Slovakia's two main stars, center back Martin Skrtel and captain Marek Hamsik, recovered from recent injuries and were in the starting lineup to face New Zealand in their World Cup match Tuesday.
Skrtel recently returned to full training after breaking his right foot in February, and Hamsik is back from a muscle injury for the Group F match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Tuesday.
Striker Robert Vittek, who has also been fighting to regain match fitness after injury, was also included but there was no place for forward Filip Holosko who was on the bench.
New Zealand started with a front line that included Rory Fallon, Chris Killen and Shane Smeltz.
Slovakia, which upset group favorites Czech Republic and Poland to qualify for the World Cup, is in its first international tournament since the 1993 dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
New Zealand is still looking for its first World Cup victory after going winless in its 1982 debut.
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Lineups:
New Zealand: Mark Paston, Tony Lochhead, Winston Reid, Ivan Vicelich, Ryan Nelsen, Simon Elliott, Shane Smeltz, Chris Killen, Leo Bertos, Rory Fallon, Tommy Smith.
Slovakia: Jan Mucha, Martin Skrtel, Marek Cech, Radoslav Zabavnik, Zdeno Strba, Vladimir Weiss, Stanislav Sestak, Robert Vittek, Jan Durica, Marek Hamsik, Erik Jendrisek.
