England out to extend Slovakia superiority
Friday, January 1, 2016
Article summary
England have three wins from as many games against Slovakia, Wayne Rooney scoring twice in the teams' last meeting, and will hope for another on the final day of Group B.
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England have won all three of their previous meetings with Slovakia so the omens are positive for Roy Hodgson's side as they look to finish their UEFA EURO 2016 Group B campaign with a victory in Saint-Etienne.
Previous meetings
• Sven-Göran Eriksson's England overcame a Slovakia side coached by Ladislav Jurkemik 2-1 in Bratislava and Middlesbrough en route to qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004. Those were the first matches between the nations.
• The teams at the Tehelné Pole Stadium in Bratislava on 12 October 2002, when David Beckham and Michael Owen gave England victory, were:
Slovakia: König, Petráš, Karhan, Hlinka, Dzúrik, Zeman, Pinte (Mintál 88), Németh, Leitner, Janočko (Kozlej 88), Vittek (Reiter 80).
England: Seaman, G Neville, Southgate, Woodgate, A Cole, Beckham, Gerrard (Dyer 77), Scholes, Butt, Owen (Hargreaves 86), Heskey (Smith 90+3).
• Owen scored twice more at the Riverside Stadium on his 50th England appearance after Vladimír Janočko had given the visitors the lead. The lineups were:
England: James, Mills (Hargreaves 43), Upson, Southgate, A Cole, Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, P Neville, Rooney (Vassell 58), Owen.
Slovakia: König, Petráš, Zabavník, Demo (Mintál 56), Hanek, Zeman, Labant (Debnár 39), Janočko, Michalík, Németh (Reiter 76), Vittek.
• The only subsequent meeting took place at Wembley in March 2009, when England cruised to a 4-0 friendly win. Wayne Rooney scored twice, with Emile Heskey and Frank Lampard also on target and Beckham winning his 109th cap, setting a new national record for an outfield player by overtaking Bobby Moore's mark.
• The sides were:
England: James (Foster 46), Johnson, Upson, Terry, A Cole, Lennon (Beckham 46), Lampard, Barry, Gerrard (Downing 46), Heskey (C Cole 15; Crouch 34; Carrick 74), Rooney.
Slovakia: Senecký, Pekarík, Valachovič, Škrtel, Čech (Jendrišek 46), Šesták (Jakubko 72), Zabavník, Karhan (Štrba 83), Kozák (Sapara 62), Hamšík (Mintál 79), Vittek (Hološko 46).
• England and Slovakia have been paired together in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup along with Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta. England begin their campaign in Slovakia on 4 September.
EURO facts – Slovakia
• While Slovakia have never before competed in a UEFA European Championship final tournament as an independent nation, as part of Czechoslovakia they appeared in three four-team finals.
• Czechoslovakia finished third in 1960 and 1980 and lifted the trophy in 1976. Eight of the 11 players who started the final against West Germany – and triumphed on penalties after a 2-2 draw – hailed from Slovakia.
• Slovakia reached the 2016 finals thanks mainly to wins in their first six Group C qualifiers, a run that included a 2-1 home triumph against Spain – the holders' first qualifying defeat in 36 matches and nine years.
EURO facts – England
• Before matchday one, England had not lost over 90 or 120 minutes in 22 EURO fixtures, going back to a 3-2 defeat by Croatia in 2007 that ended their hopes of reaching UEFA EURO 2008. Since then, their record is W17 D5, although they were beaten on penalties by Italy in the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-finals.
• Roy Hodgson's side won all ten of their UEFA EURO 2016 qualifiers – just the sixth team to achieve the feat, after France (1992, 2004), Czech Republic (2000) and Germany and Spain (both 2012).
• England failed to qualify for the final tournament in 2008, the only time they have missed out since 1984.
• England were semi-finalists as hosts in 1996, matching their previous best performance from 1968, when they came third.
Coach and player links
• Martin Škrtel has been at Liverpool since January 2008, where his team-mates have included Jordan Henderson (2011–), Daniel Sturridge (2013–), Nathaniel Clyne (2015–), James Milner (2015–), Adam Lallana (2014–) and Raheem Sterling (2011–15).
• Goalkeeper Ján Mucha was at Everton between 2010 and 2013, making only two Premier League appearances and featuring in seven League Cup ties. Ross Barkley and John Stones were also at the club.
• Róbert Mak was a Manchester City player from 2008 to 2010 but never made a first-team appearance. Joe Hart and Sturridge were also City players at the time.
• Jozef Vengloš, who was in charge of Slovakia between 1993 and 1995, was appointed by Aston Villa in summer 1990 – becoming the first person born outside the British Isles to manage in England's top division. He left the club the following year.
