Slovaks celebrate sensational Artmedia win

Slovakia, already basking in the glow of its tennis players reaching the Davis Cup final, was celebrating again yesterday after Artmedia Bratislava claimed the country's first points in the Champions League.

Unfancied Artmedia came from 2-0 down to beat 2004 European champions Porto 3-2 in Portugal.

"A miracle. Artmedia 3 FC Porto 2. History rewritten," claimed the front page headline of the most widely circulated daily Novy Cas.

The victory, seen by many as one of the biggest achievements in Slovakian soccer, spoiled Porto's 112th birthday celebrations.

"The three toasts left Porto with bad hangover," Novy wrote, referring to the three Artmedia goals which came from their only three shots on goal.

Artmedia is only the second Slovak team to have qualified for the Champions League in the country's 12-year history as an independent state.

Founded in 1899 as a small sports club on the outskirts of the capital Bratislava, the team has carried the name of its main sponsor, advertisement agency EURO RSCG Artmedia since 1993 when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech and Slovak Republics.

The Slovak title holders are the smallest team in this year's most prestigious European club competition, operating on an annual budget of less than two million euros.

"Artmedia is no longer a soccer dwarf after yesterday," said the respected daily Sme on its front page.

At the weekend, Slovakia beat Argentina to advance to the Davis Cup final for the first time, where they will meet Croatia in Bratislava in December.