Slavia Prague put four past Baník Ostrava in the Czech League on Saturday, a result that leaves them top of the table while Ostrava remain in 11th place. The visitors scored early and often, moving ahead within three minutes and never looking back. It was their fourth straight win, and they have not won since losing to Slovan Bratislava in mid-July.
W. Nowak opened the scoring at the 3rd minute, and D. Zima doubled the lead before the quarter-hour mark. M. Sadilek added a third just after the half-hour, and E. Ayaosi finished the job in stoppage time. R. Nogha collected a yellow card at 45+2, while T. Vlcek was shown one at the final whistle.
To be fair, the statistics tell the same story. Slavia recorded five shots on target from five attempts inside and outside the box, while Ostrava managed just one on target from twelve shots. The visitors created seven big chances compared to a single opportunity for the hosts. And here's the thing — one mistake ends it, and Ostrava found themselves chasing the game from the opening exchanges.
Substitutions came at regular intervals on both sides. Slavia brought on V. Jurecka and S. Chaloupek at 46 minutes, followed by A. Ouanda at 54 and M. Chytil at 63. Ostrava responded with T. Holes at 76 and A. Gning at 79, but the game was already out of sight by then.
The result extends Slavia's lead at the top to eight points, though they have played one game fewer than the leaders. Ostrava's record of three wins and four defeats keeps them well below the European places. They came for a cross they never reached in the closing stages, and the old head settled them down — or tried to.