Brno Derby Falls Short of a Full House — Coaches Slam Kick-off Time

Zbrojovka beat Artis 2:1 in the Brno derby, which drew nine and a half thousand spectators to the Královo Pole stadium — roughly a thousand short of a sellout. Both coaches criticised the organisers after the match for scheduling the game at an inconvenient time.

"The atmosphere was fantastic. People keep saying we need to popularise football, yet I honestly don't understand why a match like this is played at three in the afternoon. It should have been an evening kick-off, under the lights. We had two days to prepare, and then we go out and play in the daytime — that's a strange choice of timing to me," said Artis coach Roman Nadvorník in bewilderment.

Zbrojovka boss Martin Svědík echoed his colleague's frustration: "It's a real shame it wasn't played at, say, six in the evening. There would have been a lot more people here. It's a pity nobody thought that through."

How the match unfolded

Since matches between Zbrojovka and Artis don't have a long history, and the smaller club is still building its fan base, rivalry in the stands was fairly muted. "There isn't that tradition of confrontation yet, but we understand that two Brno clubs are playing and it's a fight for the city. We're glad we came through it," Svědík noted.

Svědík's side had already secured the upper hand by half-time, taking a 2:0 lead into the break. Visiting forward Alegue struck the post, but the hosts proved more clinical: Vaníček opened the scoring in the 15th minute from the very first real chance of the game. Lukáš Penksa doubled the lead in the 41st minute, netting his first goal for Zbrojovka by finishing off a rebound that came off eighteen-year-old Artis goalkeeper Kašík following a shot from Vachoušek.

Just before the break, returning Artis forward Adediran found the net, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR check flagged Labík offside.

After the interval, substitutions helped Artis pull one back — Ndiaye headed home in the 69th minute, and the visitors kept threatening from there. Late in the game, Papelele struck from a promising position but could only hit the post.

Coach on the man of the match

"In the second half we lost the ball far more often than in the first, and gaps kept opening up during transitions. When we hold our shape tightly, the opponent can't get through. We survived that Papelele chance, but we also didn't convert our own opportunities, so it's a deserved win — I'm very pleased with how we responded after the defeat to Slavia," Svědík said.

The coach made six substitutions, one of them forced — Langer went down after taking a blow to the head in the second half. Up to that point he had been one of the best players on the pitch, setting up the opening goal with a run through three Artis defenders. According to Svědík, there should be no lasting effects: "He's a tough lad — his head will be fine, it's a hard one."

Svědík also had special praise for another key figure in the win — Vaníček, who has unexpectedly become one of Zbrojovka's pillars since his summer move from České Budějovice, already scoring three goals for the club despite a reputation as a difficult character. "He's as cheeky as a monkey," Svědík said with a smile. "I know Tonda and I accept him for who he is. If a coach wants a player like that, he has to know him and understand him. I told him I wouldn't give him an inch. He does his job for the team, and it comes back to him in results on the pitch. I want to get the very best out of him."

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Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz