Ružomberok Stuns Petržalka: Underdogs Claim Vital Away Win to Shake Up I Liga Women’s Table

On a brisk October afternoon at Štadión FC Petržalka 1898, fortunes pivoted on a single moment as Ružomberok Women—rooted to the lower reaches of Slovakia’s I Liga—toppled third-place Petržalka Women, 1-0, in a match that may prove pivotal for both sides as the season gathers pace.

The script seemed improbable. Petržalka, riding high after a resilient 3-2 road win at Tatran Prešov last week and boasting a home record that’s made them a fixture in the league’s top three, were expected to dispatch a Ružomberok side entering the day in eighth place, the memory of three consecutive defeats still fresh in their ranks. Recent head-to-head history offered little solace for Ružomberok. Petržalka had previously leveraged home advantage to dictate the tempo and the scoreboard in these encounters.

Yet, as the match unfolded under autumnal clouds, it was Ružomberok who played with the urgency of a club desperate to salvage its campaign. Early exchanges were frenetic, Petržalka pressing high, Ružomberok absorbing with compact lines and calculated discipline. The home side’s attacking trio buzzed with intent but struggled to pierce the visitors’ well-drilled back four. A pair of speculative efforts from distance—Petržalka’s captain narrowly missing the far post in the 18th minute—hinted at mounting frustration.

The contest’s solitary moment of clarity arrived in the 37th minute. Ružomberok midfielder Adriana Hrušková, seizing on a Petržalka turnover in midfield, burst forward with purpose. Her incisive through-ball found striker Lucia Borová, who, with composure that belied her years, slotted past the outstretched keeper into the bottom corner for what would stand as the game’s only goal.

A muted home crowd watched as opportunity after opportunity fizzled for Petržalka. Their best chance to restore parity came just before the break—a looping cross met by forward Lenka Kleinová, whose header thundered off the crossbar. The woodwork, as if conspiring with Ružomberok’s growing confidence, proved a stubborn adversary.

The second half brought more of the same: Petržalka with possession, Ružomberok defending in numbers, ready to counter with well-timed surges. Tempers briefly flared on the hour mark when Petržalka’s Eva Šimková was shown a yellow card for a tactical foul, emblematic of the mounting tension as minutes ticked away. Still, Ružomberok’s backline—anchored by captain Katarína Mlynarčíková—remained unbreached.

Petržalka’s frustrations peaked in stoppage time. A desperate scramble in the box ended with appeals for a penalty waved away by the referee, and with it, the hosts’ hopes for a last-gasp equalizer dissipated into the chilly Bratislava air.

The final whistle signaled jubilation for Ružomberok—a team that had collected just four points from its first five matches now notching a second consecutive victory, and against formidable opposition. The implications in the standings are immediate. Petržalka, stalled at 15 points from eight matches and still third, now risk losing pace with the leaders after two defeats in their last three outings. Ružomberok climbs to nine points from eight, breathing new life into their campaign and putting daylight between themselves and the drop zone.

For Petržalka, the defeat stings as a missed opportunity to cement their position among the elite and rebound from their earlier reversals against title contenders Slovan Bratislava and Spartak Myjava. Their attack, which had averaged nearly three goals per match prior to this encounter, found itself stifled and, when it mattered most, uncharacteristically blunt.

Ružomberok, buoyed by a surge in form that now includes three straight wins, can look ahead with renewed optimism. If this defensive fortitude and opportunism in transition can be sustained, the narrative of their season—so recently mired in disappointment—may yet be rewritten.

As both teams look to the horizon—Petržalka with a point to prove and Ružomberok riding a wave of belief—the I Liga’s autumn run-in promises further intrigue. Every point, every goal, and, as Saturday’s drama underscored, every moment will count.