Before the match with Romania, Skriniar clarified the conflict at the national team: “I spoke with him”
Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Saturday, March 28, 2026, 5:56 p.m. / Updated Saturday, March 28, 2026, 5:56 p.m.
The captain of the Slovakian national football team, Milan Skriniardid not hide his disappointment after the dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Championship was shattered. Romania will play a friendly in Slovakia on Tuesday, March 31, from 21:45.
The 31-year-old Fenerbahce defender felt Thursday's play-off semi-final defeat to Kosovo all the more keenly as he was unable to help his team-mates directly on the pitch. He described his absence from the team as the most logical decision given his medical condition.
The Slovaks lost 3-4 to the Balkan team, and after the game, the players were at a loss for words.
Milan Skriniar: “It was very difficult to miss the qualification”
“It was very difficult, the boys expressed their emotions and thoughts that we all felt. It was a huge disappointment. The fact that I was in the stands and couldn't intervene made it even bigger.”
“It hurt, but it's hard for me to comment. The injury happened right before one of the most important matches for Slovakia. After the game, I was even more disappointed,” the Slovakian captain said, according to sport.aktuality.sk.
“Kosovo didn't score many goals. We scored three, which is great, but on the other hand, when you score four, it's hard to qualify. I can't fault the boys. From the stands, I didn't feel like the opponent was putting constant pressure. They got to the goal, scored, a set piece, scored,” he added about the match.
Skriniar was injured on 19 February when he was unable to finish the UEFA Europa League round of 16 play-off match against English side Nottingham Forest. He returned to his team's bench on 4 March, but watched all four previous matches from there without playing.
“I came here to do everything I could to get ready. And the coaches knew that medically, my injury was not healed. I trusted that I could take a chance. However, logically, it was the best decision, considering that we had healthy and fit players.”
“It's better to have a player who is fit and 100 percent ready than one who you don't know what can happen. Maybe I would have been injured in the 15th minute, maybe I would have held on. My feeling was that I wanted to try, but reason decided, after discussions with the doctors and coaches,” added Skriniar.
The absence of the national team's number one defender opened the way for Martin Valjent to return. The 30-year-old defender from RCD Mallorca had not been called up by Francesco Calzona for two and a half years. He marked his return with a goal, putting Slovakia ahead in the sixth minute.
Milan Skriniar: “I had no problem with Martin Valjent”
“I'm glad he's here and he's had a great comeback. I'm glad all the unclear things have been cleared up. I've known him since he was 15 and he certainly has something to offer this team.
He has been playing in La Liga for many years. It was not easy for him to enter such a match. It's a shame that it didn't end with a victory that would definitively put an end to his “case”, said Skriniar, who also definitively shut down rumors that he himself was behind Valjent's absence from the national team:
“It's nonsense and it always has been. I talked to “Vali” about it many times. He didn't believe it either. I don't know where it came from and why. People started to believe it, and at one point I was talking to Lubo Satka and I said to myself: “I hope he doesn't think it's true, if people keep writing about it”.
“I always had things clarified, and he knew the reason why he wasn't here. I'm glad that this topic is closed and there are no more unnecessary things that destroy and do not help the national team.”
