Slovakia Suffers Overtime Defeat to Latvia in German Cup Opener
Slovakia began its Nemecký pohár campaign in Düsseldorf with a 3:2 overtime loss to Lotyšsko, dropping to one point in the tournament standings, Sportnet reported. Renārs Krastenbergs scored the game-winning goal at 61:27 after stripping the puck behind the Slovak net from Sebastián Čederle and firing past goaltender Eugen Rabčan. Head coach Vladimír Országh’s roster entered the match with heavy adjustments due to late injuries that forced seven player replacements. Despite the shorthanded lineup, Slovakia twice erased deficits during regulation play. Samuel Buček tied the game 1:1 in the second period at 37:07 by capitalizing on a Latvian turnover, and tournament debutant Simon Jellúš leveled the score at 2:2 with less than two minutes remaining in the third period during a power play with the goaltender pulled.
Goaltender Rabčan Shines Amid Defensive Lapses
Latvia controlled large portions of the match through sustained pressure and capitalised on Slovak miscues. Rihards Melnalksnis opened the scoring at 7:00 of the first period on a power play, beating Rabčan. Rodrigo Ābols gave Latvia a lead in the 47th minute. Eugen Rabčan faced heavy barrage throughout the night, earning player-of-the-match honors for Slovakia after stopping numerous high-danger chances. The first period was harder for me, then in the second I was already in the game and enjoying the hockey,
Rabčan told TASR, as reported by Teraz.sk. I’m there to help the team.
Injury Concerns and Tournament Schedule
The physical contest carried a toll for the Slovak defense corps when Samuel Kňažko exited in the final minute of the first period following a hit. He got hit, he has something with his shoulder,
Országh stated to TASR, according to Teraz.sk coverage. We’ll see how serious it is. I feel sorry for him because he was injured in the German Cup last year.
Slovakia returns to action on Saturday at 15:00 against Austria following a rest day, before concluding group play on Sunday at 14:45 against host nation Germany. Live broadcasts for all tournament fixtures are scheduled on JOJ Šport and the streaming platform JOJ Play, with text commentary provided across sports portals.
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