BRATISLAVA. An attractive and strong opponent, a former football superstar who still attracts a lot of attention and a special charge in the form of a fight for the first place in the group. This is the combination that will fill the stands of Tehelné polje in Bratislava on Friday evening.
An exceptional match awaits the Slovak national football team, as well as the fans. In the well-started qualification for EURO 2024, Italian coach Francesco Calzona’s men will face Portugal.
It has been a long time since there has been such interest among fans in a match of the Slovak national team. The demand for tickets significantly exceeded the supply. In the first phase, the tickets sold out in 43 minutes, the remaining in the second phase in ten minutes. There should be 21,500 fans in the audience. Guests from Portugal asked for 700 tickets.
Many fans are going to the match because of one man. Cristiano Ronaldo is already 38 years old and does not play in any big club, but for generations of fans he is still a symbol, a football icon.
Tickets sold out in four minutes
Even in the past three decades, the biggest attraction for fans at the home matches of the national football team were especially the star opponents. And in addition to them, the federal derby against the Czech Republic. However, there were also exceptions.
Slovakia – Portugal
Bratislava, Tehelné pole, start at 20.45.
Already from 14.00 the Fan Park on the square in front of the stadium will be open with various attractions, including an autograph session for Martin Škrtel. Entry is free even for fans without a match ticket.
On October 10, 2009, the old stadium at Tehelno polí was prepared to celebrate the victory over Slovenia and to accompany Vladimír Weiss’s men to the World Cup in South Africa. There was a huge demand for tickets.
The first attempt to launch electronic sales failed due to technological problems, and sales did not start until the next day. The tickets that were available sold out in a record four minutes.
The Slovaks did not manage the match and lost 0:2 in front of the then head of UEFA Michel Platini. A few days later, however, they converted the second advance match point in Chorzow, Poland, and after a 1-0 win, they enjoyed a place in the world championship.
Beckham et al. on pudding
In October 2002, England football players visited Slovakia for the first time in the era of independence. David Beckham, one of the most popular players in the world at the time, took part in the European Championship 2004 qualification at the Tehelno pol in Bratislava.
It was sold out (27,000 spectators) and the English won 2-1 on a soggy pitch that the British media compared to pudding. The tickets, which went on official sale, were quickly snapped up, and black market dealers also tried to feed on the huge interest.
There was also a report in the media about a police intervention against a couple from Bratislava who offered 17 tickets for an advertisement – each for a thousand crowns. The original price of the cheapest tickets in the arches and in the areas behind the goals was 200 crowns.
Szilárd Németh overcomes England’s goalkeeper David Semano in the European Championship 2004 qualification match in Bratislava. The guests turned the score around and won 2:1. (Author: TASR)
The English returned to Slovakia in 2016 as well. Over 18,000 fans watched the 2018 World Cup qualification match in Trnava. It was officially sold out, but several seats remained empty.
The home team played weakened from the 57th minute without the suspended captain Martin Škrtel and resisted the pressure of the English for a long time. They decided in the last action of the match to win 1:0.
The brick field was also filled in March 2005 for the World Cup 2006 qualifying match against Portugal, in whose jersey was the then 20-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. A 1:1 draw was born in front of 27,000 spectators.
Slovakia finished just behind Portugal in the 3rd qualifying group. In a direct fight for second place in the last qualifying round, they drew 0:0 with Russia in front of 22,317 spectators in Bratislava and advanced to the play-off for promotion to the World Cup.
In it, the Slovaks faced strong Spain. In Madrid, the favorite won clearly 5:1. 23,587 tickets were sold for the rematch in Bratislava, but there were fewer spectators, as Dušan Galis’ men had a minimal chance of success (they drew 1:1 at home).
The derby attracted the masses
An exceptional atmosphere accompanied the qualifying duels between Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Already the first big derby in August 1997 (qualification for the World Cup 1998) attracted 26,000 fans. Most of them (the home team) celebrated the 2:1 victory.
In September 2006, both teams played for points in the European Championship 2008 qualification table. The media reports an attendance of 27,684 spectators who saw the visitors win 3-0.
Three years later, in the hopeful 2010 World Cup qualifiers, 22,000 people watched the federal derby. The Slovaks were more satisfied with the 2:2 draw. More than 17,000 fans came to the match between Slovakia and the Czech Republic in the League of Nations in 2018 in Trnava (1:2).
More than 20,000 spectators watched the match against Yugoslavia in the qualification for the 1998 World Cup at Tehelno pol (officially 22,500, loss 0:2).
Over 21,000 spectators watched the 1:4 loss to Germany in the 2008 European Championship qualification.
19,452 fans came to the ME 2000 qualification match Slovakia – Hungary (0:0).
Žilina was the home of the Slovak national team during the successful qualification for the European Championship 2016 (the old Tehelné Pole was demolished in 2013).
The joy of Slovak footballers after a 2:1 victory over Spain in the EURO 2016 qualifying match in Žilina. (Author: Slovak Press Agency)
The stadium was filled not only for the memorable match against Spain (2:1), but also later against less attractive opponents – Luxembourg, Macedonia, Ukraine and Belarus.
Almost or more than 10,000 fans watched all the fights. However, the Slovaks sealed their promotion to the EURO only in the last match on the field of Luxembourg.
Hamšík was applauded by the full stadium
In recent years, it was full in September 2019 in Trnava, where Slovakia hosted the world vice-champions from Croatia. The opponent won clearly 4:0, the match was watched by 18,098 spectators.
During the pandemic, the games were often played in front of empty stands or a limited number of fans. The victory in the play-off of the League of Nations over Ireland, which brought the Slovaks closer to EURO 2020, was watched by fans only on television.
The friendly match against Chile in November of last year, which was Marek Hamšík’s official farewell to the national team, had a great crowd. 19,700 fans applauded the former captain of the national team.
2023-09-07 11:01:06
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