They say the very best defenders are willing to put their body on the line in pursuit of a clean sheet. And, as the Liverpool target found himself receiving medical treatment for the second time in that very same afternoon, the eventual 1-0 win made all the pain worthwhile.
Has there been a better defensive performance in the tournament so far?
Romania and Tottenham’s Radu Dragusin may have something to say about that – outstanding as Romania batterred Ukraine – while Riccardo Calafiori’s standout display for Italy against Albania went a long way to showing what all the fuss is about too.
But as Slovakia’s granit-carved rearguard kept Belgium off the scoresheet – albeit with a helping hand from VAR and a flick of Lois Openda’s fingers – the exceptional David Hancko certainly did his chances of a dream move to his beloved Liverpool no harm at all.
Liverpool like Feyenoord and Slovakia star David Hancko
An Eredivisie winner with Feyenoord in 2023, a reunion with Arne Slot appears to be on the cards at Anfield after his agent went public with Liverpool’s interest a few months ago.
A left-sided centre-half at De Kuip, Hancko started at left-back against Belgium and typified a stirring Slovakia display with a dramatic clearance off the line to deny Johan Bakayoko, taking a knee to the face for his troubles..
“I think David Hancko played a very important role with that block on the line,” former Feyenoord ace Tim De Cler tells ESPN, watching on in awe as the former Sparta Prague man put his head where it hurt with the medical staff sprinting over to him for the second time.
“That, plus the result, makes him the Player of the Day. He is developing so well. He is so stable and can actually do everything. I just think he is an all-round top defender.”
Rated at around £25 million, Hancko has made no secret of his admiration for the Merseyside giants. The appointment of Slot as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement could see Hancko follow in the footsteps of his idol Martin Skrtel.
And De Cler has no doubts that the 26-year-old can make the not inconsiderable step up from Dutch football to the Premier League.
Euro 2024 hero tipped for Anfield move
“If he makes it to the next round (of the Euros), his market value will also increase. More and more clubs are becoming interested, and there were already,” De Cler predicts.
“I think he can easily handle a (major European) club. I’m talking about a club like Atletico Madrid or Liverpool. He can certainly handle that.”
Hancko, a self-professed Liverpool ‘fan’, did sign a new contract with Feyenoord a few months ago. The expectation is, however, that offers will still be considered, the Rotterdam giants looking to protect his value rather than slam the shutters down on an exit.
“The guys did their best,” a proud Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona tells Sportky, Milan Skriniar, Dennis Vavro and Stanislav Lobotka also outstanding after Ivan Schranz opened the scoring early on.
“They put themselves into it and we beat a big opponent. I told the guys that we have to have the mentality that we can compete with the best. It’s a huge victory, but we have to keep working. We’ll see about the next matches.
“We must also score points in them in order to fulfill the goal and advance (to the next round).”
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