Slovakia mission to derail Russians
The terms, as always it seems, are unfavourable to the Irish.
It was a man well known to Ireland fans who put voice to the proposal as Marek Cech promised Slovakia would do their best to derail Russia’s European Championship bandwagon in Zilina tomorrow night.
Cech, the player who scored the late equaliser in Bratislava in the 2007 game now infamous as Stephen Ireland’s last international appearance, knows only too well that a home win will be as beneficial to the Irish as it is necessary to the Slovakians.
But while Trapattoni and his players may take rightful comfort from Slovakia’s various messages of intent at their final open training session yesterday, so the offer is conditional.
“We can beat Russia and we will be doing our best to beat Russia but we need Ireland to do us a favour as well and draw with Armenia next Tuesday night,” maintained Cech, a slight doubt for the game with an ankle injury.
“We will do everything to beat Russia simply because it is a game we must win for Slovakia before we win it for anyone else.
“After failing to score in Dublin and then losing at home to Armenia, this is a big, big game for us and one we have got to win.
“It will not be easy because Russia are a very good side as everyone who has played them knows and a draw on Friday night would probably be good enough for them with only a home game against Andorra to come.
“But I promise you, we will be trying everything to win the match. That will do Ireland a favour but we want to swap the favour and see them draw against Armenia.”
Therein lies the rub. If Slovakia beat Russia and then Macedonia in their final two games in this group of all possibilities, they will finish on 20 points.
Russia too can make that 20 point mark — even if they lose tomorrow night — courtesy of a home win against Andorra come the synchronised kick-off times on Tuesday.
Ireland can still beat them both to automatic qualification with the right results against Andorra and Armenia — providing the result is right in Zilina.
The home draw with the Armenians, as requested by Cech, would see Ireland lose out however and finish third behind the Russians and group winners Slovakia — top via the head to head rule!
UEFA may well have to borrow the official observers from the National Lottery to sort it all out so it’s probably a good job that the giant Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has other things on his mind right now.
Skrtel only joined up with his Slovakian team-mates yesterday after manager Vladimir Weiss allowed him extra time at home in England with his heavily pregnant partner Barbora, due any day now.
“I am very nervous about the baby and hope that the baby waits to arrive until after I am finished with the match against Russia,” said Skrtel with a softness not normally associated with a man with so many tattoos.
He’s not the only one living with a growing sense of expectancy round these parts as a sold-out Zilina Stadium awaits the game that will decide the European Championship fate of a Slovakian side who impressed so many at the World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010.
After failing to convert their many chances in the scoreless draw in Dublin last month and then quickly succumbing to a second-half surrender in the shock 4-0 home defeat to Armenia, the Slovakians know they too are in the delivery ward.
“The draw is good enough for Russia and that only adds to the pressure on us,” admitted Skrtel ahead of his 52nd cap.
“Russia are going to beat Andorra at home next Tuesday so they can afford to come here, sit back and see what we are going to do. A 0-0 will be enough for them because a win against Andorra will see them through then.
“We have to concentrate against them because they are so good on the counter-attack but we also have to win.
“We had this group in our hands but we failed to score against Ireland in Dublin and then we didn’t convert four or five first-half chances against Armenia and they made us pay.
“Our main problem is that we are not scoring enough goals. I thought we played well as a team against Ireland and the first-half against Armenia was as good as we have played in this qualification group but we didn’t make it count.”
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