Play-off secured: Jurečka seals victory against Union
The match at Lotto Park, the home of Anderlecht Brussels, began with Slavia pressing hard. David Zima narrowly missed a header, and Igoho Ogbu's deflected shot went over the crossbar in the fifth minute.
In the 13th minute, Malick Diouf attempted a surprising shot from a tight angle, which Moris managed to deflect for a corner with difficulty. Rodríguez's header from a Puertas cross flew high over the bar. Diouf was injured in a collision with Ivan Schranz but continued to play after treatment. Seven minutes before the end of the first half, David headed the ball off the crossbar, with Slavia fortunate to head into the break with a scoreless draw.
Early in the second half, Kinský saved Puertas' shot, which was aimed directly at the center of the goal. An hour into the game, Ogbu cleared a dangerous situation with a strong kick after David's backheel pass. In the 65th minute, Slavia made a double substitution, with David Douděra replacing Masopust and Filip Prebsl coming in for Zafeiris.
Kabangu's slalom through the penalty area ended with a cross that Slavia's defense cleared for a corner. The defensive unit was performing excellently. The referee did not award a penalty after a challenge on Tomáš Chorý in the box, and play continued. In the 82nd minute, Václav Jurečka and Jan Bořil entered the match, replacing Diouf and Schranz.
Two minutes later, Chorý intercepted a pass from Union's defenders and set up Provod, who brilliantly found Václav Jurečka in the penalty area. The league's top scorer for the past two seasons had no trouble slotting the ball past the wrong-footed Moris—0:1.
The match ended with that scoreline, and Matěj Jurásek also got a taste of the action, replacing Provod, who provided the winning assist.
In the Champions League playoffs, Slavia will face France's Lille, who eliminated Fenerbahce. The first leg will take place on Tuesday, August 20th, at Lille's stadium at 21:00, with the return leg in Eden on Wednesday, August 28th, also at 21:00.
Lineups
Moris – Castro-Montes, Mac Allister, Machida, Teklab (69. Terho) – Sadiki, Vanhoutte, Puertas – El Hadj (65. Rasmussen) – Rodríguez (69. Kabangu), David (81. Eckert)
Kinský – Holeš, Ogbu, Zima – Masopust (65. Douděra) , Zafeiris (65. Prebsl), Oscar, Diouf (82. Diouf) – Schranz (82. Jurečka), Chorý, Provod (90. Jurásek)
