What is it about the first match of a qualifying campaign for Northern Ireland? Despite a decent display, Nigel Worthington's men opened the World Cup qualifiers with a 2-1 defeat.
The Ulstermen have now lost five out of six of their opening games.
They have won only one in 17 World Cup qualifiers away from Windsor Park but it's at home where they normally turn it on.
And they'll have to in three days' time against the Czech Republic if they are to mount a serious challenge of making it to South Africa in 2010.
Worthington kept faith with the 4-5-1 formation which worked so well in Scotland, with Gareth McAuley on the bench in place of fit-again skipper Aaron Hughes.
The message was to get support up to lone striker David Healy.
Keith Gillespie on the right and Martin Paterson on the left were given the job to help out when the men in green had possession. BROUGHT TO HEAL: David Healy — so prolific at international level — gets in his shot but fails to trouble the scorers
Healy was the main danger and only a deflection on six minutes prevented his low effort from just outside the box testing Stefan Senecky.
Gillespie got in on the act when he fed Healy and instead of going for goal, the Sunderland man cushioned his header down for Sammy Clingan, but he fired at Senecky.
Chris Baird headed a Gillespie corner over on 10 minutes, but the hosts were always going to have their share of the ball.
The first warning came on 25 minutes when Peter Pekarik sent a low cross into the six-yard box but it was scrambled behind for a corner. .
And eight minutes before the break Martin Jakubko met a Jan Durica cross from the left and powered a free header past Maik Taylor but it was ruled out for offside.
Just before the break Healy dragged a shot wide from inside the box after good work from Paterson.
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It was a miss that proved costly when Liverpool defender Martin
Skrtel opened the scoring a just a minute after the interval.
Marek Sapara curled a freekick into the box and with the Northern Ireland defence lying deep, Skrtel's glancing header gave Taylor no chance.
George McCartney had a good chance to level on 51 minutes but headed Gillespie's corner over.
Paterson shot at the keeper and Warren Feeney went close from Hughes' cross 60 seconds later.
On 69 minutes Baird's shot seemed to hit an arm in the penalty area, but play was waved on.
And with Northern Ireland gaining an advantage they were hit with a sucker punch.
They gave Marek Hamsik the freedom of Bratislava to stroke the ball into the net from close range after a Durica nod down.
Durica slid Chris Brunt's cross into his own net with nine minutes left but Slovakia held on, leaving Northern Ireland hoping for better on Wednesday.
SLOVAKIA Senecky 6, Durica 7 Skrtel 7, Pekarik 6, Petras 6, Karhan 6 (Zabavnik 5), Kozak 7, Jakubko 6 (Svento 5), Hamsik 6, SAPARA 8, Vittek 6.
MANAGER Weiss 7
NORTHERN IRELAND Taylor 6, Hughes 7, McCartney 6, Craigan 6, Evans 6, Baird 7 (Shiels 5), Gillespie 6 (Fenney 6), Clingan 7, Davis 7, Paterson 6 (Brunt 6), Healy 7.
MANAGER Worthington 6 REFEREE N Ivanov 6
