From left: Italy's Cesare Casadei is about to score a goal into Slovakia's net. (source: TASR)
Following a 1–0 defeat to Italy on Saturday, Slovakia's Under-21 national football team will not progress to the knockout stage of the UEFA European Championship.
The result means Slovakia will not surpass their best-ever finish in the competition, which came in 2000—also as hosts—when they reached the semi-finals and ultimately finished fourth.
Slovakia had already fallen 3–2 to Spain in their opening match last Wednesday. With zero points from two matches, they currently sit third in Group A, behind Spain and Italy, who have both recorded two wins. Romania are fourth and are set to face Slovakia on the evening of June 17 at Bratislava's Tehelné Pole stadium. Tickets for the match are still available.
Italy's Cesare Casadei scored the decisive goal in the seventh minute, capitalising on a series of Slovak defensive errors. Despite recording more shots and successful passes than their opponents, Slovakia were unable to convert any of their chances.
The Slovak camp was left disheartened by the result.
"The boys’ performance deserves praise; they gave everything they had. We were the better side, created chances, and pinned them back in their own box. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t find the back of the net. I’m really disappointed that we didn’t even manage to take a point," said head coach Jaroslav Kentoš.
Defender Adam Obert echoed the frustration.
"It’s a very bitter ending. We’re disappointed; we didn’t deserve this after how we played. Unfortunately, we conceded an early goal. Italy were clinical and capitalised on a minor error. In my view, our performance was very strong," Obert said.
