line-ups

FC Viktoria Plzeň

Ťapaj – A. Gabriel, Dweh, Prebsl, Pališčák (46. Souaré) – Pirgić, Hrošovský (C) (78. Červ) – Memić (71. Višinský), Panoš (65. Ladra), Sojka – Kabongo (65. Faal).

FK Mladá Boleslav

Floder – F. Matoušek (71. Zachoval), Karafiát, Králik (C), Hybš – Kozel, Zíka – John (60. Kolářík), Langhamer (80. Špatenka), Šubert (71. Havran) – Jiří Klíma (60. Buryán).

statistics

Goals: 3. Kabongo (A. Gabriel), 21. Pirgić (Hrošovský), 86. Faal (A. Gabriel)

Yellow cards: 13. Pališčák (PLZ), 23. A. Gabriel (PLZ), 52. Sojka (PLZ), 83. Faal (PLZ) – 32. John (MBL), 70. Šubert (MBL)

Referees: Berka – Kubr, Slavíček.

Shots on goal: 7:4

Shots off target: 10:9

Corners: 7:12

Offside: 2:1

Fouls: 9:8

Attendance: 7465

Viktoria returned to league action with a 3–0 win over Mladá Boleslav at the Doosan Arena. Christophe Kabongo and Stefan Pirgić both scored in the first half, with Pirgić netting his first league goal. Babucarr Faal sealed the victory late on.

Viktoria made a flying start to the match. Before Boleslav had time to settle, Kabongo picked up the ball inside the box, beat a defender and opened the scoring with a powerful shot. The visitors then pushed Viktoria back into their own half, but failed to create any real threat and Ťapaj was not called into action. Boleslav threatened in the 16th minute when Solomon John beat Pališčák and sent a cross into the box. Prebsl blocked it, but the loose ball fell to Langhamer, who failed to connect cleanly and fired off target. In the 21st minute, Stefan Pirgić scored his first league goal, meeting Patrik Hrošovský’s pinpoint cross with a superb volley. Three minutes later, Ťapaj produced an excellent save to deny the visitors a clear scoring opportunity. Viktoria continued to press, sending crosses into the box and causing Floder plenty of problems. In the 41st minute, Pirgić unleashed a long-range effort that forced the Boleslav goalkeeper into a stretching save. Panoš also tried his luck late in stoppage time, but his shot went narrowly wide. Viktoria went into the break with a two-goal lead.

The second half began with a long-range effort from Boleslav that failed to threaten Ťapaj’s goal. At the other end, Jiří Maxim Panoš had a golden opportunity in the 53rd minute. With the goal at his mercy, he was unable to steer the ball on target with his weaker foot. The visitors threatened again in the 58th minute. Gabriel won possession, but Hrošovský then lost the ball and Prebsl cleared the resulting cross behind for a corner.

Boleslav came close to pulling a goal back in the 62nd minute, but their shot clipped the post and the follow-up failed to trouble the goalkeeper. The woodwork came to Viktoria’s rescue again in the 70th minute, when Josef Kolářík’s volley struck the post. In the 78th minute, Gabriel sent Faal through on goal, but the visitors blocked his shot. Two minutes later, Dweh met a cross, only for Floder to produce an excellent save.

In the 86th minute, Faal pounced on a loose ball after a scramble in front of the Boleslav goal to make it 3–0. Viktoria saw out the match, keeping a clean sheet and securing all three points.

Photogallery