Half-time wildness in Eden finally brought Slavia a 3:2 win, but the shame was not far away

Slavia welcomed Kosovo’s Ballkani in their first home game of the Conference Europe League. The Seškis went into the match as a clear favourite, hoping to get an easy three points. However, the team, which drew with Cluj in the last match, soon showed that they will not sell their skin cheaply.

The match started with Slavia trying to prove themselves in front of the home fans, and in the fifth minute Eden could have erupted in joy. However, Ivan Schranz’s header only ended up on the top bar.

The visitors were the first to score. In the twenty-third minute, Ermal Krasniqi appeared in front of an empty goal and sent his team into a sensational 1:0 lead.

However, Slavia did not get such a surprise. Immediately after the goal the home team went on the attack, but Provoda’s shot was blocked. Slavia, however, kept pushing forward.

David Jurásek led an inconspicuous action and took the ball to the opponent’s penalty area, where he surprised goalkeeper Stivi Frashëri from an angle, who knocked the ball behind his back.

However, the tie didn’t last three minutes and Slavia produced a big mistake in their passing, which the visitors took advantage of without hesitation. Meriton Korenica got the ball and with a beautiful shot under the crossbar put Ballkani ahead 2: 1.

However, the home side could not afford to lose to such a team and raced forward again. It paid off, after Masopusta’s pass Peter Olayinka put the ball in the net. A beautiful shot to the post brought the game to 2:2.

Before the end of the first half, the fifth goal of the match was scored. For the first time the Seychellois took the lead when Lukáš Masopust scored after a pass from Olayinka. His shot was crossed by the opponent and happily beat the goalkeeper.

A very wild first half ended 3:2 for Slavia. The visitors twice took advantage of hesitations and took the lead, but the favourite of the match did not want to allow surprises. In the second half, the home team didn’t want to allow another hesitation.

Right from the start they were on the move and could have increased their lead. However, Olayinka narrowly missed a great opportunity. In the second half, not so many chances were created.

The excitement of the spectators occurred when Egzon Sinani fouled Schranz, who got injured and had to be substituted. The culprit received a yellow card. However, after a while, there was another cruel foul. Astrit Thaqi made a nasty tackle on a Slav player and earned himself a red card.

The ten Balkani players could not count on any more success. They managed to torment Slavia in the beginning, but they dominated the match as time went on. Even though the match ended 3: 2, the home team was the better team and deservedly got the three points. However, the visitors showed that they can surprise anyone.

Source: UEFA