Important interventions by Stanek and a good result for the rematch. Plzen played the last fight for the Champions League

Czech teams are again fighting hard for the Champions League in the European Cups this year. This time the main player is Viktoria from Plzeň, who travelled to Baku to play Karabakh in the fourth preliminary round. Both halves were a great battle and the rematch will also be a big game. The match ended in a 0:0 draw.

Plzeň broke the nervous start from both sides with the first corner and in the fourth minute captain Lukáš Hejda came very close to scoring. Two minutes later, on the other hand, Viktoria’s hero Jindřich Staněk had to show up. The goalkeeper of the guests stopped two dangerous shots of the opponent and kept the scoreless situation.

In the fifteenth minute came another goal situation for Karabakh. But Abdellah Zoubir had the ball on his long leg and missed the empty goal. As in the first case, it was a borderline offside situation that would eventually be dealt with by VAR. Even after 20 minutes the score was 0:0.

Plzeň’s second corner of the match also brought an interesting opportunity. Tomas Chorý got to the ball and Marko Jankovic helped goalkeeper Mahammadaliyev on the goal line. On the other hand, Stanek had to pull up again on the Viktoria line when Wadji escaped the defence. It was the 27th minute.

Seven minutes later, the Westerners had another huge chance. An overhit centre was returned to Kopic by Chorý, but the Pilsen midfielder narrowly missed the ball with his head. From then on Karabakh had a bit more of the game, but the spectators in Baku did not see any big chances. The first half ended goalless.

The second half brought a shot from Brazilian Kady, but it went high over. The Victorians had much less time on the ball, and their defensive work was second to none. The first save of the second half was made by Jindřich Staněk in the 56th minute, but the Karabakh side played the action offside.

Not even an hour of play brought a goal in the capital of Azerbaijan. Both teams were more and more protective of the result, which is a key factor for the rematch. It was not until the 75th minute that the fans finally got to see an interesting shot, but Jemelka’s attempt apparently flew into the audience behind the athletics track.

It wasn’t until the 83rd minute that the excitement in the Baku stadium got a little more intense. Stanek had to deal with a dangerous shot from substitute Filip Ozobic. The promising result for Plzeň continued into the rematch. And the end of the match was fast approaching.

An evenly matched battle that ended with the final whistle of the head referee finally ended in a goalless draw. Viktoria Plzen will take a very promising result from Baku, the rematch will take place on 23 August. The Westerners can look forward to a sold-out stadium.

Source: UEFA Champions League