(Reuters) - Slovakia booked their place at a third successive European Championship finals with a slick showing in the qualifiers under former coffee salesman Francesco Calzona and will expect to advance from Group E in Germany.
They have Romania, Ukraine and Belgium in their section and open their campaign against the Belgians in Frankfurt on June 17.
The team is managed by Italian Calzona, who finished the season in a dual role as coach of Serie A side Napoli when he replaced Walter Mazzarri in February.
Calzona’s focus has therefore been away from the national team to a degree, bar keeping an eye on Stanislav Lobotka, who has been a key part of the Naples club’s midfield this season.
"Putting together 25-30 players from at least 11 or 12 different championships with different roles and mentalities was the hardest part," Calzona previously told Reuters of the successful qualification campaign.
"Getting them to all think along the same lines, and in a short time, was really difficult. But we always play to win."
Calzona admits his time as a coffee salesman 20 years ago left its mark on him.
"That period made me understand many things, it was a fantastic experience," he said. "Still some customers call me asking for coffee."
He was appointed by Slovakia in August 2022, becoming the first coach of non-Czechoslovak origin in the country’s history.
SMOOTH QUALIFICATION
The team qualified for Germany with some ease, winning seven and drawing one of their 10 games and finishing behind group winners Portugal, who had a 100% record.
Defensively solid but not all that eye-catching in attack, they share the goals around, with winger Lukas Haraslin leading their scorers' list in the qualifiers with three in five games.
Long-time number one Martin Dubravka is their goalkeeper and captain Milan Skriniar the key man in the heart of defence, looking to build on some good form with Paris St Germain in the 2023-24 season.
Lobotka provides the defensive shield in midfield, while up front it will be interesting to see if Calzona places his trust in 18-year-old Feyenoord winger Leo Sauer, who has one cap.
Robert Bozenik is likely to lead the line but is hardly prolific with six goals in his 39 internationals.
The country won the European title in 1976 as part of Czechoslovakia and also have two bronze medals from 1960 and 1980.
Since playing as Slovakia only, they reached the last 16 in 2016 but were ousted in the group stage at the last tournament.
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)
