Bohemians Praha 1905 in English

ALMÁSI’S WINNER COMPLETES VICTORY IN THRILLING CUP TIE

Reichl - Heidenreich (62. Havel), Vondra, Javorček - Banda, Černý, Smrž (46. Květ), Kovařík - Mikuda (62. Zeman), Vala (62. Čermák) - Krobot (62. Almási)

BOHEMIANS PRAHA 1905

Řehák - Farkaš (46. Ekpai), Petrlák, Woitek, Šulc - Petrák, Lopatář (76. Matějka) - Kuchař (74. Veselý), Kocourek, Tesař - Vandas

SK ZÁPY

TEAMS

ATTENDANCE

Petrák | Javorček, Zeman

RED CARDS

YELLOW CARDS

OFFICIALS

Kubečka | Koranda, Ježek

11. Šulc, 45.+2. Kuchař | 16. Krobot,

31. Vala, 65. Almási

GOALSCORERS

BOHEMIANS

PRAHA 1905

SK ZÁPY

2-3

(2-2)

MOL CUP LIGA | ROUND 2

25/08/2026 | 17:30 | Teletník Aréna, Zápy

STATS

Bohemians Praha 1905: Bohemians ultimately showed the character and squad depth required to negotiate a potentially awkward cup tie. The decision to make ten changes made the opening stages less assured than Veselý would have wanted, and the visitors twice found themselves behind. Nevertheless, they responded quickly after conceding, and the introduction of key players after half-time changed the balance of the contest. Almási's winning header underlined the value of the stronger options available from the bench, while the overall result ensured that the heavily rotated side avoided a potentially costly cup upset.

Team preformances

SK Zápy: Zápy can take enormous credit from a performance that pushed their top-flight opponents all the way. In front of a 1,500-strong crowd, many of whom were actually supporting Bohemians, the third-tier side made excellent use of their narrow home surface and twice took the lead. Their pressing, energy and willingness to attack ensured that Bohemians never enjoyed a comfortable evening, while Kuchař's equaliser just before the interval capped an outstanding first-half display. Ultimately, they lacked the depth to withstand Bohemians' second-half reinforcements, but their performance was a genuine advertisement for the competitive nature of the MOL Cup.

Match Overview

This was anything but a routine cup assignment for Bohemians. Zápy embraced the occasion and produced an energetic performance on their narrow home pitch, twice taking the lead and refusing to be overawed by their top-flight opponents. Bohemians responded each time, with Ladislav Krobot and Denis Vala turning the game around before Tomáš Kuchař restored parity just before half-time. The introduction of several senior Bohemians players after the break, including Roman Květ and Almási, ultimately proved decisive, with Almási heading home the winner in the 65th minute.

Key Match Events

First Half: Four goals, end-to-end drama

Bohemians started positively despite Veselý making wholesale changes to his starting XI, with only Vojtěch Smrž retaining his place from the weekend draw at Slavia. Zápy, meanwhile, fielded a strong side that included former Czech international Ondřej Petrák. The match immediately developed a lively tempo, and Bohemians almost produced a spectacular opener after just six minutes when Matthews Banda attempted to take advantage of an under-hit clearance from goalkeeper Josef Řehák. His effort from around halfway narrowly cleared the crossbar.

It was the home side who struck first in the 12th minute. Zápy exploited their familiarity with the narrow pitch, with Pavel Vandas flicking on a long throw before Jan Šulc's left-footed effort took a deflection off Banda and found the corner. Bohemians responded quickly, however, levelling before the quarter-hour mark. Following a corner, Ladislav Krobot had two attempts at goal and eventually fired a fine left-footed shot beneath the crossbar.

The visitors then completed the turnaround after half an hour. Vojtěch Smrž battled to force the ball through the Zápy defence, allowing Denis Vala-who had initiated the move-to see his shot beat the falling Řehák and put Bohemians 2-1 ahead.

Zápy refused to buckle. Darek Farkaš, a former Bohemians youth captain and B-team player, came close with a header before another player with Bohemians connections restored parity. Tomáš Kuchař collected the ball following a quick combination on the edge of the penalty area and struck a powerful, curling effort that Michal Reichl could not keep out. The first half therefore ended 2-2, with four goals and the underdogs matching their illustrious visitors impressively.

Second Half: Almási makes the difference

The second half began with Zápy introducing new signing Ubong Ekpai, while Veselý responded to the increasingly competitive nature of the contest by bringing his more experienced players into the action. Among those introduced were Roman Květ and Ladislav Almási, giving Bohemians additional attacking quality as they looked to finally establish control.

The changes eventually paid dividends. In the 65th minute, shortly after Bohemians had made a four-player substitution, Almási produced the decisive moment. The striker rose to head the ball into an unguarded net, restoring Bohemians' lead for the second time in the match.

Zápy had already demonstrated that they were capable of troubling the visitors, but this time Bohemians held firm. The 3-2 victory secured their progression in the MOL Cup and mirrored the same scoreline from their previous cup meeting with Zápy.

The match was a battle, played on a narrow pitch. I have to say that we expected to cope better with it. We gave a chance to the players from the wider squad. I wouldn't say that it's harder to motivate yourself. Almost all the players from the starting lineup didn't play for Slavia and we expected them to ask for more workload. Then those who played the derby at the weekend also got into the game. It was difficult to get into the match then, there was a lot of kicking and playing up and down.

Quotes from the managers

STANISLAV HEJKAL

MARTIN POUSTKA

I think we were a relatively balanced opponent for Bohemians. The guys made up for the difference between the first and third leagues with their commitment and approach. I definitely have to thank them for that. The spectators also appreciated the way we presented ourselves. The guys need to hear that. We worked harder than our opponents to score goals. The speed of the first league players showed. We fell asleep at the first goal.

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