Plzeň and Red Star Belgrade met in the Europa League play-offs on Wednesday evening, and the Czech side emerged with a comprehensive 5:1 victory. The result completes a remarkable turnaround for the hosts, who had lost 3:0 to the Serbian champions just seven days earlier. What followed was a match where Plzeň never lost their nerve, even when Red Star threatened to claw back.
The opening exchanges were frantic. Plzeň struck first through Prince Kwabena Adu in the eighth minute, and moments later Marko Ivanic doubled the advantage before Red Star could settle. By then the visitors were already chasing the game, and their frustration boiled over. F. Tebo Uchenna picked up a yellow card in the 50th minute, and Adu then blunted his side's momentum by missing a penalty in the 51st. The turning point came quickly: O. Bukari was sent off in the 53rd, and Plzeň made no mistake, Denis Visinsky converting a penalty in the 58th.
And here's the thing about matches like this — once a team goes down to ten men, the rhythm shifts entirely. Plzeň continued to press, and Patrick Hrosovsky added a fourth in the 63rd. Red Star's manager brought on several changes, including Marko Arnautovic in the 67th and T. Elsnik in the 72nd, but the damage was already done. The Serbian side managed a late consolation: C. Kabongo scored a penalty in the 90th minute plus five, though it felt more like a gesture than a threat.
What really tells the story is the statistics. Plzeň recorded 6.23 expected goals compared to Red Star's 0.48, and their 12 shots on target against just two for the visitors says everything about who dominated. The hosts created 11 big chances while their opponents managed only one. Red Star made 51 clearances — nearly three times Plzeň's 20 — which shows they were constantly under pressure. By then, the game had long been decided.
To be fair, Red Star's performance was a stark contrast to their 3:0 win over Plzeň earlier in August. They had looked composed and dangerous then; this time they were reduced to ten for over half the match and simply couldn't recover. The Serbian side's possession of 45 per cent meant little when they managed just two shots on target from four inside the penalty area. Plzeň, meanwhile, completed 470 passes to 374 and dominated the final third.