SloveniaSlovenia - National football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. They played their first match in 1992 after the split of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. Before that, Slovenian players played for the Yugoslavia national football team.
Slovenia were surprise qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine in a playoff. They turned some heads during the tournament, drawing with Yugoslavia and Norway, and only losing to Spain 2–1.
Slovenia - VideoSlovenia - NewsSlovenia - National football team
Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, this time defeating Romania in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not do as well in the finals, as they went home pointless.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, they were the only team to beat Italy on their way to winning the tournament with a shock 1–0 victory on home turf. It wasn't the only time they avoided defeat against the team – in 1995 they held them to 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996, and also took the lead. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup..
|
EnglandEngland - National football team
The England national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. Although most national teams worldwide represent a sovereign state, the four Home Nations which form the United Kingdom are each represented separately in international tournaments, except at the Olympics. England's home ground is Wembley Stadium in London and their head coach is Fabio Capello.
England are one of seven national teams to have won the FIFA World Cup, which they did in 1966 when they hosted the finals. They defeated West Germany 4–2 in extra time in the final.
England - VideoEngland - NewsEngland - National football team
Since then their best performance at a World Cup was reaching the semifinals in 1990, where they lost to West Germany on penalties. They reached the semifinals of the UEFA European Championship in 1968 and 1996. They were the most successful of the home nations in the British Home Championship with 54 wins (including 20 shared wins) before the competition was suspended in 1984. They remain a prominent team on the global stage, rarely dropping outside of the top ten on both the FIFA and Elo rankings.
Traditionally, England's greatest rivals have been Scotland, who were their opponents in the first-ever international football match in 1870. Rivalries with other countries have become more prominent since regular fixtures against Scotland came to an end in the late 1980s. Matches against Argentina and Germany have produced particularly eventful encounters..
|