I am sure that everyone reading this either watched the Slovak-Italy football match or had no option but to hear about the fantastic result. Very few people thought it possible (I was one of the few who did), but a young and determined Slovak football team proved their true worth by beating world champions Italy in a game that they thoroughly deserved to win.
From the very first minute the young Slovak team took control and held it until the last fifteen minutes of the match, by which time, thanks to 2 ‘experienced’ goals from Robert Vittek, Slovakia were leading 2-0. That was when Italy finally realised that they were about to be put out of the tournament if they didn’t act quickly. So they did.
It was soon 2-1 as Italy started playing the way they were expected to, putting more pressure on Slovakia, when Di Natale (81st minute) picked up Mucha’s save and placed it into the empty net. The Slovak ‘wonder-team’ reacted quickly and in the 89th minute substitute Kopunek (after 2 minutes on the pitch) made a perfect run between two Italian defenders to chip the ball over the Italian goalkeeper. An astonishing 3-1 to
Slovakia with 90 minutes gone.
The added four minutes were the most tense of the whole match. The Italians got their second goal in the 92nd minute, as Quagliarella made a perfect technical shot over Mucha’s head. They also had a goal disallowed for offside, but the Slovak team held out, effectively putting the World Champions out of the tournament.
The Italians will now join the French in the return journey home to shame and criticism, while the Slovak heros will go on to play the Netherlands in the last 16. Good luck guys, you deserve it.