Hradec Králové beat Baník Ostrava 2:1 in the Czech Liga's third round on Sunday. The hosts held on for three points after a game that swung with the momentum. To be fair, you could sense from the opening exchanges that neither side wanted to lose ground early.
M. Valenta picked up a yellow card in the sixth minute and was then substituted at half-time. The turning point came when Y. Skyba received a red card for Ostrava in the forty-third minute. By then Hradec had settled into their rhythm.
M. Chalus gave the visitors a scare with a goal in the fifty-third minute before his effort was cancelled by VAR for offside. T. Sloncik then found the net in the sixty-third minute to put the result beyond doubt. The away side never really recovered from losing a man.
Hradec dominated possession at 58 per cent and created six big chances, though their shot accuracy of 25 per cent suggested they should have scored more. Ostrava managed only two big chances despite making more attacks overall. The statistics tell you something, but the match was decided in those moments.
The result keeps Hradec Králové in eighth place on 11 points after seven games. Ostrava remain in eleventh with 9 points, still searching for consistency. And here's the thing — it was three points that could prove important come December.