Slovakia eager to sign off as they started
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
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Slovakia visit a happy hunting ground in Skopje looking to finish their Group B qualifying campaign just as they began it – by beating the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
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Slovakia visit Skopje looking to finish their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign in the same way that they began it – with a victory over the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
• Filip Hološko's goal in the first minute of added time earned Slovakia a winning start to their Group B campaign in Bratislava when these sides met on 3 September 2010. By that stage, an FYROM side then under the charge of Mirsad Jonuz had been reduced to ten men after Vance Sikov earned a second yellow card for time-wasting after 85 minutes.
• FYROM's record in five meetings with Slovakia reads W0 D1 L4 (W0 D0 L2 at home). They failed to score against Slovakia in their two previous encounters in Skopje.
• The nations first met in qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, with Slovakia winning the first fixture 2-0 in Bratislava exactly a decade to the day before this latest meeting thanks to goals from Igor Bališ and Igor Demo.
• The return fixture in Skopje ended in a 5-0 reverse for the hosts, a result that remains their joint-heaviest home defeat alongside an identical loss to Belgium in EURO '96 qualifying.
• FYROM also lost 2-0 at home against Slovakia in UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying but went on to earn a 1-1 draw in the return fixture in Zilina on 10 September 2003.
