line-ups

FC Viktoria Plzeň

Wiegele – Prebsl (91. Krčík), Dweh, Spáčil (72. Vydra) – Memić, Červ (86. Faal), Hrošovský (C), Souaré (79. Sojka), Doski – Višinský (72. Kabongo) – Adu (72. Ladra).

FK Crvena zvezda

Matheus – Luckassen, Veljković, Uschenna – Kostov, Kunić, Elšnik (71. Rodrigão), Cham (95. Lučić) – Bukari, Arnautović (67. Enem), Ivanić (C) (60. Bajo).

statistics

Goals: 8. Adu (Souaré), 58. Višinský (pen.), 63. Hrošovský (Červ), 90+5. Kabongo (pen.), 96. Krčík (Kabongo) – 11. Ivanić

Yellow cards: 102. Ladra (PLZ) – 50. Uchenna (CZB), 65. Arnautović (CZB), 90+2. Enem (CZB), 90+4. Rodrigão (CZB), 103. Luckassen (CZB), 105+2. Kostov (CZB)

Red cards: 53. Bukari (CZB)

Referees: Makkelie – Steegstra, de Vries (všichni NED)

Shots on goal: 12:2

Shots off target: 17:4.

Corners: 8:3

Offside: 1:2

Fouls: 29:21

Attendance: 9233

Viktoria produced a fantastic comeback in the second leg against Crvena zvezda. They wiped out the three-goal deficit from the first leg in the final minute of stoppage time, before Krčík sealed their place in the UEFA Europa League league phase in extra time.

The visitors kicked off the second leg. Viktoria threatened for the first time in the third minute. Memić drove down the flank and found Červ, whose effort struck one of the defenders. Plzeň kept pushing and took the lead in the eighth minute when Adu tapped the ball into an empty net. The response was immediate. Ivanić pounced on a loose ball and beat Wiegele from the rebound. A few minutes later, Červ attempted to send a cross into the box, but the visiting goalkeeper comfortably collected it. In the 21st minute, Višinský got a touch on Spáčil’s cross, but the score remained unchanged. At the other end, Wiegele was called into action. Bukari went past Doski and fired at goal, but the Plzeň goalkeeper produced a superb save. In the 30th minute, Hrošovský tried his luck from outside the box but failed to hit the target. Three minutes later, Adu got in behind the defence and rounded the goalkeeper, only for one of the defenders to block his shot towards the empty net at the very last moment. Nothing else happened before the break. Viktoria started brightly, while Crvena zvezda largely waited for their opponents to make mistakes. The teams therefore went into the dressing rooms with the score level. In the 49th minute, Višinský’s cross found Memić, whose effort was parried by the goalkeeper. He then also denied Hrošovský’s follow-up. A minute later, Prebsl picked out Memić with a brilliant pass and the winger won a penalty. Adu stepped up, but the goalkeeper guessed correctly and saved his spot kick. In the 53rd minute, Bukari was shown a red card, giving Viktoria a numerical advantage. A few minutes later, the referee awarded another penalty following a VAR review. This time Višinský took responsibility and converted. In the 63rd minute, Hrošovský battled his way into a shooting position inside the box and scored another goal to move Viktoria closer to wiping out the deficit. Wiegele made a mistake while playing out from the back in the 74th minute, allowing Crvena zvezda to create an opportunity, but Plzeň managed to block the resulting effort. Three minutes later, Memić delivered a dangerous cross into the box, but nobody was able to get a touch on it. Ladra then found Dweh with a cross, but his header flew narrowly wide. In the 89th minute, Kabongo burst into the penalty area, only for a defender to clear the ball away from him at the last moment. Sojka tested the goalkeeper’s concentration in stoppage time, but he was ready. Then the unbelievable became reality.

Viktoria had what appeared to be one final corner, with Florian Wiegele also making his way into the box. The Plzeň goalkeeper was held back and the referee pointed to the spot. Kabongo stepped up and sent the tie into extra time. An unbelievable moment. Plzeň continued to push for the completion of the comeback, while Crvena zvezda largely resorted to clearing the ball away from their goal. Viktoria celebrated again when Krčík fired past the goalkeeper. The situation was reviewed by VAR for a possible offside, but the goal was eventually allowed to stand. Viktoria therefore led on aggregate after the first half of extra time. Kabongo found the net again in the second period, but his celebrations were cut short by a clear offside. Ladra then carved his way through the penalty area and fired towards the near post, where the goalkeeper was ready. Viktoria completed a seemingly impossible comeback and secured their place in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.

Highlights