Slovak national football team coach Francesco Calzona welcomed players at the national team gathering in Senec ahead of the decisive play-off match with Kosovo. Among those called up is midfielder Ondrej Duda, who is returning to the national team after more than three years without an appearance. Calzona earned recognition for his approach in preparing for this opponent. teraz.sk ↗ SITA ↗
During the gathering in Senec, the national team management welcomed the first group of called-up footballers. On Thursday, March 26, Slovakia will play in the play-off round of the 2026 World Cup qualification against Kosovo. The match will take place at Tehelné pole at 20:45. A successful advance would mean facing the better team from the clash between Turkey and Romania. teraz.sk ↗ sport.pravda.sk ↗
A significant moment came with the recent Footballer of the Year poll, where, for the first time in his career with the Slovak national team, Calzona received the title of Coach of the Year. He received the award together with Vladimír Weiss Sr., the only coach to have led Slovakia to the World Cup in the era of independence. On this occasion, Weiss expressed his respect for Calzona, saying: "It's a shame we didn't know each other sooner, maybe we'd both have been happier." The Italian coach accepted these words with gratitude and paid his colleague the same compliment in return. Among the players present was defender Martin Valjent, who returned to the national team after two and a half years and regards this opportunity as perhaps his last chance at a World Cup. sme.sk ↗ dennikn.sk ↗
Calzona welcomes Duda's return for the national team gathering, Weiss pays him tribute
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Sources (4)
Duda: Možno posledná šanca na MS. Slovensko sa zišlo v Senci
SITA
| 11:00 23.03.
Calzonovi sa na zraze hlásilo 19 hráčov, Škriniar ako prvý
teraz.sk
| 17:11 22.03.
Dvadsať telefonátov od Calzonu? Zrejme to bola chyba v preklade. Slovensko si zaslúži zažiť krásu MS
sport.pravda.sk
| 17:00 22.03.
Mám to v hlave, zrejme posledná šanca, tvrdí opora reprezentácie. Od Calzonu si vyslúžila uznanie
sport.sk
| 16:57 22.03.
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