Slovakia and Montenegro drew 2:2 in Košice in a hard-fought friendly match
Slovakia and Montenegro played a 2:2 draw on June 5, 2026, in Košice in an international friendly match which, according to the official match records of the football associations, had all the characteristics of a tough and evenly balanced encounter. The home national team found the way to the net twice, while Montenegro, after a weaker start to the match, managed to change the rhythm, come back from behind and secure a draw away from home. The scorers for Slovakia were Róbert Boženík in the fourth minute and Ondrej Duda in the 74th minute, while both goals for Montenegro were scored by Milutin Osmajić, first from open play in the 44th minute and then from a penalty kick in the 66th minute. According to the announcement by the Slovak Football Association, the match was played in front of 10,327 spectators at the Košice Football Arena, and the halftime score was 1:1. The match did not carry competitive points, but for both national teams it was important for testing the squad, the rhythm of play and the team’s reaction in demanding situations.
Early goal by the hosts and Montenegro’s quick response
Slovakia opened the match energetically and took the lead already in the fourth minute. According to the report of the Slovak Football Association, the move was finished in the penalty area by Róbert Boženík, who made use of a pass from Matúš Bero and sent the ball into the net of debutant goalkeeper Mišo Dubljanić. That goal gave the hosts initial control, and the Slovak team played high in the first part of the first half, tried to keep Montenegro far from its goal with pressure and looked for a second goal before the break. A special moment occurred in the 22nd minute, when Peter Pekarík left the game to applause from the stands, thereby concluding his long national-team career. His departure changed the emotional tone of the encounter, but on the pitch the rhythm remained competitive and without much room for comfortable control by one team.
Montenegro gradually stabilized after the initial pressure. In its report, the Football Association of Montenegro emphasized that the visiting national team, after the hosts’ early goal, managed to establish more possession and, through several connected moves, reach more dangerous zones. The equalizer came at the end of the first half, in the 44th minute, when Sead Hakšabanović played an important role in preparing the attack, and Milutin Osmajić scored with his left foot for 1:1. The goal came at a moment when Slovakia still had the impression of control, so halftime ended with an open score and was psychologically more favorable for the visitors. For Montenegro, this was an important response because the match moved from early Slovak dominance into a more equal duel between two teams that showed different ways of creating chances.
Osmajić brought the turnaround from a penalty, Duda brought Slovakia back
The continuation of the match brought a more concrete Montenegro, especially in transition. According to the report of the Football Association of Montenegro, the visitors’ leading goal came after a counterattack launched after a Slovak corner. Hakšabanović collected the rebounded ball and found Marko Janković, who carried the play toward the home penalty area with a long run. Ondrej Duda stopped Janković with a foul, and the awarded penalty kick in the 66th minute was converted by Osmajić. The Montenegro striker thus turned the result around with his second goal of the match and confirmed himself as the key player of the visiting side in Košice.
After conceding the goal, Slovakia had to look for a response, but it did not have much space against an opponent that was becoming increasingly secure between the lines. According to the official SFZ report, Róbert Boženík had a chance in the 70th minute, but did not hit the target. Four minutes later, Duda made amends for the foul that had preceded Montenegro’s penalty: after a deflected ball, he reacted quickly and scored for the final 2:2. In the closing stages, both national teams tried to reach the winning goal, and the FSCG states that Driton Camaj and Viktor Đukanović had chances to bring victory to Montenegro, but their attempts ended wide of the goal. The final part of the match confirmed the initial impression: neither team had a sufficiently pronounced advantage to completely decide the match.
Pekarík’s farewell evening marked the encounter
The match in Košice was especially important for Slovak football because of Peter Pekarík’s farewell from the national team. According to the announcement by the Slovak Football Association, the experienced defender ended his national-team career after 138 appearances, thereby equaling Marek Hamšík’s national record. Before the start of the match, he was thanked by SFZ president Ján Kováčik, general secretary Ivana Schneebergerová and Hamšík, and he received a framed shirt with the number 2 as a memento. The SFZ announced that the Slovak anthem before the match was performed by his wife Lujza Pekaríková, which further emphasized the personal character of the evening. Pekarík started the match with the captain’s armband, and after 22 minutes he was replaced by Hugo Pávek.
The farewell of one of the key figures of the Slovak national team gave the encounter a strong emotional framework, but it did not turn it into an exhibition match. Slovakia sought victory in front of full stands, while Montenegro approached the encounter as a serious test after another June appearance. Slovakia head coach Vladimír Weiss Sr. after the match, according to the SFZ, stressed that the duel had a special charge precisely because of Pekarík’s farewell, but at the same time assessed that the draw was realistic considering what was seen on the pitch. Weiss, according to the same announcement, praised parts of Slovakia’s play and Boženík’s return among the scorers, but warned about the mistakes that led to the goals conceded. Such an assessment summarizes well an encounter in which Slovakia had a strong start and the emotional energy of the stands, but failed to preserve its advantage on the scoreboard.
Montenegro confirmed its resilience away from home
For Montenegro, the draw in Košice was a result that confirms the team’s ability to come back after an unfavorable start and play competitively on away ground. The Football Association of Montenegro announced that with this encounter the senior national team completed its final friendly appearance in 2026, as part of the June window that also included an away match against Bulgaria. In Košice, the reaction after the fourth minute was especially important, because the visiting team did not retreat after the early deficit, but through possession and quicker outlet attacks gradually changed the balance of power. Osmajić’s two goals were the most visible part of that response, but Hakšabanović also played an important role in linking the attack, as did Janković in the move that led to the penalty. According to the official FSCG report, Montenegro’s head coach in that encounter was Mirko Vučinić, and the team used several substitutions during the second half in order to maintain energy and test options.
In a competitive sense, a friendly match does not bring points, but such encounters often reveal weaknesses that are not visible in more controlled circumstances. Montenegro had problems in the first half with Slovakia’s aggressive start, but its response at the end of the half and at the beginning of the continuation showed that the team can survive pressure and punish the space that the opponent leaves in transition. Slovakia, on the other hand, had more reason to regret the lead that it did not turn into a calmer match. The 2:2 result therefore seems like a faithful reflection of an encounter in which initiative, mistakes and moments of individual quality alternated. Particularly important is the fact that all goals came from different game situations: an early attack by the hosts, a constructed move by the visitors, a penalty kick after a counterattack and a quick reaction after a deflected ball.
Starting lineups and key match-record details
According to the official website of the Slovak Football Association, Slovakia started the match with the following lineup: Jakub Surovčík, Peter Pekarík, Adam Obert, Ondrej Duda, Matúš Bero, Adrián Kaprálik, Denis Vavro, Dávid Krčík, Tomáš Suslov, Artur Gajdoš and Róbert Boženík. Montenegro, according to the same match record, started with Mišo Dubljanić in goal, and the starting lineup included Adam Marušić, Igor Vujačić, Marko Perović, Stefan Milić, Marko Janković, Sead Hakšabanović, Stefan Lončar, Andrija Bulatović, Milutin Osmajić and Balša Sekulić. In the FSCG match record, Wojciech Myć from Poland is listed as the main referee, while yellow cards were received by Ondrej Duda and Róbert Boženík for Slovakia and Nikola Šipčić for Montenegro. The official reports also confirm that the match ended with a 2:2 result after 1:1 in the first half.
During the second half, both head coaches changed the rhythm of the match with substitutions. Slovakia introduced, among others, Mario Sauer, Roland Galčík, Martin Valjent, László Bénes, Michal Faško and Roman Čerepkai, while Nikola Šipčić, Ognjen Gašević, Miloš Brnović, Milan Roganović, Driton Camaj, Viktor Đukanović and Andrej Kostić came off the bench for Montenegro. Such a number of substitutions is typical for friendly matches, but it did not reduce the intensity of the closing stages. The hosts tried to use freshness in attack, and Montenegro looked for space behind the Slovak back line through faster players. In the end, the draw remained the most realistic outcome, which was confirmed both by the course of the match and by the official assessments that emphasized the evenness of the duel.
A rare head-to-head encounter again ended without a winner
According to the announcement by the Football Association of Montenegro and the overview of the Slovak Football Association, Slovakia and Montenegro had played two official friendly matches before the encounter in Košice. Slovakia won 2:0 in Senec on May 23, 2014, with the scorers being Vladimír Weiss Jr. and Erik Jendrišek. The second duel was played on November 17, 2022, in Podgorica and ended 2:2, after Slovakia had led 2:0 and Montenegro came back through Stefan Savić. The result in Košice therefore extended a pattern in which head-to-head encounters between the two national teams, although not frequent, provide enough uncertainty in the scoreline. After three matches, Slovakia has one victory, while the last two encounters ended without a winner.
In the broader context, the match in Košice served as a test for both national teams in a phase in which solutions are being sought for the next obligations. Slovakia received confirmation that it can impose the rhythm early and create pressure in front of its home crowd, but at the same time saw how dangerous it is to lose balance after a set piece or its own attack. Montenegro, meanwhile, showed that it has enough individual quality to punish mistakes and that it can return to a match even when the beginning does not go according to plan. Therefore, the 2:2 result is not only a statistical detail from the friendly schedule, but also a summary of a duel in which both teams had periods of better play, concrete chances and reasons for additional analysis after the final whistle.
Sources:
- Slovenský futbalový zväz – report from the Slovakia – Montenegro 2:2 match, course of the encounter, statements and context of Peter Pekarík’s farewell (link)
- Slovenský futbalový zväz – official match record, scorers, lineups, result and venue (link)
- Football Association of Montenegro – report “Draw in Košice”, description of the game, scorers, spectators and lineups (link)
- Football Association of Montenegro – announcement of the June friendly matches and historical context of the encounter with Slovakia (link)
- Slovenský futbalový zväz – text about Peter Pekarík’s farewell and the information about 138 national-team appearances (link)