Liberec White Tigers U20 hosted Jihlava U20 in the ELJ on Thursday evening, with the visitors taking all three points on the road. The final score stood at 0:2, a result that runs against the grain of what we had seen from the home side in recent outings.
We had backed the hosts for victory, putting 51 per cent confidence on Liberec White Tigers U20 to win. That prediction did not come off, and it is fair to say the outcome surprised many who had been watching the home side's recent games.
Liberec White Tigers U20 have not managed a win from five matches, and their last five results show nothing but losses — 3:6, 3:4, 1:4, 2:3, 0:1. By then, the pattern was clear enough, even if the result against Jihlava felt different on paper.
Jihlava U20 arrive at this fixture sitting seventh after five games, three wins and two defeats. Their recent form has been nothing if not open — 3:6, 6:5, 5:3, 3:4, 6:1 — goals flowing both ways in equal measure.
What this match tells us is that the young players on both sides are still finding their feet. The table says little after five rounds, but the away side has now collected something from a game where the home side could have expected more.