In the second round of the UEFA Europa League group stage, which ended last night, Slovakia unfortunately lost to Ukraine with a score of 1-2. After the match, Slovakia's head coach, Karl Zona, was interviewed by the media and shared his thoughts on the match and future outlook.
On the loss, Calzona said, "It was a challenging matchup. Although the result was not satisfactory, I am satisfied with the overall performance of the team. The players showed good fighting spirit and strength against a strong opponent who is ranked 20 places above us in the FIFA rankings." He particularly mentioned that Slovakia played particularly well in the first half, creating a number of chances and causing Ukraine a lot of trouble.
Talking about their next opponent Romania, Calzona believes it will be a tough battle. He said, "Romania's morale is high after beating Ukraine and we are well aware of their strengths. However, we are equally eager to win the match and reaching the last 16 is our goal."
Regarding the reason for Slovakia's dip in performance in the second half, Karzona explained, "In the first half we put a lot of energy and stamina into the game and created a lot of attacking chances. Ukraine caused us a lot of trouble in the second half, but that was to be expected. They are a respectable team and we are getting used to competing against such top teams."
Despite the loss, Calzona remains optimistic about Slovakia's prospects for qualification. He said, "We still have a chance to qualify, although our next opponents also need a win to ensure their Europa League journey continues. We are seen as the Cinderella team of the tournament, but we are fighting to reach the last 16, a challenge that is significant enough in itself."
