This is a series of nine, short posts that will be synthesized into one article for World Soccer Reader.
| Team | GP | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 7 | 16 |
| Northern Ireland | 8 | 14 |
| Poland | 7 | 11 |
| Slovenia | 7 | 11 |
Group 3
Slovakia’s 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic in Bratislava inches them closer to an improbable group win, despite playing the last fifteen minutes of the match a man down.
Marek Hamsik, the team’s best player and one of the most exciting young players in Europe, picked up two yellow cards in a span of three minutes, the second coming two minutes after his penalty kick goal gave his team a temporary 2-1 lead (he was given his first yellow card in the wake of the goal). Czech substitute Milan Baros scored against the ten man Slovakia, giving the visitors one point.
The match, which leaves the Czechs ranked fifth out of six teams in the group, was a further example of the changing face of Eastern European football. Long gone are the days when the Czech Republic hovered near the top of the FIFA world rankings. The next generation of footballer are coming out of Bosnia and Herzegovina (second in Group 5) and Slovakia, where nearly the entire roster is made up of players in their early-to-mid twenties.
Youth, however, has its drawbacks, as Hamsik drew two ill-advised yellow cards and may have cost his team the match.
As a result, Slovakia was not able to distance themselves from a pack headed by Northern Ireland and Poland, who drew 1-1 in Chorzów. Kyle Lafferty put the visitors up in the first half only to have their lead undone late in the second half by an Aaron Hughes own goal. A win would have given Northern Ireland and five point lead on Slovenia. Now Poland joins Slovenia, both of whom have 11 points and a game-in-hand, three points behind second place.
