Comback in Ostrava secured the last win of 2023

In their last game of 2023 in Ostrava, Jindřich Trpišovský's men made five changes compared to their Thursday victory over Servette FC. Due to Igoh Ogbu's suspension, captain Jan Bořil returned to the defensive trio. Petr Ševčík and Christos Zafeiris operated in the midfield from the first minutes. Michal Tomič and Conrad Wallem took charge of the flanks, while up front, alongside Václav Jurečka, Mick van Buren and Muhamed Tijani started.

Although Slavia kicked off, just 25 seconds into the game, Tanko raced towards Aleš Madnous. The Slavia goalkeeper intervened in a critical moment, disrupting the pass, and Šehić at the back post couldn't reach the ball.

Early in the second ten-minute period, Slavia pressed Baník and created several interesting situations. Kpozo cleared van Buren's lofted cross before Tijani's header, while Letáček's goal frame stopped Wallem's shot from outside the box. The Ostrava goalkeeper also intervened in the 22nd minute, pulling off a close-range header from Jurečka.

In the 26th minute, following Aleš Mandous' clearance, one of Baník's defenders only managed to knock the ball to Václav Jurečka's feet. He brought the ball into the center of the field and fired a left-footed shot from the edge of the box. A powerful strike hit the top corner, leaving Letáček with no chance – 0-1!

Almost immediately after the kick-off, Ostrava's Bucha struck from the rebounded ball, placing it precisely into the bottom right corner of Mandous' goal – 1-1. The goal fest continued, with Rigo shooting from outside the box a minute before the half-hour mark, once again leaving Aleš Mandous unable to stop the attempt – 2-1.

In stoppage time, Michal Tomič threw the ball into the Ostrava penalty area; Václav Jurečka flicked it on to an unmarked Mick van Buren. The Dutch forward aimed accurately into the bottom left corner, leveling the score – 2-2!

The first half offered no more goals as the teams headed to the break tied.

Ten minutes after the whistle, Pojezný tested Aleš Mandous with a shot; the Slavia goalkeeper made an acrobatic jump to handle the strike. Moments later, Šehić fired from the edge of the box, and once again, Mandous denied a change in the scoreline.

Sixty minutes into the game, Slavia had a corner opportunity. Petr Ševčík's delivery found Václav Jurečka at the back post, who set it up for Jan Bořil in front of an empty net – 2-3! The Slavia captain scored in the league after more than 3 years, dating back to late November against Opava.

In the 65th minute, Slavia made their first substitution; Mick van Buren, the scorer of the last goal in the first half, exited the field for David Douděra. Three minutes later, Ostrava's Tanko received a red card for unsportsmanlike behavior, leaving Slavia with a numerical advantage for the rest of the match.

Ten minutes later, the coaching staff made their second substitution; Muhamed Tijani and Conrad Wallem made way for Mojmír Chytil and Stanislav Tecl. Further changes included Michal Tomič and Petr Ševčík leaving the pitch for Sheriff Sinyan and Ivan Schranz.

There were no additional goals in the remaining time, and Slavia emerged victorious in the 19th round of the FORTUNA:LIGA on Baník Ostrava's field with a score of 3-2. Jindřich Trpišovský's team's first game in the new year will be on February 10th, 2024, at 3:00 PM, when they host Jablonec at the Fortuna Arena.