Teplice moved further clear of trouble with a comfortable victory over Zlín at Letna Stadium, ending 3-1 in the Czech League's regular season opener for both sides. The visitors have now won four of seven matches while the hosts remain winless after seven defeats. And here's the thing — this is not the result anyone expected for Zlín given their opening day form.
Matěj Pulkrab gave Teplice the lead after fifteen minutes, a goal that set the tone for the evening. Zlín responded with substitutions at twenty-four and forty-five minutes, bringing on Adam Gazi and Tomáš Poznar together. By then the hosts had already conceded twice and were chasing shadows.
The second half brought little change in direction. Tomas Zlatohlavek doubled Teplice's advantage in the fifty-fourth minute before Jakub Cernin pulled one back for Zlín in the eightieth. John Auta then closed the scoring at eighty-four, leaving the visitors with three goals and a match to control.
Zlín dominated possession at 55 per cent but could only manage two shots on target from eleven attempts inside the penalty area. Teplice were more efficient, hitting seven of their nine shots on target and creating two big chances compared to Zlín's one. The visitors also recorded fourteen key passes against eight for the hosts.
Three yellow cards punctuated the match, with Jan Fortelný and Marian Pisoja booked before the break and Matej Riznič cautioned on the final whistle. Zlín's record now stands at zero points from seven games, while Teplice move to thirteen points in fifth place.
