Benátky saw off Příbram 5:3 in a club friendly on Monday evening in the Czech Republic. The result capped a weekend of open football between two sides that have been trading goals in recent outings. To be fair, neither team came into this fixture with much defensive solidity to offer.
Benátky had been scoring freely of late, with four wins in their last five meetings. They had rattled off 4:3 against Kobra Prague on Wednesday and 4:3 against Milevsko back in February. Příbram had been equally porous, their most recent outing a 6:8 thriller against Mostečský Lví in early March.
And here's the thing about friendlies like this — the scoreline rarely tells the whole story. Both managers will be looking at attacking patterns rather than defensive organisation. The result does nothing for either side's league ambitions, but it gives players a chance to find rhythm ahead of the new season.
Příbram's recent form has been mixed at best. They beat Kobra Prague 4:2 in September last year, but that was followed by a 3:4 defeat to Písek and a 4:3 win over the same opposition. Against Benátky, they could only manage three goals despite having the ball more often in patches.
By then, the game was effectively over. Benátky had pulled away with their fifth goal and Příbram's response came too late to make any real difference. It was another day where both sides played without fear, and the visitors' effort was commendable even if it fell short.