The Slovak national team started the qualification for the UEFA European Championship in 2016 with a winning match against Ukraine, the first time ever Slovakia have beat them.
The opening game of the qualifications took place in NSK Olimpiyskyi – Kiev on Monday, 8 September 2014 and saw the national team defeat the Ukrainians 1:0. The goal was scored by Róbert Mak.
Slovakia began its sixth qualification for the final tournament. So far they have never succeeded. Slovak coach Ján Kozak has a chance to become the first Slovak who could play at the European championships both as a player for former Czechoslovakia (1980, 3rd place, held in Italy) and now as a coach.
The final tournament of the UEFA European Championship returns to France in 2016. According to new regulations, 24 teams out of UEFA’s 54 member associations have a chance to contest the crown. There are nine groups of five or six teams, who contest home and away fixtures. Group winners, group runners-up and the best third-placed side will qualify directly for the final tournament. The eight remaining third-placed teams will contest play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the finals.
Slovakia is in C-Group together with Spain, Ukraine, Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg. The next match of the Slovak national team against Spain will be held in Žilina on October 8, 2014.
Even the Slovak Under-21 national football team beat Netherlands 1:0 in Tilburg and grabbed the top place in the qualifying group just instead of their Dutch opponent.
Adam Zreľák’s powerful header 18 minutes from time assured a place in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs. The eight-team 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship will be held in the Czech republic in June 2015.