Sunday, July 20, 2008

Czech Cup (preliminary round) - July 20th - Jesenec 1 vs Protivanov 3





Jesenec 1 Protivanov 3
Admission - 20kc
Attendance - 200 (or so)
Game rating - 3.5/5

Just a little background on the two clubs. Jesenec (village of 300) plays in the 6th level of the Czech pyramid. They are newly promoted from the 7th level. Protivanov (population 1000) plays in the 4th level. Jesenec is about 30km northwest of Prostejov. Both clubs are not too far apart, so this game was something of a derby. It was played in the village of Dzbel, because this is where the home ground of Jesenec is. The ground is only 1km from Jesenec.

The game itself was quite good. Jesenec scored early in the first half, and they controlled much of the play. Protivanov were very sluggish, and were lucky not to be behind 2-0. The second half was a different story. Jesenec seemed to be tired, and Protivanov took advantage of this. They scored three goals in the first 20 minutes to put the game away. It was a good effort by the home team, as they came up against a semi-pro club. I believe there is only one other club from the 6th level to play in the Czech Cup this year. This was the first ever appearance by Jesenec in the Cup, and I believe the first ever win by Protivanov in their second appearance (they lost 3-0 at home to Konice last year).