Viagem’s cup run comes to a surprise end, as they were knocked out on penalties in Varnsdorf
Our first team lost on penalties in Varnsdorf and are out of the MOL Cup at the second round. After a goalless draw, our players were unable to hold their own in the penalty shoot-out against opponents from a lower division.
Viagem suffered a major cup disappointment in Varnsdorf. The ambitious second-tier side failed to get the better of opponents playing in a lower division and, following a goalless 0–0 draw, were knocked out on penalties. Viagem’s MOL Cup campaign has thus come to an end in the second round, whilst the home side, Varnsdorf, are celebrating their progress and can look forward to the draw for the next round, in which they will be paired with a league opponent.
Viagem’s manager, David Oulehla, apologised to the fans after the match for being knocked out by a team that, on paper, was weaker. “I’m sorry about that; unfortunately, there’s no going back now.”
When asked whether he regretted fielding players who usually sit on the bench, he replied: “I don’t regret giving a chance to the lads who don’t usually start. There’s always a debate before a cup tie about whether to field them or not. I made that rotation; I’m responsible for the line-up. On the other hand, some of those lads need to understand that if they want to play and make it into the starting line-up, they have to put in better performances.”
Varnsdorf celebrated their progress very boisterously. The winning side’s manager, Pavlo Rudnytskyy, was pleased after the match: “We were on a par with Ústí; in some phases, I think we were even better. I have to praise the lads; they played a really good match and gave their all on the pitch. I think they’ve proved they can beat teams from a higher division.”
Viagem must now focus on their league commitments. Their next opponent in the Chance National League will be Táborsko, whom our players will face on Saturday at 6 pm in southern Bohemia. Coach Oulehla added: “We have to move on and look ahead. We’ll be reviewing the cup with some of the lads, but we’ll already be preparing for Táborsko.”
Viagem’s line-up in Varnsdorf:
- Savić
- Březina
- Yaméogo
- Osaghae (69. Černý)
- Peterka
- Ullman (59. Do Marcolino)
- Berelidze (59. Moulis)
- Goj
- Simons (59. Kott)
- Fantiš
- Richter