Russia couldn't find a way back this time, leaving the team in danger of early elimination from the European Championship after a 2-1 loss to Slovakia Wednesday. The Russian defense was split by Marek Hamsik's long pass, which set up Vladimir Weiss for Slovakia's first goal in the 32nd minute. And Weiss turned provider on the stroke of half time as Hamsik powered in the second at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. "He was superb with the ball but also helped a lot in defense and scored a beautiful goal," Slovakia coach Jan Kozak said of Hamsik. The Russians pulled one back in the 80th minute through Denis Glushakov's header, but the loss left them with only one point from two matches in Group B. And Russia, which will host the 2018 World Cup, still has problems both on and off the field. The red flare set off by Russian fans after Glushakov's goal could prove problematic for the federation, which has been threatened with disqualification from Euro 2016 by UEFA if there is further misbehavior by its fans in stadiums. On Saturday in Marseille, Russian fans attacked their English rivals after their team scored late to earn 1-1 draw. There was no repeat of the violence in Lille, however. Russia will next face Wales Monday in Toulouse, while Slovakia plays England at the same time in Saint-Etienne. The composed Slovaks, who won a match at the continental championship for the first time, exposed the ineffectiveness of a disjointed Russian side that lacked creativity until the final minutes. "The Russians were on the ball more and were very good at counterattacks but they left space in defense," Hamsik said through a translator. "In the second half, we sat deep and luckily we managed to hold on to our lead." The opener was a combination of Hamsik's vision and hapless defending. From around the halfway line, Hamsik spotted Weiss in space on the edge of the penalty area and sent a long, diagonal pass to the winger. Weiss befuddled the defense as he cut through before guiding the ball into the net in the 32nd minute. The 26-year-old Weiss, who left European soccer two years ago to play in the little-regarded Qatari league, was swamped by his teammates after scoring. Weiss and Hamsik weren't yet finished with embarrassing the Russians, combining even more intelligently and stylishly for the second that exploited another lapse in concentration. A short corner from Weiss left the Russians in disarray. It reached Hamsik, who was gifted the space to curl a powerful shot from a tight angle in the net off the inside of the far post. "Hamsik has become mature on a personal and a football level in Napoli," Kozak said. "But I think Napoli has become too small for him. He deserves to play at a really big club." Russia had only hit the target once when Glushakov, who came on as a substitute, pulled a goal back in the 80th after Oleg Shatov's cross was headed in. "The situation is very complex," Russia coach Leonid Slutzky said. "Every team will still have a chance to qualify. It will be decided in the final round."
