Marek Rodák confirms expectations: Martin Škrtel praises match hero – "I'm genuinely happy for him"
12.10.2024
The Slovak national football team maintained their unbeaten streak in the third match of the UEFA Nations League C-Division. Despite trailing 0-2 against Sweden at Tehelné Pole by the 32nd minute, Slovakia fought back to secure a draw. Former national team captain and current sporting director of Dunajská Streda, Martin Škrtel, analyzed the match on Sport1's post-game show.
"The Swedes were clearly the better team, but from the 60th minute onwards, our players matched them and even outperformed them in some moments. With a bit of luck, if Haraslín had scored, we could have won. I don’t know if that would have been entirely fair, but we played against a great team today, and it's hard to criticize our performance. The result was a solid game and a scoreline we can be satisfied with," said the former defender.
Goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka was ruled out of the squad due to injury before the double-header against Sweden and Azerbaijan. His place as the starting goalkeeper was taken by Marek Rodák, who currently plays in Saudi Arabia. In the match against Sweden, Rodák faced eight shots, with two finding the back of the net.
"He confirmed what has been talked about. Every time he gets the chance, he proves himself. The goalkeeper position is one of the strongest areas in our national team, and we have no reason to worry if Heco (Martin Dúbravka) is unavailable. Marek took his opportunity, delivered, and put in an excellent performance," Škrtel concluded.
Slovakia’s next match is scheduled for Monday, October 14, at 18:00 CET in Baku against Azerbaijan.
🎥 Match Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9OgUHzI2sI&ab_channel=svenskfotboll
