Hamburg - Slovakia have earned a place in the World Cup finals for the first time as an independent nation since the division from Czechoslavakia in 1992. Ironically they left their Czech rivals and neighbours, one of the pre-qualifying favourites, behind them in earning their World Cup ticket from Group 3.
Starting as underdogs, Slovakia turned out to be the major surprise of the group as they raced into a comfortable lead, only to narrowly seal qualification with a nerve-racking 1-0 victory over Poland - another favourite to go out - in the last group game.
Slovakia won the group with 22 points, ahead of Slovenia on 20 and the Czech Republic on 16, followed by Northern Ireland (15), Poland (11) and San Marino (0).
The Czechs had played at the 2006 World Cup and all Euro tournaments between 1996 and 2008, while Slovakia had merely come close in 2006 when they were eliminated by Spain in the play-offs.
Now the nation of 5.5 million is looking forward to upsetting the odds in South Africa when the squad led by coach Vladimir Weiss will again start as one of the outsiders.
Weiss, 45, who played at the 1990 World Cup in Italy with Czechoslovakia and later also won caps for Slovakia, is the man behind Slovakia's success story.
After taking over from Jan Kocian in the summer of 2008, Weiss has sought to blend youth with experience and has a number of professionals with current or previous experience in the German and English leagues in particular.
Liverpool's Martin Skrtel and Marek Cech of West Bromwich Albion and the coach's own son - Vladimir Weiss at Manchester City - are among the English contingent.
The Germany-based players have included the experienced midfielder Miroslav Kahan (Mainz), defender Peter Pekarik (Wolfsburg) and strikers Stanislav Sestak (Bochum), Erik Jendrisek (Kaiserslautern) and Marek Mintal (Nuremberg).
Napoli's Marek Hamsik is at 22 meanwhile already proving to be a vital player in midfield with outstanding performances which have earned him both the captaincy and the admiration of some of Europe's major clubs.
Striker Robert Vittek, another player bringing experience to the squad after spending five years at Nuremberg before joining Lille last year, says the players are hungry for success.
"Our greatest strength is our collective approach... Obviously, we have a number of skilled young individuals too," he told the FIFA website recently.
Sestak is one of those, having scored six goals in six qualifying games including vital strikes against in Poland and Czech Republic.
The Coach:
Slovakia's success in qualifying for the World Cup followed the appointment as coach of Vladimir Weiss in July 2008. The 45-year-old - whose son Vladimir is a member of the playing squad - won 19 caps for Czechoslavakia, with whom he played at the 1990 World Cup, and 12 for Slovakia.
He coached Artmedia Bratislava with whom he reached the group stage of the Champions League in the 2005/06 season, Russian club Saturn Ramenskoye and again Artmedia before taking on the national team post.
The Star:
Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Juventus are among the clubs reportedly keen on signing 22-year-old Marek Hamsik who has the quality to shine as one of the emerging stars at the World Cup next year.
After being voted young player of the year in Italy in 2008, Hamsik has again been in sparkling form for Serie A side Napoli this season and his role in attacking midfield has been one of the factors behind Slovakia's successful qualifying campaign.
Hamsik played for various junior national teams before making his debut in the national team on February 7, 2007 against Poland and has since gone on to make close to 30 appearances and take on the responsibility of captain.
Factfile:
Nickname: Repre Founded: 1993 FIFA affiliation: 1907 Highest FIFA ranking: 17 - May 1997 Lowest FIFA ranking: 150 - December 1993 Previous World Cup appearances: 8 (1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1982, 1990) Best World Cup performance: Runners-Up (1934, 1962) as Czechoslovakia Date qualified for finals: October 14, 2009
