On Sunday, the Slovak national football team lost a point against England in the last seconds of the opening match of the qualification to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. English midfielder Adam Lallana scored the only goal of the game in the 95th minute and thus decided the first game of the F group in front of more than 18,000 spectators in the new City Arena in the city of Trnava, western Slovakia. The Slovak head coach Jan Kozák couldn't hide his disappointment after the final whistle. "This is not the way I pictured it. The first half was completely tied and in the second half we aimed to go for a win," said the Slovak head coach. However in the 57th minute, the team's most experienced defender, Martin Škrteľ, was sent off the field after receiving a red card. Subsequently, England created enormous pressure on Slovaks, who had been able to defend almost until the end.
"It was a very exhausting match for us. The red card was very strict. Let's put our heads up, we played against the top favorite of the group," said the team's captain Marek Hamšík."It's a pity. Losing a game in the 95th minute is a difficult moment especially against a team like England." concluded Ján Kozák. In the remaining matches of the qualifying F Group, Scotland beat Malta and Lithuania tied Slovenia, leaving the Slovak team in fifth out of the six places in the group with no points concluded.
