“It was an important match and it’s nice that we managed it,” explained Kabongo, whose strike in the second half was decisive. It was a beautiful action: Patrik Vydra, Kabong’s former teammate from Sparta, sent a smart lob and the forward Podbrezová had a pretty easy job.
“I knew Otter could see me. I ran behind the defense and it was clear to me that Patrik would send it to me. That it was the winning goal? That makes me even more happy,” said Kabongo, who scored for the third time in the twenty-one. “But I say again that I am never completely satisfied. I could have had more than one goal.’
The Lions beat Slovakia 2:1 in the preliminary match! 👏 They close this calendar year with a win! 🇨🇿🆚🇸🇰 pic.twitter.com/cqJiZtAtah
— Czech national football team (@ceskarepre_cz) November 20, 2023
The same was true for Alijagic, who put the Czech boys in the lead after 13 minutes. “In total, we could have scored more than two goals, I could have added one or two myself,” explained the Brno striker, who played in the U21 for the first time since last June.
He also benefited from the interplay with a well-known partner, the ball reached him after a corner from midfielder Denis Višinský. “We have known each other since childhood, we played together already in Slavia. We understand each other and I’m glad that our cooperation continues in the national team as well,” noted Alijagič. “Before the match, I told Denis to put it on the back post, that I could run there. And in the end I scored a goal from this position.”
Twenty-one was in Hradec for the first time, four and a half thousand fans came. In the new arena, coach Jan Suchopárek’s team should also play the next European qualification match against Iceland in March. “When we got on the field, I had goosebumps. The fans pushed us from the beginning, I enjoyed it,” Alijagič described. “Even when we first arrived here, I thought it was a great stadium. There was a great atmosphere,” praised Kabongo.
But not everything was perfect. At the end of the match, the Czechs retreated and almost did not defend their narrow lead in the face of Slovakian pressure. Memories of the September qualifying prologue in Iceland (1:2) or the October game with Wales (1:1) came to mind, when the Lions lost a total of three points after failures in the end and are second to last in the group. “Even in September, we had more control against the Slovaks at the end than now,” admitted Kabongo. “But we made it, and I believe that we will look even better in the spring,” said Alijagič.
2023-11-20 21:41:18
#Successful #premiere #Lvíčat #Hradec #reserves #shooters #agreed #Sport.cz
