BRATISLAVA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- After losing to traditional rivals the Czech Republic 3-1 on Friday, Slovakia once again failed to win and dropped points after a 1-1 draw in Israel in UEFA Nations League Group B2.
Slovakia lost three players to injury on Friday and three more had to return to their league clubs or face quarantine, forcing coach Pavel Hapal to ring the changes.
Israel came into the match following a solid 1-1 draw in Scotland last week, but it was Slovakia who scored first in the 14th minute, when Michal Duris slotted home after receiving Matus Bero's pass.
The home team had a great chance to even things up in the 30th minute when Eli Dasa's ball found an unmarked Eran Zahavi whose shot went wide of goal.
Duris might have doubled Slovakia's lead, but Israel goalkeeper Ofir Marciano was equal to his effort, and also saved well from Robert Bozenik late in the game.
Looking to hold onto their narrow lead, Slovakia played more defensively in the game's later stages, and were punished for their caution in the first minute of injury-time, when Ilay Elmkies equalized from Yonatan Cohen's through-ball.
The home side almost grabbed a winner in the dying seconds, only to see Zahavi's last-ditch effort cannon off the post.
In Group B2's other match, Scotland won 2-1 against the Czech Republic, who had had to call up an entirely new squad for the match owing to COVID-19 quarantine regulations.
Scotland now leads Group 2 with four points, with the Czechs second on three. Israel sit third with two points, with Slovakia bottom with only a single point gained over the first two matches. Enditem
