Slovakia cruise past Iceland to qualify for Euro 2024
Slovakia recovered from a goal down to beat Iceland 4-2 at home in Group J on Thursday, becoming the latest country to secure a place at next year's European Championship.
Ireland’s slim hopes of claiming an unlikely Euro 2024 play-off spot officially came to an end as they needed Iceland to beat Slovakia to stay in the running for a reprieve.
Despite an early scare when Iceland's Orri Oskarsson headed in the opening goal in the 17th minute, the hosts dominated the remainder of the match as they went on to qualify for a third successive Euros.
Juraj Kucka equalised at the half-hour mark before Ondrej Duda completed the turnaround six minutes later, slotting home a penalty after Kristian Hlynsson fouled him.
After the break, Slovakia dominated, with Lukas Haraslin scoring two minutes into the second half and completing his brace eight minutes later with a curled shot from the edge of the box.
Iceland's Andri Gudjohnsen breathed life into the match in the 74th minute, using his thigh to bounce the ball in from a corner, only a minute after coming on.
The victory ensures a top-two finish for Slovakia in Group J along with already-qualified Portugal.
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