Ratings after Montenegro: Weiss came close to what Calzona failed to do in four years

Slovak footballers drew 2:2 with Montenegro in Košice in the second preparatory match in June. ŠPORT.sk evaluates the individual performances of the players. The higher the grade, the better the performance. Ten is the maximum.

Jakub Surovčík – 5

A difficult debut for the 23-year-old Sparta Prague goalkeeper. He conceded two goals from two shots. With the first one, he was in a difficult position after the players in front of him hesitated, with the second penalty he had absolutely no chance. In the end, he looked uncertain at the extended center and just kicked the falling ball away. Otherwise he didn’t have much to do. Dominik Takáč was more comfortable with his footwork than on Monday.

Peter Pekarík – 6

He said goodbye to the national team. He symbolically played only 22 minutes, but he gave it his all. At the back, he traditionally played his part, and at the age of 40, he had the energy to support the offensive as well. In the beginning, he even almost scored after a shot from an angle. A more than worthy end to an amazing career.

VIDEO: Pekarík after the last match for Slovakia:

Denis Vavro – 5

With Krčík, except for the hesitation at the first conceded goal, they held the defensive line well. He took responsibility when passing, he was not afraid of progressive, vertical passes. He didn’t avoid mistakes and looked uncertain at times, he hasn’t had a successful season at the club.

Dávid Krčík – 5

So far, he has only played one minute in the national team against Romania, so he basically made his debut. With the first conceded goal, they did not get along with Vavro and he left late. Otherwise, they held the defensive line well. He didn’t make a significant mistake at the opening of the game, but he didn’t go for bolder solutions either.

Adam Obert – 5

After Malta, coach Weiss named him the best player of the match. Especially by supporting the offensive, he was able to replace Dávid Hanck. On Friday, he was no longer so prominent. Cooperation with Kaprálik did not work as well as with Haraslín, the right side was more active against Montenegro. He didn’t exude confidence and energy like he did on Monday.

Matúš Bero – 6

In some places, he was reminiscent of Juraj Kucka. He won many battles, brought physicality to the midfield and chose the right solutions in the attacking third of the field. Before the first goal, with the help of Suslov, they won the ball in the corner of the pitch and Bero assisted Boženík.

He was a far greater asset than Bénes in the June matches. In the 4-3-3 formation, he will fight for a place in the starting line-up alongside Lobotka and Duda with Riga.

Ondrej Duda – 6

In the 1st half, from the position of number six, he directed the game well at times. He was accelerating her, changing the center of gravity. He also had good movement without the ball. After the change of sides, inaccuracies started to increase. A quarter of an hour before the end, he took advantage of the opponent’s defender’s hesitation and equalized. He did not disappoint, but he can offer the team even more.

Artur Gajdoš – 5

On his debut in the starting line-up, he offered several positive flashes. He was able to speed up the game and open up the opponent with a vertical shot from the first, but there were few similar moments in his game. However, he is still just learning at this level, he didn’t even play in Slovan Bratislava last fall.

Tomáš Suslov – 6

Undoubtedly the most hard-working and visible player in Slovakia. He made a lot of mistakes and positive things. The opening goal resulted from an attack in the corner of the field, after his inaccurate but difficult pass, Duda scored.

He was the only one allowed in one-on-one or one-on-two fights. However, he often carried the ball for an unnecessarily long time and lost it against the odds. When he improves his decision-making and timing in the final third of the pitch, he can become a serious European player.

Róbert Boženík – 5

He opened the scoring in the 4th minute. It was his first international hit in almost exactly two years. The last time he made his mark was in the preparation for EURO 2024, the goal drought in the national team lasted 16 matches.

He instantly gained confidence, attacking and going into fights with even more vigor than usual. However, he quickly began to disappear from the field and finally was practically completely invisible.

Adrian Kaprálik – 4

Against Malta, he was the best Slovak in the second half. He brought speed, energy, drive from the bench. This time he got an opportunity in the starting line-up, but unusually on the left wing. Playing through the leg with an orientation to the axis of the field did not suit him, he is used to keeping the width on the right wing. He tried, but almost nothing came of it.

Hugo Pavek – 6

Symbolically, he took over the torch on the right side of the defense from Pekarík, and after years of need, Slovakia finally has hope in this position. He defended very well and supported the offense as well. He exuded energy and self-confidence. He was more active than on the opposite side Obert. He did not avoid minor mistakes, but he showed potential in the June matches.

Weiss found a promising alternative to a long-term critical post and in one fell swoop achieved what his predecessor, Francesco Calzona, failed to do in four years. Coach Weiss deserves credit for his courage and willingness to try new players.

Roland Galčík – 4

The goal hero of Monday’s match against Malta struggled on the left wing just like Kaprálik. Even when he managed to assert himself, his cross into the penalty area failed. However, he is only gathering his first experience in the national team.

Mario Sauer – 5

He played simply, did not mess up and operated in the right areas. Perhaps he just lacked a greater influence on the team’s game. He showed potential in the June matches and it will be important for him to have more minutes at the club from next season.

Krisztián Bari, Roman Čerepkai, László Bénes, Michal Faško, Martin Valjent – ​​no rating

They played less than 20 minutes.