Vlasim made light work of Táborsko at home, running out 4-1 winners in the Czech First League's ninth round on Sunday. The hosts took all three points with a performance that finally looked like the side they promised to be.
And here's the thing — the opening exchanges came thick and fast. J. Hodek gave Vlasim the lead after just one minute, and by then Táborsko were already chasing shadows. J. Splichal added a second in the fourteenth, before Hodek completed his brace in the twenty-sixth. The home side threw everything at it from the start.
We had backed the hosts to win, with 49 per cent confidence. To be fair, the result vindicated that call. B. Djordjic made it 3-0 in the fifty-fourth, and L. Matejka then missed a penalty in the fifty-seventh. The game was effectively over, though S. Pikolon dragged one back for Táborsko in stoppage time.
Substitutions came thick and fast after the hour mark. J. Splichal and M. Rezac both left the pitch together in the sixty-first, while Táborsko brought on three players in quick succession at seventy-one. A. Yuzvak and M. Nikl each picked up yellow cards, with the visitors taking two bookings to the hosts' zero.
The statistics tell their own story. Vlasim registered 71 attacks to Táborsko's 58, and held 54 per cent possession. The home side landed five shots on target against two for the visitors, though only five of their efforts went off target. They did not travel to make up the numbers, and neither did the visitors.
The result leaves Vlasim with momentum after a run of mixed results. They had lost 2-0 to Slovan Liberec and 3-1 to Dukla Prague in their previous two outings, so this performance was a statement. For Táborsko, the defeat extends a difficult patch — they had already lost 5-0 to Teplice on Wednesday.
