Liberec Play Nearly an Hour a Man Down, Fall 0:1 to Teplice

In a Round 2 fixture of the Czech Fortuna League, Slovan Liberec lost 0:1 at home to Teplice after being reduced to ten men just seconds into the match.

In only the 48th second, Liberec's Kušej made a reckless tackle on an opponent, and referee Radina had no hesitation in showing him a straight red card. It went down as the fastest red card in Czech league history — surpassing the previous record held by Jan Vorel of Dukla Prague, who lasted just 20 seconds on the pitch against Plzeň back in March 2013.

The visitors immediately seized control of the game, though they only managed to create one genuine chance in the first half. Things got worse for the hosts on the 38th minute, when Chodouš caught Lukáš Mareček with his studs and was also sent off — both dismissals were the first of their kind for either player at the top-flight level.

Despite being down to nine men, Teplice took their time converting their numerical advantage into a goal. The breakthrough finally came in the 61st minute, when Lukáš Mareček pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box and beat goalkeeper Koubek with a shot that deflected off defender Drakpe. It was only the seventh goal of the 36-year-old midfielder's career, in his 297th Czech league appearance.

Surprisingly, Slovan pushed forward frequently in the second half despite their numerical disadvantage. In the 71st minute, a shot from Strnský narrowly missed the top corner, and shortly after, Kaiondo failed to beat goalkeeper Švenger from close range. In the 89th minute, Teplice keeper Trmal produced a brilliant save to deny Krolis, and in the dying seconds Drakpe headed wide from a golden chance, with nearly five thousand fans watching from the stands.

In the end, Teplice held on to their slim lead, beating Liberec in the league for the first time in their last three meetings. Of the last 10 matches between the two sides, Teplice have lost just once. The win marked Teplice's sixth in a row, counting back to the end of last season. Meanwhile, Liberec's Slovak coach Fodrek suffered his first defeat in official matches at the helm of the club following his home debut.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz