FC Viktoria Plzeň took on Athletic Club of Spain in the last round of the Europa League. Despite a fighting performance, we eventually lost 1:3, with Milan Havel scoring our only goal.

The head referee started the match and both teams immediately started playing offensive football. First the home team got their chance when Martin Jedlicka made a great save to stop Nico Williams. On the other side, Viktoria created a promising opportunity on the left side, which could have been scored by Milan Havel. However, he was just a few centimetres short of reaching the overhanging centre.

In the tenth minute, Lukáš Kalvach took a volley from outside the sixteen, but his shot went just wide of the goalkeeper. Both teams were playing a fast offensive game, so the ball was constantly flowing from one half to the other.

Bilbao were particularly dangerous in attack, something the Victorians had pointed out before the game and they were right. Berenguer´s dribble took him into the penalty area, where he was fantastically saved by Martin Jedlicka to keep the scoreless draw. Moments later, Prince Adu saw a yellow card for an unfortunate foul and the Basque side played a standard situation from which they managed to score. Their joy didn´t last long, however, as VAR stepped in to reveal an offside. Unfortunately, the score changed shortly afterwards when the brotherly duo of Iñaki and Nico Williams stepped up.

Due to the home team´s attacking play, we had room for quick counterattacks. Adu tried to take advantage of one of them, sprinting towards the goal after a successful dribble, but goalkeeper Agirrezabala was on the ball first. The head referee ended the first half after one minute and the home side went into the dressing rooms happier.

We entered the second half more active than Bilbao. The Victorians relied on quick bursts behind the defence, with Matej Vydra and Prince Adu engaging in running duels. However, many of our attacking attempts were stopped by the touch judge who signalled offside.

In the 62nd minute, Bilbao were awarded a standard situation after a foul by Sampson Dweh, who received a yellow card for his tackle. The scenario from the first half was repeated, with the home side taking their chances and sending the ball into the net. This time, however, the goal was disallowed.

Many may have thought it was decided, but we kept fighting. The old football rule was: play to the end. Our efforts were rewarded. Lukas Worm spotted the unguarded Milan Havel and immediately directed a pass to him. Havel, with icy calm, sent the ball straight to the bar. This goal kicked us into gear and it was clear that we were still trying to change the game. On the other hand, the home side, Bilbao, got nervous.

In the 85th minute there was an unpleasant moment when the referee gave a yellow card to Daniel Vasulin. However, after a VAR review, he changed the verdict to a red card and we finished the game with ten men. We still tried to do something about the result, but in injury time the home team´s Javier Marton stepped up and finally decided the result.

FC Viktoria Plzeň lost to Bilbao 1:3 despite a fighting performance. Thank you to all 700 fans who weighed in to support us. Thank you!