Karlovy Vary U20 claimed their first victory of the ELŽ season with a 4:1 away win against Liberec Bílí Tygři U20 on Saturday evening. The result puts the visitors second in the table after one game, while the hosts remain bottom having suffered their opening defeat.
Both sides had played matches just a day earlier. Karlovy Vary came off a 2:0 victory over Mladá Boleslav U20, while Liberec had fallen 2:3 to Litvínov U20. The away team's momentum from that previous win carried through, and they could not afford another slip against a home side already showing signs of struggle.
Liberec's recent record offers little comfort. Since March they have lost five consecutive games, including three defeats in a row against Vítkovice U20. The old head settled them down would have been needed at a time like this, but the visitors refused to go away and took full advantage.
Karlovy Vary's form has been more mixed in recent months. They lost 4:6 to Plzeň U20 in late August but followed that with wins against both Plzeň and Sparta Prague before the victory over Mladá Boleslav. This result extends that winning run and keeps them in contention early in the campaign.
The table shows both teams with zero points after their opening fixtures, which simply reflects that each has played one game. The gap remains small, but Karlovy Vary have already found their footing while Liberec must regroup quickly.