July 30, 2022
The new season in the Czech Republic started today, and of the three matches being played this Saturday afternoon the most interesting appeared to be the match-up between the sides that finished 5th ( Banik Ostrava ) and 8th ( Sigma Olomouc ) last season.
Furthermore, it is a fixture that I have once attended. On the way to watch Graham Taylor’s England side play Poland in Chorzow ( the “do I not like that” game ! ), we stopped off in Ostrava to watch Banik play Sigma the day before on the second to last day of the last ever Czechoslovak League season. A 5pm kick-off time on a Friday evening draw a paltry 2,212 to Banik’s Bazaly Stadium, which was their home until 2015. Entrance was 25 KCS, which was the equivalent to around 60p at the exchange rates at the time, and beer was served from a barrel with a hose-pipe attached, poured into a plastic half-litre glass for 5 KCS ( 12p ! ). There didn’t seem to be any other options available……..
At half-time there was a parade of former Banik players, which included Ludek Miklosko, who stood out in a very sharp suit, compared to the tatty tracksuits or poor clothing of his colleagues. As one of my friends was a West Ham supporter, he took the opportunity to speak with Ludek as he came off the pitch and seized the photo opportunity.
Banik’s line-up that day included future West Ham full-back Tomas “Red Card” Repka as well as future Ajax, Willem II and Czech international midfielder ( 69 caps ) Tomas Galasek. Sigma’s side included midfielder Radislav Latal, who was to go on to have a lengthy career at Schalke 04 and won 47 caps. Sigma were coached by Karel Bruckner, who later went on to coach the Czech national side between 2000-2008 and later had a short spell in charge of Austria.
That match was a battle for 5th place and when Banik took a 2-1 lead early in the second half they seemed to be on course to finish ahead of Sigma. However, two goals in 4 minutes turned the game around in Sigma’s favour, and when referee Drastik showed a red card to a Banik player 10 minutes from the end, obviously a drastic decision, it enabled Sigma to see out the rest of the game to take the two points ( as it was in those days ).
I have seen Banik on three other occasions, and they lost those as well, so I seem to be a bit of a jinx for them. In 2000/01 I saw them lose at Slavia Prague ( 0-2 ) and Chmel Blsany ( 0-1 ). A young Milan Baros played in both games for Banik, whilst a young Petr Cech was on the bench for Blsany. Around 30 Banik fans made the 6 hour plus journey from Ostrava to Blsany, but after frequent trouble-making the police lost patience and had ejected all of them out of the stadium before half-time.
In November 2015 I saw Banik lose 1-3 at Bohemians, for whom Patrik Schick, now at Bayer Leverkusen and the biggest star of the current Czech national team, came off the bench to score twice. A good show of about 400-500 Banik fans turned up despite Banik being rock bottom of the league at the time, although half way through the first half they unfurled a long banner which read ( in English ) "Euro Hoolis against Muslim Peados and Goat fu**ers" to demonstrate their liberal tendencies. There were also a number of flags for Polish side GKS Katowice, with whom Banik have had a long friendship.
I have witnessed one other Sigma match, a 2-2 draw at Bohemians in 2000/01, in which future Hamburg and Fiorentina defender Tomas Ujfalusi ( 78 caps ) started for Sigma and former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Pavel Hapal scored one of the goals.
Banik now play at the Mestsky Stadion, which has a capacity of just over 15,000 and is also home to TJ Vitkovice. Their first choice colours are white shirts with blue sleeves, and blue shorts. Their coach is now Pavel Vrba, who won the Czech title three times with Viktoria Plzen and the Bulgarian title with Ludogorets. He was at Sparta Prague last season but was sacked just before the end of the campaign.
Banik’s top scorer last season was Slovak international Ladislav Almasi ( 8 caps ) who found the net 16 times. However, he was missing today through injury. 40 year old goal-keeper Jan Lustavka had a spell at Fulham, and a presentation was made before kick-off for his birthday. Wing-back Gigli Ndefe has won 2 caps for Angola, defender Jiri Fleisman and midfielder Lukas Budinsky both have one Czech cap, whilst unused substitute Muhammed Sanneh will be familiar to followers of Estonian football, having joined in the close season from Paide Linnameeskond and has 6 caps for Gambia. Bosnian midfielder Eldar Sehic has joined from Karvina, and Nigerian forward Muhamed Tijani has returned from loan at Second Division Taborsko, where he scored 9 goals.
Sigma play at the Andruv Stadion, which holds just under 12,500 spectators, and is famous for its distinctive shaped stand behind one of the goals. They normally play in all blue, but due to the colour clash they were in an all yellow strip today. The journey from Olomouc to Ostrava is around 90kms and takes about an hour by road.
Sigma fielded two Slovaks in their starting line-up, midfielder Denis Ventura, who has featured in these diaries with Academica Clinceni in Romania, and full back Juraj Chvatal, who has one cap for his country. The rest of their team were Czechs, with centre-back Vaclav Jemelka possessing 5 caps and has played in Belgium for OH Leuven, midfielder Radim Breite has one cap and Antonin Rusak also has one cap, playing in the famous match against Scotland when an outbreak of Covid side-lined the first choice squad, forcing a C-team to be called up. Defender Florent Poulolo has represented Martinque three times.
Ticket prices for today ranged between 170-340 KCS ( £6 - £12 ) for adults, although students and OAPs could get tickets for as little 85-140 KCS ( £3- £5 ). Matchday programmes were 40 KCS ( £1.40 )
The temperature at the 16.00 kick-off local time was 19 degrees with thundery showers forecast. There was evidence of heavy rain prior to the start of the game with water on the running track surrounding the pitch.
The match shown live on onefootball.com, with a commentary in Czech ! It was also streamed on Bet365, who made Banik 5/6 favourites, with Sigma at 14/5 and the draw 5/2
Banik started brightly and in the third minute a cross from Ndefe was needlessly tipped over the bar by Sigma keeper Macik when it was already going over. From the subsequent short corner, Sehic sent a left-footed curling shot from just outside the area, which Macik again tipped over the bar. Tijani then made a pacy run down the left wing but his pull-back was mis-hit by Klima.
Sigma’s response was a low free-kick dummied at the near post which hit the leg of defender and rebounded to safety. A minute later Sehic had another long-range effort which Macik fumbled but the loose ball was hoofed away.
The first major chance of the game went to Sigma in the 19th minute. From a throw-in on the left, Ondrej Zmrzly did well to cross from close to the by-line, and the ball found Rusek unmarked at the near post. Unfortunately for the visitors, his flick from around 3 yards out went across the face of the goal and wide of the post, with Lastuvka beaten. A minute later Mojmir Chytil was allowed to control and turn on the edge of the Banik area but his shot was weak and wide.
As Sigma started to get on top, the home fans were booing every free-kick award to the visitors. A poor clearance from Fleisman was blocked and the ball worked to Zmrzly, but he sliced the good chance well wide.
Banik briefly stemmed the tide with a deep cross from the left wing, which was turned back into the danger zone by Klima, but with his back to the goal, Tijani failed to control and the chance was gone. Sehic then pounced on a defensive mistake by Vrastil but from a tight angle he shot across goal and wide.
The opening goal of the encounter arrived in the 37th minute. The ball was played forward to Chytil on the edge of the area, who initially ran across goal and then shot to the near post as the Banik keeper went the other way. 1-0 to Sigma.
Banik responded well to this set-back. A free-kick was won in a promising position around 30 yards out in the centre of the goal, but Kuzmanovic shot into the defensive wall. The veteran Serbian midfielder then delivered a good-looking cross from the right, which Sigma’s Ventura could only header up in the air. Tijani rose the highest, but put his header from around 10 yards well over the bar. With first half added time being played, Kuzmanovic then shot just a foot wide from the edge of the area, but Sigma survived to head to the dressing rooms a goal to the good.
Although Banik nearly had a chance 30 seconds into the second half, Jemelka just getting ahead of Tijani to turn a low cross from the left off for a corner, Sigma created a number of opportunities in the first five minutes of the second period. First, a cross from the left by Zmrzly beat the first line of defence to find Navratil unmarked 6 yards out, but he could only steer the bouncing ball over the top. Zmrzly then evaded the attempted block by Ndefe to shoot against the legs of Lastuvka, and a minute later the same player sent an inviting cross from the left but with no-one at the back post for a tap-in.
In the 50th minute, Zorvan wriggled free in the home area but again Lastuvka saved with an outstretched leg. Finally, the second goal did come a minute later, Zorvan’s cross from the left by-line reached Chvatal unmarked 12 yards out and his volley found the net off defender Fleisman standing in front of his keeper, and then off the inside of the post.
Sigma were now totally dominant and although Banik responded by taking off the ineffective Tijani, it had little impact. Banik’s Tetour was caught in possession forcing Frydrych to concede a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. Ventura’s free-kick curled inches wide.
The rain now became extremely heavy and both sides started making a number of substitutions. Banik did fashion one nice move, with a threatening cross from the right by Klima, headed back across goal by Pokorny for Budinsky to head for goal. However, Macik made a fairly routine save.
A minute later though Banik committed suicide. Attempting to play-out from the back,Pokorny lost control and Sigma’s two substitutes, Zifcak and Sedlak, who had been on the field less than 10 minutes combined to leave Sedlak one-on-one with the keeper, and he drilled the ball into the corner to give Sigma a 3-0 lead in the 79th minute.
Banik’s Kaloc did send a long range effort skidding across the surface but Macik was up to the task to make a diving save, and claim at the second attempt. That was just about the last we saw of Banik as an attacking threat and Sigma wound down the clock to complete an emphatic victory.
Despite Banik having 54% of the possession they were poor, and could be in for a hard season. Sigma though, were good value for the three points :
FC Banik Ostrava : Lastuvka – Ndefe, Frydrych, Pokorny, Fleisman – Klima, Kaloc ( Smekal ), Kuzmanovic ( Budinsky ), Tetour ( Takacs ), Sehic ( Buchta ) – Tijani ( Jaron )
SK Sigma Olomouc : Macik – Chvatal, Vrastil, Jemelka, Zmrzly – Zorvan, Breite ( Poulolo ), Rusek ( Sip ), Ventura ( Sedlak ), Navratil ( Matousek ) – Chytil ( Zifcak )
Highlights : https://www.fortunaliga.cz/zapas/7205-fcb-olo#video
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