Marek Hamsik's goal and assist proved decisive as Slovakia downed Russia 2-1 in Group B.
LILLE, France -- Slovakia took a huge step towards the Round of 16 with a 2-1 win that leave Russia teetering onthe brink of elimination. Though after a flare was lit in the Russian end, it may be a moot point given the actionsof UEFA's Disciplinary Committee, which gave them a"suspended disqualification"after the trouble in Marseille's Stade Velodrome.It was a single flare and there was no other disturbance inside the ground but given the circumstances, it's an extraworry for Russia boss Leonid Slutsky. That said, Slutsky himself (as he had done in Marseille) refused to talk aboutit despite repeated questions from the assembled media."I was totally concentrated on the game and was only looking at the pitch," he said afterwards. "I didn't see it."RussiaSlovakia12FTGameCastLineups and StatsThe backstreets of Lille, withtheir endless maze of flat-fronted terraced houses, were quiet on the walk fromthe train station to the Stade Pierre Mauroy. No hysteria about professional Russian hooligans here, but then again, no obvious targets on the streets either. The brand spanking new Stade Mauroy sits wedged in among shopping malls and big boxstores. Both sets of fans were snacking and waiting for kickoff side by side but separate, like ingredients in a salad bowl.Whatever doom and gloom expectations had been thrown around before the match didn't seem relevant here -- at least until the second half flare -- maybe because of the incongruity of someone laying a stadium in the midst of suburban sprawl. Or perhaps it was the Frenchgendarmes, more tooled up than usual in gear that made some looklike giant erect turtles carrying transparent riot shields.Slutsky kept faith with the XI that grabbed the last-ditch equalizer against England and in some ways, it made sense. Having lost their opener and with England coming up next, Slovakia likely needed three points on Wednesday. There would be opportunities to soak up pressure and for Oleg Shatov to find space. But the Slovak midfield, led byMarek Hamsik and Juraj Kucka, had other plans. They heldtheir shape, opting for balls into space for the darting Ondrej Duda and Hamsik's trademark long-range
ballistics. Physically, they also more than matched the opposition.
Kucka won the ball after 10 minutes to set up Duda, whoslipped it to Hamsik, only for his booming strike to sail over the crossbar. Meanwhile, Slutsky was opting to go route one: Artem Dzyuba, to be fair, was proving a handful for Martin Skrtel and Jan Durica but the support was lacking. When Dzyuba tried things himself, you were reminded that close control in tight spaces isn't his forte.Slovakia pulled ahead in the 32nd minute, and it owed a lot to Hamsik. The Napoli midfielder received a square pass deep in his own half from Skrtel and in one fluid motion, he turned, looked up and uncorked a 50-yard, left-foot drive into space. Vladimir Weiss, who had begun his run just before Hamsik struck the ball, collected it mid-stride, veered into the box and cut on a dime, leaving Roman Neustadter and Vasily Berezutsky, the only defenders separating him from Igor Akinfeev's goal, desperately heading the wrong way. At that point, Weiss coolly slotted the ball into the back of the Russian net."To that point, it was all so tight and so tense, there wasno space in which to play for either side," said Slovakia boss Jan Kozak afterwards. "We were only going to breakthe ice through an individual bit of genius and we got thatfrom Hamsik and Weiss. They were fantastic."On the Russian bench, Slutsky pouted in disgust and his mood would darken further just before the half. This time,it was a Hamsik solo effort. Slovakia played a quick corner short to the Napoli midfielder. Shatov came out to meet him. Hamsik faked one way and when Shatov bit on the dummy, cut sharply the other way before smashing it in off the post from an improbable angle out on the flank.Slutsky shook his head and ran his fingers through his hairwhile the Slovak end erupted in jubilation. As brilliant as Hamsik's move and strike were, you have to wonder abouthim being left one-on-one with Shatov."We just lost our u concentration," Slutsky said. "We knew Hamsik was dangerous. Of course we knew."
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