Viktoria led after the first half thanks to goals from Milan Havel and Matěj Vydra, but Sampson Dweh was sent off in the 70th minute and the Greek champions equalized thanks to substitute players. In the 84th minute, Tárik Tissúdalí cut down, and in the third minute of regulation, Abdul Rahman Baba arranged the division of the points. Then coach Miroslav Koubek also received a red card for protesting.
The Czech team could not win even in the fifteenth cup match on Greek soil. Viktoria also scored a draw in the third match of the main stage of the competition and has not lost 23 duels in regular season UEFA competitions, PAOK scored points in the table for the first time.
In the next duel of the European League, West Bohemia will welcome San Sebastian on November 7.
After changing the format of the cups in the main stage, all 36 teams form one common table. All teams will play eight matches against different opponents, the top eight will advance directly to the round of 16, the clubs in ninth to 24th place will face the opening round of the elimination phase. After three rounds, the 20th place belongs to Victoria.
“It’s nice that we haven’t lost a single game so far, but after that one point it doesn’t add up. We had a great chance for a three-point shot today. In that sense, it’s a loss. We want to score points in every game, we’re doing that so far, but today we they should have had two extra points,” Koubek said at the press conference.
The coach of Viktoria bet on the same starting line-up as at the weekend during the 3:1 league victory in Ostrava. The Czech representative Červ started only on the bench, who was absent against Baník due to a penalty for expulsion. For the second time in his career, young midfielder Sojka got a chance in the cups in the starting eleven. Czech PAOK goalkeeper Jiří Pavlenka headed to Thessaloniki after the end of the transfer window and is not on the cup roster.
The stadium for 29,000 spectators was not completely full, over 16,000 people arrived in the auditorium. The West Bohemians started actively and had two great chances in the beginning. At the beginning of the third minute, after Šulca’s shot, the ball reached Adu’s net from close range, but the video referee detected a close offside, and the Ghanaian forward did not follow up on the two goals against Baník. In the seventh minute, Vydra collided with Šulec, but then he himself fired over in front of Kotarský.
PAOK held the ball more after that, but did not have a clear opportunity for the entire first half. After less than a quarter of an hour, the home team demanded a penalty after Dweh’s intervention, but the Swiss referee let the game continue.
In the 32nd minute, the West Bohemians opened the scoring. Cada crossed from the left side, Adu extended the ball and Havel volleyed it into the net with the help of the crossbar. The assistant first signaled offside, but after the intervention of the video referee, the referee reconsidered the verdict. The 30-year-old winger scored his second goal in the 37th game in the cups.
In the next seven minutes, the guests increased the score. Adu won the ball, after a pass from a teammate, stretched into the goal and cleared his attempt from close range into the Vydra net. The former national team striker scored only the second competitive goal of the season.
After switching sides, Viktoria initially controlled the proceedings. In the 54th minute, Kotarský put Ada through, on the opposite side, 11 minutes later, goalkeeper Jedliček blocked Taison’s shot in the Greek champion’s best chance to date.
In the 70th minute, Dweh complicated the finish for West Bohemia. The Liberian stopper collected a second yellow card and was sent off. The home team pressed in the power play, in the 80th minute Konstantelias’ unsuccessful shot at the post was eliminated by Jedlička. The visitors were able to score even in a weakened state, the substitute Jirka progressed to the goal himself, but he did not beat Kotarský.
Plzeň was all the more sorry that they immediately conceded in the 84th minute. Substitute Tissúdalí pounced on a cross from the right side and beat Jedlička. The visitors then withstood several big challenges, but in the third of the four set minutes, another substitute player, Baba, equalized with his head from close range.
“Before the match, we probably would have been happy (for a draw). But after the development that we were leading by two goals, it’s difficult to evaluate it. Three points were within reach. We should have taken care of it and finished it off. Although we received a red card and the home team had a lot of pressure, but it’s a shame. We had a great chance to make it 3-0, that would have decided it. Unfortunately, we conceded a minute or two before the end, and we’ll only take a point,” said the Pilsen defender Milan Havel.
“I’ll rate it as bittersweet,” stated the Pilsen coach Miroslav Koubek. “Sweet for the performance of the team, which I have to praise. We played exactly the way we wanted. We were active, we attacked the opponent. The fact that he had more possession of the ball is what our breaking style of play brings. We counted on that, we were dangerous enough after the whole match. I think we should have taken a penalty in the first half. We were leading 2:0, but we were able to create a chance even in the weakening. Unfortunately, he didn’t succeed. The opponent, of course, put a lot of pressure on it, and it is difficult to defend against it. We missed Sampson (Dweh), that is the pillar of the defense , because we clearly reached for three points.”
“Right after two minutes we scored a goal, which was disallowed due to offside, but it still knocked our confidence,” complained the PAOK coach Razvan Lucescu. It was an absolutely awful first half from our side, one of the worst I can remember. At least for the last year. We were slow, we were afraid to play forward. We were getting under pressure from Viktoria and we were just kicking balls. We conceded naive goals. The important thing is that we were able to react. Step by step we picked ourselves up in the second half. Of course, the red card affected it, but the substitutes also helped us. I’m disappointed with the first half, but I appreciate that the team didn’t give up and fought until the last minute.”
Although the West Bohemians maintained their invincibility in the cup season, the point is not enough for them considering the progress in the fight for promotion. At the end of January, PAOK will also welcome Slavia to the Europa League.
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