Viagem stumbled in Třinec; the sending-off was preceded by a needless mistake, Oulehla fumed
On the rain-soaked pitch at Třinec’s home ground, the Ústí side were unable to build on their strong first-half performance and, with twenty minutes remaining, saw Richter sent off. Coach David Oulehla was disappointed after the match, albeit for a different reason than after the draw with Česká Lípa.
You’ll no doubt recall David Oulehla’s outburst following the 3–3 home draw with Česká Lípa, another newcomer to the competition. One vulgar expletive after another flew around the dressing room that day, and the players were given a well-deserved dressing-down.
In Třinec, however, Viagem’s manager had no reason for such harsh criticism. His players performed very well for most of the match; the first half in particular was a success for them.
“The first half was brilliant,” agreed Oulehla. “We played with good combination play and created chances. But Marcolino missed a sitter. We should have made more of our other opportunities; we let ourselves down, particularly in front of goal.”
It’s particularly frustrating that the agile Gabonese player missed yet another chance; Viagem’s fans were left holding their heads in despair even after David Černý’s superb strike, which was only stopped by the crossbar of the Třinec goal.
And then came the 70th minute, which turned the match on its head. Up until then, it had seemed only a matter of time before the favourites from northern Bohemia would score the opening goal.
Kott failed to control his first touch in the centre of the pitch and the ball slipped away from him. A loss of possession followed, which Richter averted at the last moment with a foul. A red card was shown, leaving Viagem a man down.
“It could have gone either way. We weren’t creating many chances anymore. Třinec sat deep; we struggled to break them down. We’ve dropped two points, and I’m disappointed. But mind you, the home side were dangerous from set pieces. It’ll be tough to win on their home turf in Třinec,” said David Oulehla.
Viagem’s starting line-up: Holý – Yaméogo, Peterka, Březina – Richter, Kott – Ullman, Moulis (81’ Bzura), Idumbo (75’ Fantiš) – Černý (75’ Osaghae), Do Marcolino (75’ Simons).
After four rounds of the Chance National League, Ústí are fourth, just one point behind leaders Karviná. On Friday at 6 pm, they host former top-flight side Dukla Prague at the Municipal Stadium.