Dubravka on Slovakia’s shock win over Belgium: ‘We can beat anyone if we play like this’

Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka says his side “can beat anyone” if they play like they did against Belgium.

Slovakia’s lone goal came courtesy of Ivan Schranz, who fired home from a tight angle after just seven minutes. Romelu Lukaku then saw his late equaliser ruled out through VAR for a hand ball by Lois Openda in the build up meaning Slovakia ultimately held on to pull off a shock result.

“If you look at the [Belgium squad] you can go on and on and on,” said Dubravka, who made 5 saves in the match.

“Kevin De Bruyne for me is a genius, you have Doku, you have Lukaku, there are so many quality players even from the bench, and this should give us even more confidence because to beat a team like this will lift our momentum and I think we can beat anyone if we play like this.”

He continued to laud Slovakia’s unity: “We kept the ball, played with confidence, we were not scared to play with the ball, sometimes it was difficult because the pitch was not great but even in a situation where Lukaku and the others came into the box we played with composure on the ball, so amazing team effort. The teamwork and team ethic are incredible.”

Despite his enthusiasm for the performance, Dubravka refused to predict Slovakia’s chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds, saying: “We are not going to calculate now, we are going to enjoy this feeling because it is huge to beat the third country in Europe but tomorrow is the next day and we need to prepare for the next opponent.”

Dubravka, who plays for Newcastle United at club level, sent his thanks to the English fans, who he says have sent him countless supportive messages, though would not be drawn on his own future.

“I don’t really know, and to be fair my mental state at the moment is to focus on my job here,” he said. “I just want to enjoy this because this is huge for our country. We do not always qualify for tournaments like this, so I am trying to absorb all the energy.”

Slovakia’s next group match comes on Friday, where the Falcons will meet Ukraine in Dusseldorf.

FEATURED IMAGE: JAVIER SORIANO/GETTY IMAGES VIA ONE FOOTBALL