Did Sparta progress deservedly?
Rather happily. She was able to punish Slavia for their banal mistakes and was lucky to score a goal in time to make it 1:2. If he had come later, the fans would probably have played it off by now.
And why didn’t they play it?
Already in the first half, Slavia’s defenders had several weak moments, which Sparta could take advantage of. Instead, she collected herself after a lost ball, Chytil beautifully set up Schranz’s first goal. And with a score of 2:0, few expected that the Slavists would let the progress be taken away.
And you?
Slavia looked very good at that time, they had perhaps the best passage in the match. She was brought down by a foul by stopper Ogbua, who gifted the goal to Olatunji. Until then, the Slavists had been combining well and creating interesting situations, but a goal at 1:2 put Sparta back on its feet. And then she showed her greatness, she made the most out of the minimum. Erasing a two-goal deficit against Slavia and winning is a great calling card. The Spartans are on a roll and they took full advantage of it in Eden.
When you mentioned Spartans forward Victor Olatunji, did he say two goals for more chances?
He gets them. Sparta has a demanding schedule and the coaches have to rotate the lineup. Typologically, he fit excellently in the derby against the famous Ogbua. It was his match and I think that Honza Kuchta, for example, would have a lot more work to do with Ogbue. Olatunji was extremely dangerous for the Slavists and was rewarded with two goals. At 2:2 it could have turned out either way.
At the same time, the Slavists were seemingly in control of the match.
Maybe they were too sure. 2:0 lead in the derby, trampled Eden, euphoria. After Sparta’s first goal, another one came and the psyche began to work. In the end, it was a huge disappointment for Slavia, the semi-finals of the cup were not far away.
You already mentioned that the sad hero of the derby was Slavist stopper Igoh Ogbu. Why does he repeatedly make mistakes in the derby?
He’s a little unlucky. He does a lot of things well in a match, but then he is capable of making a blunder. And the bigger the match, the more mistakes hurt. He tries to play constructively and can run back in many situations, coach Trpišovský is rightly betting on him. But in the derby he could have received a red card already in the first half, he had one delicate situation roughly 50 to 50. And the moment before Sparta’s first goal? You cannot afford this in battles for everything, opponents mercilessly punish any hesitation.
Adam Karabec believed in the penalty in the derby. Such matches speak of our winning mentality. Video: Sport.cz
The decision was made by a penalty, which was converted by Spartan joker Adam Karabec in the 114th minute. What did you say about the sovereignty of the young midfielder, whom you know from a joint stint in the 21st team?
I think a lot of the more experienced players wouldn’t go for it at that point. It was a pivotal moment, but Adam exuded great confidence. It’s not easy in downtrodden Sparta and I often thought that he should go somewhere on loan. This moment could help him, his position could be stronger.
And what do you expect from Sunday’s league derby at Letná?
Why can’t a lot of goals be scored again? It will be sold out this time too and I don’t expect any big changes in the way the game is played. And above all, this match can give a lot of clues in the direction of the title. If Slavia wants to keep hope, they cannot afford to lose. A seven-point deficit would be difficult to overcome with Sparta’s current form. And vice versa: if the Slavists won, the battle for the title would be even more exciting. Something tells me it won’t be boring.
2024-03-01 05:30:11
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