Russia coach Dick Advocaat is pleased with the results of the match against Macedonia.
“This victory is very important for us. Macedonians did their best and gave us a lot of trouble,” he said.
Group B looks set to be one of the tightest in qualifying, with Russia now two points ahead of the Republic, Slovakia and Armenia courtesy of their 1-0 victory in Macedonia. Three teams in the Group have seven points each.
Defeat to Slovakia would have left the Republic of Ireland with an uphill battle but Giovanni Trapattoni believes the reverse fixtures next year, when they play away in Russia then at home to Slovakia, are likely to prove decisive.
"We have again this combination of games," he said. "Our group is very balanced. Russia won but only 1-0 and Macedonia missed a penalty. There are many situations that can happen. It's not about today or tomorrow, there are many games. It's important we believe in our performance, our attitude and our system."
Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss agreed: "The group is very even and Ireland, Armenia and Russia all have great teams so it all depends on the next games."
