line-ups

FK Jablonec

Hanuš – Cedidla, Tekijaški (C), Pavlović, Sobol (46. Alioum) – Sedláček (71. Okeke), Nebyla – Čanturišvili (71. Hollý), Zorvan, Kuol (83. Ahl) – Růsek (71. Chramosta).

FC Viktoria Plzeň

Wiegele – A. Gabriel (62. Souaré), Dweh, Prebsl, Doski (62. Pališčák) – Červ, Hrošovský (C) – Memić (68. Faal), Ladra, Višinský (75. Pirgić) – Kabongo (68. Lawal).

statistics

Goals: 57. Pavlović (Zorvan), 84. Faal (vla.) – 15. Dweh (Hrošovský), 25. Kabongo, 53. Memić (Ladra)

Yellow cards: 14. Sobol (JAB), 65. Alioum (JAB) – 34. Doski (PLZ), 77. Faal (PLZ)

Referees: Machálek – Antoníček, Brázdil

Shots on goal: 9:3

Shots off target: 11:2

Corners: 8:3

Offside: 1:3

Fouls: 14:14.

Attendance: 2844

Viktoria secured a 3–2 away win over Jablonec in Round 11 of the Chance Liga. Goals from Sampson Dweh, Christophe Kabongo and Amar Memić put them three goals ahead, but the hosts struck twice to set up a tense finish. Plzeň held on to their narrow lead to round off a busy week with an important victory.

The hosts kicked off the Round 11 clash. In the third minute, Višinský attempted a cross into the box, but failed to find a teammate. Five minutes later, Ladra sent the ball across the Jablonec goal, but again no Viktoria player could get on the end of it. At the other end, Wiegele was called into action in the same minute, though the shot caused him little trouble. Plzeň took the lead in the 16th minute when Dweh headed home Hrošovský’s delivery from a set piece. Wiegele produced a superb save to deny Cedidla in the 20th minute. Five minutes later, Kabongo capitalised on a mistake in Jablonec’s build-up and, with Hanuš off his line, sent the ball into the net from almost halfway. Viktoria were two goals ahead.

In the 35th minute, play continued despite an apparent foul on Červ, and the referee awarded Jablonec a penalty following Dweh’s challenge in the box. After reviewing the incident, however, he penalised the earlier foul on the Plzeň midfielder, overturned the penalty decision and awarded Viktoria a free kick. The hosts squandered a huge opportunity in first-half stoppage time, firing wide with the goal at their mercy. There were no further goals before the break, and Plzeň went into the dressing room with a two-goal lead. Alioum tried his luck with a volley in the 51st minute, but his effort went wide. Two minutes later, Viktoria put together a fine move. Hrošovský found Višinský on the edge of the box, and his backheel laid the ball off to Memić. Memić beat Hanuš with a low shot into the far corner to make it 3–0. In the 57th minute, however, the hosts pulled a goal back through a Pavlović header following a brief spell of pressure. Jablonec continued to push forward, but the Plzeň defence stayed alert and blocked a number of efforts. In the 69th minute, Ladra won a challenge and played the ball to Višinský. He crossed into the box, but Faal was a step short of making a clean connection.

The hosts reduced the deficit to a single goal in the 84th minute when Zorvan’s shot from a set piece took a deflection off Faal and ended up in the net. Suddenly rejuvenated, Jablonec created another chance moments later, but the shot went wide. In the 88th minute, Lawal raced through on goal, only to miss the target from close range. Jablonec had one more attempt in stoppage time, but that too went wide. The hosts could not find an equaliser, and Viktoria returned from northern Bohemia with an important 3–2 victory.