The sight of Slovakia coach Vladimer Weiss slumped on the bench after New Zealand denied them their first ever World Cup finals win was one of despair and resignation – and he can have few complaints.

 

His side were only seconds away from achieving the milestone but their poor attitude in how they approached the game was deservedly punished – and considering Paraguay and Italy are next you get the feeling they have blown their chance of qualifying from Group F.

The Slovaks nearly blew their chance of making it to the finals – they lost their penultimate qualifier at home to Slovenia before a win in Poland sealed their place – so they will have to draw on that experience if they are to make any impression.