Michalovce Dukla beat Košice 4:2 in a club friendly on Wednesday evening. The match took place on 27 August 2026 and ended with the home side claiming an unlikely victory over their visitors.
Much of the story here lies in what came before. Košice had just played two matches against Ferencváros U19, losing 3:4 on 22 August after winning 4:1 the day before. They also beat Prešov 3:0 on 12 August, but had lost to Slovan Bratislava 2:3 earlier in April. The visitors came in with mixed results.
Michalovce Dukla's recent run was less steady. They lost 4:7 to Liptovský Mikuláš on 20 August, then beat Spišská Nová Ves 2:1 on 18 August. Their three matches against Nitra in March showed a pattern of inconsistency — 1:5, 4:2, 3:5. To be fair, a 4:2 win on a day like this is still a win.
What the scoreline tells you is that both sides were open. Four goals for the hosts against two for Košice suggests an evening where defence took a back seat. By then, most friendlies are about trying things out rather than protecting a result.
The result gives Michalovce Dukla something positive to take from their summer preparations. Košice will need to find more consistency if they want to build on that 3:0 win over Prešov. The friendly season is short work.