Slavia wins Prague derby at Letná, keeping a clean sheet for the first time in six years

Football club Slavia beat Sparta in the Prague derby at the Letná stadium, even though their rivals dominated for almost the entire match and attacked relentlessly, especially in the second half. Despite the hosts' pressure, the visitors held firm, converted their chances, and left the derby with a clean-sheet win for the first time in six years.

"We're extremely happy, because we won and didn't concede either. A good start to the match helped us — we didn't let Sparta get into their rhythm. In the first half we defended really well and moved the ball nicely," said head coach Jindřich Trpišovský, assessing the performance.

Goalkeeper survives a barrage of set pieces

The evening was especially tough for goalkeeper Markovič: Sparta won a string of corners and free kicks, constantly pumping the ball into the box. "There were a lot of corners and set pieces, balls flying into the box, plenty of crosses. But it was important for me to stay focused the whole time — and in the end that paid off," the goalkeeper said.

He named Karabec's shot from a tight angle as the toughest moment to deal with, though he added there were far more difficult situations than that. The coach also praised the goalkeeper's contribution: "Marki helped us out by saving a big chance for our opponents. It was a difficult match, especially in the second half."

A back four and banking on a Sparta mistake

Slavia lined up with a back four for the derby, and Trpišovský admitted this was a deliberate choice made with Sparta's expected style of play in mind. "We expected Sparta to simplify their game in the derby, hitting balls in behind our defence and relying on set pieces. Those are exactly the kinds of situations that have cost us points in previous matches," the coach explained.

He said the team needed to neutralise the opposition's attacking threat without abandoning their own attacking game. "Sparta have quality players who can decide a match. We wanted to nullify them while still creating our own danger — and that worked out," Trpišovský added. Counter-attacks proved to be one of Slavia's main weapons. "In a way, that was the plan — we know Sparta don't like facing our counter-attacks, and ours are good," Markovič confirmed.

"Like a bridge over an abyss": praise for the young defender

The coach paid special attention to Mikuláš Konečný, who was given his chance in the derby and, in Trpišovský's view, fully justified the trust placed in him. "I'm pleased with him. He also played well in Liberec, but he was involved in an unpleasant moment there. It wasn't easy to put him back out on the pitch. He looks calm on the outside, but his body language shows he isn't always confident," the coach said.

Trpišovský used a vivid metaphor: "Starting out in Sparta's defence at that age is like crossing a bridge over an abyss. Either you make it across and become one of the chosen ones, or you fall — and a lot of people won't forgive you for that." Even so, the coach rated Konečný's performance very highly: "There's huge potential dormant in him. He's a versatile player, exactly the type we've been missing. Players like that are the ones who later get snapped up by clubs abroad. He's hard-working, makes the right decisions, and needs to be strong in both phases of the game — and he's managing that."

First clean-sheet derby win in six years

Slavia left Letná not only with three points but also with their first clean-sheet derby win in six years. Markovič admitted he savoured the atmosphere of a big match: "I love it when the stadium is full and you can hear the fans. I could hear both sides, and I'm glad the Slavia end was packed too — it drove us forward." Still, the goalkeeper remained level-headed: "We're still at the start of the season. We're just happy with the points."

Trpišovský acknowledged the team is still far from peak form: a congested fixture schedule caused problems maintaining intensity in the second half. "We ran out of steam — you could see that wasn't really us, we couldn't keep the intensity at the level we needed. But in the end, attitude and commitment were decisive," the coach concluded. It was precisely these qualities, he said, that allowed Slavia to withstand the hosts' pressure at Letná, score twice, and win the Prague derby for the first time in six years.

Source: prazsky.denik.cz