Marek Hamšík and Juraj Kucka (source: uefa.com)
The Slovak football team has advanced to the European Championships, postponed until next year due to the pandemic.
Slovaks won in the play-off final in Northern Ireland 2:1 after overtime.
These are seven reasons why Slovaks made it and will play at a major tournament for the third time in history: after the 2010 World Cup and the 2016 European Cup.
Read in this story:
What made the Slovaks exceptional even though they were not deemed too dangerous
Which absurd moments helped the Slovak national team win
Why was Rodák the key player
Why was it not just about Hamšík
How much of the success is due to the adversary
1. Crisis did not break the team
This year, they have not won any of the six matches they played in regular time, yet they still advanced to the European Championship.
The Slovak team is not in its best possible shape and it is also not going through the best of times. Several players who make up the backbone of the team have physically prepared the best.
