After the 3:2 victory in the Prague derby with Slavia, Sparta’s captain Ladislav Krejčí Jr. highlighted the selfless performance of his team, thanks to which Letenští moved five points ahead of their rival from Eden at the top of the league table after the second round of the extension.
The 24-year-old defensive all-rounder converted the decisive penalty in the seventh minute of the set-up, which he called the hardest in his career. Krejčí did not mind at all that the coaching team chose a more cautious tactic in the key fight for first place, according to him, the most important thing in the fight for the title is the result.
“We knew what the opponent punished us with in the previous two games, they were balls for defense. We wanted to play from the back. We prepared all week for the fact that even if we don’t have the ball, we have to be patient and the chances will come. We had to simplify it. Yes, we would like to play football, but the game is for the title. And we take the win,” Krejčí said at the press conference.
After a 0:4 loss in Eden in the autumn, a 3:3 draw in April and a 0:2 defeat in the cup final at the end of May, Sparta succeeded in the derby at the fourth attempt and before the final three rounds are close to their first title in nine years.
He can celebrate in a week if he scores more points against Bohemians 1905 than his Vršovice rival at home with Pilsen.
“We all realized that today is the most important match of the season. I said that if we want to play for the title, we have to manage these matches, whatever the pressure. We all pulled together, we stuck to the plan,” Krejčí was pleased .
Lukáš Haraslín gave Sparta the lead after half an hour, but Ivan Schranz equalized soon after. Asger Sörensen’s next home goal from the 63rd minute was answered again by Stanislav Tecl in the 85th minute. However, Igoh Ogbu fouled Awera Mabila in the set-up and Krejčí decided from the penalty spot. The Brno native scored his 12th goal in the league season, the last four goals were from penalty kicks.
“When I evaluate it now after the match, it was definitely the hardest penalty in my career. But at a given moment on the field, each one is equally demanding and important,” said Krejčí, who converted eight of nine penalty kicks in the top competition.
The loud support of the sold-out Letná also helped Sparta to a key win. “We thank the fans very much for their support, we are all pulling together. Both from us and from them, it is 100 percent the whole match. We fight inertia until the last minute, no matter what the development of the match is,” said Krejčí.
After the final whistle, he exchanged jerseys with teammate Ondřej Čelůstka. The experienced stopper at least returned to the bench of the A-team, after a long injury he had already started for the second division reserve. “I’m glad he was able to experience this with us, I tip my hat to him. He stayed positive, lived with us, always tried to give us advice. It shows the greatness of his character and professionalism,” added Krejčí.
