“It was another difficult cup match, as it usually is in this competition. Opava played from a deep block, and in order to move it, we needed to score a quick goal, but we didn’t succeed,” said Sparta Praha coach Brian Priske after the semi-final success.
This season, the Danish coach led his team against the famous Liverpool, but for the second time against an opponent from the second league in the domestic cup. With Líšní (1:0) in the round of 16, Sparta did not cash in either with Opava. “I guess these matches and preparations for them can’t really be compared. But it was very simple against Opava. We simply wanted to win the final, because you never know when you will be in a situation to play for it again,” explained Priske.
The head of the Spartan bench made seven changes in the lineup compared to the league victory in České Budějovice (1:0). The number one goalkeeper Vindahl, captain Krejčí and Slovakian midfielder Haraslín remained among the substitutes. On the other hand, forward Kuchta played, who beat Opava goalkeeper Richter for the first time in the 21st minute.
Photo: Jaroslav Ožana, CTK
From the left, Matěj Helebrand from Opava, Veljko Birmančević from Sparta and Jiří Janoščín from Opava.
However, he could rejoice only for a moment, because the referee Petr Hocek canceled the goal immediately after watching the video and instead ordered a penalty kick for a foul by Lukáš Sadílek on the border of the visitors’ large goal. “I still don’t get it, I think I played the balloon. But maybe there was some contact. But the referee judged it that way and we had to take it. It’s good that we reacted before the break and scored the leading goal, which was already valid. I think it was very important for the rest of the game,” Sadílek pointed out about Kuchta’s shot from the 44th minute, the regularity of which could no longer be doubted.
The favorite was guarding a narrow lead, but it was still not far from a sensation. In the 72nd minute, substitute Nigerian Yahaya ran into the game and after a few seconds hit the right post of goalkeeper Vorl with the ball. “I have to admit that I felt a little numb at that moment,” Sadílek confided. “Mistakes happen in every match, but it was a warning finger that forced us to switch and be more alert,” emphasized the 27-year-old Sparta midfielder.
Only Olatunji brought definitive peace to the Spartan ranks, who in the 81st minute took advantage of a misunderstanding between the Opava defense and the goalkeeper after Tuci’s kick. “It was a difficult match because Opava gave an excellent performance. The spectators chased them, they didn’t let anything go,” praised the opponent Sadílek.
“We fulfilled everything we said before the game, and thanks to that, they could dream that we could maybe make it to extra time. We played a great match in an excellent atmosphere,” said Opava coach Miloslav Brožek.
Sparta qualified for the cup final for the third time in a row, failing to win the previous two (1:3 with Slovácko and 0:2 with Slavia). In the second final, Sparta Priske will lead. “This makes me happy, it’s not easy to go this far repeatedly. We are in the final for the third time in a row and it shows the mentality of this party that wants to be successful. We will do everything to make it the third time,” Priske promised. Sparta’s opponent will come from the match between Pilsen and Zlín, which will be played on April 24.
