to push in order to get the second place. He said that in football you never know and they could end up qualifying as winners of the group.

He believes that Slovakia should not be afraid of the big teams anymore as they have the players to compete at the highest level. Robert Mak said that this is because many of the Slovakian players now play in the biggest league in the world and that they are used to face good teams on a regular basis.
Robert Mak already plays in Russia for Zenit and said that the Russians are getting ready for the World Cup. He believes that this will be one of the best World Cup tournaments in recent years. Although some infrastructures have yet to be completed, he believes that there is still time and that everything should be ready by then.

VLADIMIR WEISS RECALLED TO SLOVAKIAN NATIONAL TEAM

Vladimir Weiss has been recalled to the Slovakian squad.

The player who was formerly with Rangers had been dropped from the national team after a run-in with the police where he refused to undergo a blood test and breathalyzer in the course of a roadside check in Bratislava.

The incidence, which happened a few days before a crucial World Cup qualifying Group F clash with Scotland last month saw him being dropped from the game where Slovakia won with three goals to nil.

The forward, who currently plies his trade at Qatari Al Gharafa was overjoyed at his recall and has vowed to repay the faith the head coach, Jan Kozak had put in him.
Weiss, who has 56 caps, has through social media, pleaded his innocence and is determined to make the most of his recall, especially as Slovakia goes into a tussle with Lithuania by next Friday.

Weiss said: “I will do everything I can to repay the trust of the coach and show that this incident was a lesson for me. I want to bring joy to my family and especially the fans.

“I want to once again publicly apologise to everyone, especially my family, loved ones and the national team if they were affected by my inappropriate behaviour.

“But I want to emphasize that I did not commit any crime. There is evidence that will be provided to investigators in order to assist the process and confirm my innocence.”

In defence of his recall, the national team’s head coach, Kozak had said some time had gone by since that incident and that Weiss had put on some quite impressive performance with his club which for that reason, was enough to earn him a recall.

On loan from Manchester, Weiss made 35 appearances for Rangers. The next season saw him move on a temporary deal to Espanyol. He has also played for Pescara, Olympiacos and Lekhwiya.

SLOVAKIA DEFENDER ACCUSES REFEREE OF WRONGDOING

Slovakia defender Jan Durica accused the referee of wrongdoing when he awarded ex-Reds defender Martin Skrtel another yellow card for a foul when England played Slovakia.

The 10-man Slovakia side were not able to recover, gifting the Three Lions one step in Russia in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
England won the game narrowly with the help of a Red player Adam Lallana who scored in stoppage time, sending fans wild in excitement. The win gives new coach Sam Allardyce a brilliant start as manager of the side, and it means England can take full control in Group F.

Skrtel was already on a yellow card, but stamped on Harry Kane. Referee Milorad Mazic gave another yellow card, meaning marching orders for the Slovakian. An obviously angry Durica opines that Slovakia stood no chance from the onset since just one country is suppose to move on from the group.

“There is only one place at the World Cup. Why should Slovakia go there, when we have England in the group? Of course, they will always prefer the stronger team. Probably the referee knew exactly how to do it. I think that the referee waited for Skrtel to make a foul,” Durica said. The comments from the disgruntled player could earn him a ban from the world footballing body, FIFA.
However, Kane has defended the action of the referee. “There were a few challenges that I felt could have earned him a yellow card, but it didn’t come. It was just a matter of time, it was a silly thing for him to do because he was on a yellow. The ref has seen it and I think it deserved another yellow card,” Kane quipped. The Spurs striker, who is yet to get a goal this season, has been taken off set pieces duty by the new coach, as England continues with restructuring following their Euro 2016 woes.

Hodgson gambles against Slovakia

Wayne Rooney has criticized former England boss Roy Hodgson for his tactics against Slovakia.

He said that the manager was the culprit of resting key players against Slovakia in their last group game, and this is what resulted in the 0-0 draw. Wayne Rooney said that England started well the tournament in France but has lost their confidence after the draw.

The Manchester United forward said that you need momentum in a big tournament and that Roy Hodgson made a mistake by changing the team for the game against Slovakia. He said that this has damaged the side confidence, and they could not recover after that.
He said that the match against Slovakia was the game that changed everything. Wayne Rooney said that it was a mistake to replace six players in the team and that he would not have made this mistake if he was the manager of the team. He said that more than half of the team was changed against Slovakia, and it is Hodgson that is the culprit.

The Manchester United player was also critical of Hodgson tactics at the head of the England team. He said that the manager was fond of possession football, but this does not seem to be working for England. He said that it was good to keep possession on the pitch but most of the time you are not going anywhere. He said that the players keep passing the ball sideways, and if there is no way forward they just pass it back to the goalkeeper. Rooney said this kind of play is frustrating and irritating for a forward player as you do not see enough of the ball.

He said that Roy Hodgson gamble in the match against Slovakia, and this is what resulted in England elimination at the Euros.

Reaching the round of 16 is huge for Slovakia

The Slovakian national football team just barely managed to secure a qualifying spot in the group stages of the 2016 Euro’s. Slovakia sealed the 3rd spot of Group B which was enough for them to advance into the later stages.

After 3 matches had been played, Slovakia sealed a total of 4 points with 1 victory, 1 draw and 1 defeat. It does not sound as something very impressive or successful but it was enough for them to snatch the 3rd qualifying spot from their group as they had gone through a much better run than Russia as they drowned in that same group with only 1 point from 3 games.

Slovakia would later go on to face Germany in the round of 16 and lose 3-0 but this doesn’t take away anything from what was considered to be a successful run from the Slovakian national side in their journey through the 2016 UEFA Euro’s.

“Any defeat is painful but there should be a good feeling that we got to the last 1ast 16 and played the world champions,” he said, noting that Germany’s last loss had come against Slovakia, a 3-1 defeat in a friendly on May 29. We’ve played them twice now. One win and one loss, so that’s okay,”

“We might have done more to attack but we have a strong team and things to build on. We need to just cheer up and look to the future.” Slovakia’s head coach Jan Kozak said.

Jan Kozak was proud of how his team performed and now just wants to focus on the path that lies ahead for his national side as they have to face off with England for a World Cup qualifying match and considering how poor their track record of qualifying for the World Cup has been, their recent 2016 Euro’s run can serve as fuel to continue performing at a high level and ride that momentum throughout the rest of the year.

Jan Kozak watched his team suffered a 2-1 loss

Slovakia coach Jan Kozak watched his team suffered a 2-1 loss against Wales in their opening match of the Euro 2016.

Slovakia coach Jan Kozak watched his team suffered a 2-1 loss against Wales in their opening match of the Euro 2016.

The result is a huge disappointment for Slovakia who were hoping to take advantage of England dropping points in the opening match against Russia.Kozak and his players were aware of the threat from Wales, who have been riding on the success of Gareth Bale, and they were extremely disappointed to lose the game.Kozak felt that there was little to separate the two teams after the end of 90 minutes.

He blamed luck for going against his team. Gareth Bale is one of the main danger men and Slovakia were aware of this aspect going into the match. However, they failed to prevent the Real Madrid winger from opening the scoring after just 10 minutes. Despite this early setback, Slovakia came back into the match through some stubborn play. The equaliser came in the second half through Duda. Both teams had an even number of chances with Wales slightly edgeing the opposition in this regard. Slovakia also nominated the game in terms of territory, as they had slightly more possession than Wales.

The blow for Slovakia came with nine minutes of normal time remaining,as Robson-Kanu came up with the goal that proved to be the winner. The loss has left Slovakia with a mountain to climb in the remaining two matches.”Of course any defeat is unpleasant, especially at a Euro. I knew whoever scored first would have a big advantage as Wales have a well-organised defence.After we conceded we were not really comfortable on the ball, we lost possession, but after half-time we did our best and equalised.Towards the end both teams tried to win, it was an open game, and they had a bit more luck,” said the Slovakia boss.

Slovakia have just announced the squad for the Euro 2016

Slovakia have just announced the squad for the Euro 2016 and there are no major surprises with the likes of Marek Hamsik included without fail.

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel may be unsure of his future with the Premier League outfit, but he is set to captain the national team as always. The only a few for Slovakia may be the lack of regular gametime Skrtel has experienced in the last few months. On the contrary, this may have helped him to get some much needed energy ahead of the Euro 2016. After the increase in the number of participating teams to 24, the Euro 2016 is expected to be a fast paced tournament with frequent matches.

Manager Jan Kozak has a tough task on his hands to get on the team out of the group, which features top teams like England. Wales and Russia are the other teams in this group. The final 23 man squad was announced byKozak just days after the surprise 3-1 victory over world champions Germany. This was only a warmup game and Slovakia are unlikely to give too much importance to the result. Still, fans will feel confident after having seen the team achieve such a mightily impressive result against a strong team.

Former Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch is also one of the players included in the squad along with Sampdoria defender Milan Skriniar. The latter made his debut only in the game against Germany and he has played only three club matches since January. He made the move toSlovan Bratislava during the last transfer window. Slovan Bratislava striker Adam Zrelak,Trencinmidfielder Matus Bero, and Almaty defender Lukas Tesak are some of the players to miss out on the final squad after having been included in the provisional squad. This will be Slovakia’s first appearance in the European championships since 1993.

Slovakia earned a deserved draw against the Republic of Ireland

Slovakia managed to end the Republic’s home winning streak by drawing 2-2 in Dublin.

Both teams will be at the Euros in France later this year.

Slovakia opened the scoring in the 14th minute by Stoch following a fantastic counter-attack. The Republic will not be really pleased with the way they conceded the goal since it came out of a mistake by a player.

Slovakia managed to end the Republic’s home winning streak by drawing 2-2 in Dublin.

Both teams will be at the Euros in France later this year.

However, the Republic of Ireland’s goalkeeper Rob Elliot will injure himself when trying to save the shot and was stretchered off the pitch. This will definitely jeopardize his chances of making it to the Euros finals.

His injury will definitely motivate his teammates, and they will take the lead on a penalty. Shane Long will convert the first penalty in the 21st minute. Slovakia was infuriated with the decision of the referee to award the penalty after the goalkeeper seems to have clashed with a Republic player.

The second penalty was less controversial with Skrtel clearly lunging at Long having been beaten by the striker’s change of pace. Despite getting a hand to it, the Slovakian goalkeeper will not be able to save the shot.

However, Slovakia never gave up in the game and was threatening through Marek Hamsik and Sabo particularly. They will create some opportunities to equalize but will fail to do so because of poor decision making

They will ultimately be rewarded for their good play in the 45th minute. Peter Pekarik will cross into the box only for McShane to deflect the ball past his astounded keeper. The teams reached half-time with the score 2-2.

Following substitutions after the break the match decreased in intensity and with the substitution of Long, the Republic lacked penetration up front. It was Slovakia who controlled the game without creating too many chances and the match ended 2-2.