yesterday 10:51 am
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The hockey players of Slovan Bratislava avoided elimination in the Tipos extraliga playoff when they beat Michalovce 4:0 in the fifth game of the quarterfinals. At 2:3 for Dukla, the series will move to Zemplín on Sunday, where the reigning champion wants to confirm the good performance from Friday’s duel. Defender Michal Beňo is convinced that if Slovan can do it, his team will have the upper hand in the eventual seventh meeting.
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Out of five duels, Slovan took the lead in four, but could not break the opponent with another goal and then conceded. In the fifth match, he quickly scored two goals, but the third, which would bring the opponent to his knees, did not come for a long time. The home team didn’t see him until the 53rd minute after Matt Mackenzie’s cannon.
“Before, we needed to break the opponent, we didn’t convert many chances. Many times we had the opportunity to decide with another goal, which didn’t work out. Now we had to be more hungry for a goal.” defender Michal Beňo told TASR.
Michalovce lagged behind in movement in the first period, Slovan was better in other activities as well. However, from the second period, Dukla players opened up the game more and had chances in the third as well. “The first period was great from our side, we dominated there. Then they also stopped defending and retreating so much, but I’m glad that we managed it and especially to zero. It will definitely encourage us for the sixth match. I appreciate that we didn’t concede a goal and if we don’t get a goal even there, we won’t lose. And if we manage to do it, we’ll definitely be above them in the seventh game.” said Beňo.
The young defender helped Slovan triumph with two assists, but he is more pleased that, despite the unfavorable situation in the series, more than eight thousand fans came to cheer on the team. “Even before I had some passes after which it could have ended with a goal, now I made a completely simple one and it worked. But it is above all about the success of the team. I am glad that people came, I was waiting to see how it would be reflected when we were losing 1 :3. But they came and helped us tremendously.”
Michalovčany regretted the loss, but they still have an advantage, which they want to use at home on Sunday. “Slovak dominated the first period, but we gradually took the initiative and had the upper hand. It’s a shame that we didn’t score a contact goal, then it would have been completely different. In the third period, we got the third goal after a mistake and it was game over.
We said to ourselves after the first period that we have to score a goal and it will turn around. We had chances and pressure, we were able to hold on to the puck, we used the backs, it’s a shame it didn’t work out. But we’re still leading 3:2, we’re enjoying it, we’ll try to end it in front of our own fans.” Michaloviec striker Dávid Buc said.
