Slovan Bratislava crowned champions after dramatic comeback win over Žilina

By full-time, the celebrations had begun. Yet for much of Saturday (3 May) evening, nerves gripped Tehelné pole, Slovan Bratislava’s stadium. Slovan Bratislava had survived one final scare to underline their domestic dominance, coming from two goals down to beat MŠK Žilina 4-3 and clinch a record-extending fifteenth Slovak title since independence.

Few sides surrender a three-one lead and survive. Žilina almost did. But this is Slovan — the richest, most experienced and most relentless team in the Niké Liga, Slovakia's top football division.Their seventh consecutive championship, confirmed with two rounds to spare, felt inevitable. The journey there, however, was anything but smooth.

A topsy-turvy evening encapsulated their season. Tigran Barseghyan’s early strike was ruled out by VAR (video assistant referee) before Žilina stunned the home crowd. Goals from Xavier Adang and Mário Sauer, either side of the Slovan striker David Strelec’s effort, put the visitors three-one ahead. Róbert Mak’s swift response hauled Slovan back into contention before half-time.

Niké Liga: Slovan footballers clinch seventh straight title (13 photos)

The second half followed a familiar pattern. VAR intervened twice more, chalking off goals for both sides, before Strelec completed his hat-trick with a deft backheel to hand Slovan a precious lead. Late cameos from veterans Juraj Kucka and Vladimír Weiss Jr underlined the club’s blend of experience and expectation.

“Without experienced players, it is very hard to win anything,” said head coach Vladimír Weiss Sr earlier this season, defending his reliance on older stalwarts. Saturday’s result offered further proof.

Slovan have become synonymous with turning deficits into victories. This term, they scored twice as many goals after the break as before it. Their attacking arsenal, led by Barseghyan and Strelec, proved too much for domestic rivals, though defensive frailties were evident — notably in heavy defeats to Žilina and others.

Success, however, has come at a cost. The squad’s average age has crept up, with limited opportunities for academy products. Nineteen-year-old Nino Marcelli has featured regularly, but largely from the bench. Strelec remains the only player under 25 established in the starting XI.

For general director Ivan Kmotrík Jr, success in Slovakia is only part of the equation. “It is a big disappointment that we did not reach the Slovnaft Cup final,” he said recently, describing the defeat to rivals Spartak Trnava as a “wake-up call”.

With another Champions League campaign looming — Slovan enter in the first qualifying round in July — reshaping the squad is paramount. Kmotrík has hinted at tough decisions ahead: “The next transfer window will be the hardest yet.”

For now, though, thoughts turned to celebration. Mak, crowned champion in his hometown for the first time, was visibly moved. “Since I was a boy I dreamt of lifting the trophy here.” He said this while soaking in chants from supporters.

Goalkeeper Dominik Takáč, another first-time champion with Slovan, admitted relief, rather than joy, defined the night. “When the whistle went, I fell to the ground and thought, ‘Finally’,” he reflected after a tense finale.

Soon, fans poured onto the pitch, players embraced and champagne flowed. There are two more league matches to come, but the hard work is already shifting towards Europe and what Weiss described as “building a team worthy of the club”.

Saturday night, however, belonged to Slovan’s serial winners. Seven in a row, fifteen since independence, thirty-one overall. The hegemony remains.