Ivorian coach Yaya Touré continued his impressive start as Slovan Bratislava manager after guiding the Slovak champions to a convincing 3-0 victory over Podbrezová.
The victory was Slovan Bratislava’s second successive league win of the new campaign and maintained the momentum built during Touré’s first weeks in charge.
After two rounds of league matches, the defending champions have collected six points, scored seven goals and conceded none, giving them a goal difference of +7 and early leadership of Slovakia’s top flight.
For Touré, one of Africa’s most celebrated footballers, the latest result provides further evidence of a promising transition from assistant coach to head coach.
Slovan entered the match on the back of a 4-0 away victory over Banská Bystrica in the opening round and once again demonstrated their attacking quality while remaining defensively solid.
The home side made a perfect start through Ghanaian midfielder Rahim Ibrahim, who opened the scoring in the seventh minute.
Having already tested the opposition goalkeeper with a long-range effort moments earlier, Ibrahim finished confidently after meeting a well-weighted cross from Daiki Matsuoka to put Slovan in control.
The early breakthrough allowed the hosts to dictate possession for much of the first half.
Ibrahim and Matsuoka repeatedly caused problems for the visitors, forcing mistakes and creating further opportunities.
Although Podbrezová goalkeeper Martin Trnovsky produced several important saves before the interval to prevent the scoreline from becoming more emphatic, Slovan remained firmly in command.
The champions continued to press after the restart but had to wait until the closing stages to put the result beyond doubt.
Alen Mustafic struck in the 68th minute before adding his second goal of the evening in the 79th minute, completing a comfortable 3-0 victory.
Despite enjoying occasional spells of possession, Podbrezová rarely threatened the Slovan defence, which recorded a second consecutive clean sheet in the league.
The result means Touré’s side have now scored seven goals without reply in their opening two domestic fixtures.
Across all competitions, the former Ivory Coast captain has overseen four matches since taking charge, recording three victories and one draw.
The only draw came in midweek when Slovan earned a 1-1 result against Iberia in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
Touré’s unbeaten beginning reflects a smooth start to his managerial career after spending recent years developing his coaching credentials alongside Vicente Gomez, Carl Hoefkens and Roberto Mancini.
The early signs suggest the former Manchester City midfielder has adapted well to the demands of leading a team, with Slovan showing consistency in both attack and defence.
Attention now turns to European competition.
Slovan Bratislava will host Mjällby on 4 August in Champions League qualifying, a fixture expected to provide a sterner examination of the team’s early-season form.
