SINCE THEY GAINED their independence, Slovakia have played Ireland four times.
The first matches between the two sides were during the Steve Staunton era, when they were paired in the same 2008 European Championships qualifying group.
The opening game was a 1-0 win for Ireland at Croke Park with Kevin Doyle on target, when Shay Given captained the team and equalled Packie Bonner’s record of 80 caps in the process.
In the return fixture away from home, Ireland drew 2-2 with the Slovaks, with Doyle again scoring following Stephen Ireland’s seventh minute opener, but Marek Čech’s last-minute goal denied the Boys in Green a much-needed win.
The teams were once again drawn together in the European Championship qualifiers four years later.
By then under the guidance of Giovanni Trapattoni, Ireland drew both games — the first match was a 1-1 draw, with Sean St Ledger giving the Irish the lead before Ján Ďurica headed home the equaliser nine minutes before half-time, while Robbie Keane also missed a penalty thereafter.
In the second match, Ireland drew 0-0 with their opponents at the Aviva, but they still ultimately managed to qualify for the Euro 2012 tournament via the play-offs.
Below is the Ireland team from the sides’ last meeting, which interestingly, contains seven players in the starting XI in with a good chance of making the Euros this summer…
Given, O’Shea, St. Ledger, Dunne, Ward, McGeady (Hunt 84), Whelan, Andrews, Duff, Doyle (Cox 64), Keane.
Subs not used: Westwood, Foley, O’Dea, Lawrence, Keogh.
