Hancko bails out Slovakia late as Kazakhstan resists to the bitter end

A header from Dávid Hancko in the 81st minute gave Slovakia a win that cost more than expected: 2-1 over Kazakhstan at the Košická futbalová aréna, in a match where the home side dominated possession for nearly the whole game but ran into a rival that made things difficult for long stretches of the second half.

The result leaves Slovakia with a perfect record in group C3 of the UEFA Nations League: six points from two matches played, with no losses or draws. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, is left with just one point after two outings. The gap between the two sides in the group table stands at 5 points.

A dominant start that wasn't enough to seal the game

From the opening whistle, Slovakia set up camp in Kazakhstan's half and created chances at a steady clip. Lukás Haraslín tested the goalkeeper from outside the box in the early minutes and forced another save shortly after, while Milan Skriniar also got forward for a header that sailed over the crossbar. The pressure paid off in the 25th minute: Leo Sauer finished with his right foot from close range, just inside the left post, for the 1-0.

But dominating the ball didn't translate into a comfortable lead. Just nine minutes later, on one of Kazakhstan's few clear chances, Ramazan Karimov showed up from outside the box to curl a right-footed shot into the top corner, assisted by Zhasulan Amir, making it 1-1 at the break.

A second half of relentless pressure, and a crossbar in between

The second half began with Slovakia back in control, but Kazakhstan had its best moment of the match when, with Aleksandr Mrynskiy already on the pitch, the forward smashed a shot off the crossbar in the 54th minute. It was the visitors' most serious warning of the night.

Slovakia kept pushing down the flanks and firing shots from outside the box that ran into the opposing goalkeeper time and again: Martin Valjent, Leo Sauer and Ondrej Duda all tried their luck without success. The reward finally came from a corner: on a set piece in the 81st minute, Duda delivered the cross from the corner kick and Hancko met it with a header, arriving from the left, to beat the keeper low near the left post and make it a final 2-1.

The numbers confirm the story

The match stats make clear who was pulling the strings, even if the scoreline didn't always show it so comfortably.

According to our xG estimate calculated from the match's shots, Slovakia generated 1.621 expected goals against just 0.165 for Kazakhstan, a gap that confirms the home side's control even as the scoreline stayed level for much of the match.

What the result means

Slovakia remains unbeaten with the maximum possible points in group C3, while Kazakhstan, coached by John van 't Schip, is still winless and will need to close the points gap in the coming matchdays. Mrynskiy's crossbar and Karimov's goal show the visitors had enough to cause trouble, but Slovakia's persistence and attacking weight ended up tipping the balance in the final stretch.