Bohemians 1905 football players lost 0:3 in the opening match of the 2nd preliminary round of the European Conference League at the Norwegian Bodö/Glimt field. The home favorite decided at the turn of the halves, when Albert Grönbaek and Amahl Pellegrino scored, and substitute Runar Espejord determined the final result in the setup. Thanks to last season’s fourth place finish, Prague’s team appeared in the European Cup for the first time since 1987.
Rematch is scheduled for a week. After an agreement with Sparta, “Klokani” will play it at Letná. According to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the Bohemians stadium in Ďolíček is unfit to host European matches. The winner of the double match will challenge Swedish Kalmar or Pjunik Yerevan in the 3rd preliminary round. For the loser, this year’s performance in the cups will end.
“The result is cruel, but the opponent was the better team throughout the match, they were stronger on the ball. What bothers me most is the first half, when, paradoxically, we defended quite decently, but we were either inaccurate or timid in our actions with the ball. I would say that on the weight of the match hit us more than we expected,” Bohemians coach Jaroslav Veselý told ČT sport.
While Bohemians started the new league season only on Saturday with a 1-0 victory in Pardubice, Bodö/Glimt is in the middle of the year, as the Norwegian top competition is played in the spring-autumn system. Coach Knutsen’s men have lost only one of 16 rounds, lead the incomplete table by nine points and are aiming for a third title after triumphs in 2020 and 2021.
Czech under-19 representative Kubr, who also has Belgian citizenship, remained on the home bench for the entire match. In the match played on artificial grass, the leader of the Norwegian league pressured the Bohemians players from the start, but did not create a clear chance for a long time. On the contrary, after half an hour of play, Matoušek escaped and ran alone towards the goal, but stopper Björtuft deflected him from the ideal position and the shot ended up wide.
In the 41st minute, goalkeeper Reichl blocked Grönbaek’s shot and Sörli headed wide from the crossbar. At the end of the opening act, however, the home team prevailed. Fet extended Wembangoma’s pass and Grönbaek made no mistake for the second time with the rebound off the post.
The Danish midfielder did not mature on Reichl after a shot from the side shortly after the change of sides. But Bodö/Glimt increased their lead in the 50th minute. Sörli crossed into the box and Pellegrino’s attempt was deflected into the net by stopper Křapka.
Matoušek could have reduced it, but from behind the goal he finished outside the three posts. After almost an hour of play, Hála hit the crossbar. “It’s a shame my shot didn’t land there. I think it would have given us a little more energy. It could have been more interesting,” said Hála. A moment later, thanks to Köstl’s penetration through several players, substitute Kovařík found himself in a clear opportunity, but his ground shot was caught by Haikin.
In the 81st minute, substitute Saltnes faced Reichl and Sörli hit the crossbar. In the opening minute of regulation, the home team got their third shot after the action of two incoming players from the bench. Saltnes solved a fast break with a pass to Espejord, who beat the goalkeeper and gave the final result after five minutes on the field.
Bodö/Glimt, which starts in the cups for the fourth time in a row, did not find a winner at home in the thirteenth competitive match in a row. The “kangaroos” have not won away from home in cups for the eighth time in a row and have lost their last six matches there.
“When it was 2:0, it was playable. Now it will be downright difficult. We have to learn from this match, perform better and try to at least score a goal and add points to the coefficient,” said Veselý.
Opening match of the 2nd preliminary round of the European Conference League:
Bodö/Glimt – Bohemians Prague 1905 3:0 (1:0)
Goals: 44. Grönbaek, 50. Pellegrino, 90.+1 Espejord. Referee: Kardesler – Ögel, Tugral (all Tur.). ŽK: Moe, Berg – Hrubý, Beran.
Bodö/Glimt: Haikin – Wembangomo (70. Sjövold), Moe (60. Lode), Björtuft, Björkan – Fet (70. Saltnes), Berg, Grönbaek (85. Konradsen) – Sörli, Moumbagna (85. Espejord), Pellegrino . Coach: Knutsen.
Bohemians: Reichl – Hůlka, Křapka, Hybš – Köstl, Hála (83. Necid), Jindřišek, Hrubý (56. Beran), Dostál (56. Kovařík) – Prekop (46. Puskáč), Matoušek (68. Kozák). Coach: Cheerful.
2023-07-27 18:04:51
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