24. 4. 2024
The national cup of regional selections intended for non-professional football players knows the first finalist. The balanced match between Králové Hradec KFS and Karlovy Vary KFS reached a penalty shootout, in which the football players from Eastern Bohemia rejoiced.
Semi-finals of the national cup of regional selections
Královéhradecky KFS – Karlovy Vary KFS 1:1 (0:0), 4:3 after pen.
Goals: 66. Kabeláč – 85. Janda. Referee: Broke – Catching up, Rázek.
Hradec Králové KFS: Vaníček – Moravec, Knap, Kundrt, Drobný – Kollar (67. Bekera), Kabeláč, Horčička (67. Blažek), Zezula (46. Štěpánek) – Slavík (75. Franc), Havlena (82. Vincour).
Karlovy Vary KFS: Fiala – Mestl, Číž, Nutsu, Matoušek – Skopový, Krlička, Vokáč, Hudec – Maňák, Nýber (67. Stehlík).
The semi-final match played at the Friendship Stadium brought an optically balanced spectacle from the opening minutes. Although footballers from the Hradec Králové region were more often on the ball, they did not get a chance, just like the opponent. The goalkeepers of both teams did not make any really difficult saves in the first half.
Even after the change of sides, it started more like a fight in the middle of the field, but the goalkeeper of the East Bohemian club had to intervene first against a dangerous shot from outside the box. In the 66th minute, the score changed for the first time. After a quick action, the ball reached Havlen on the right side, his shot pass in front of the goal was finished off by Jan Kabeláč, and the Královéhradecky region led 1:0.
Královéhradecky KFS – Karlovy Vary KFS 1:1 (April 24, 2024, Friendship Stadium)
It could have been equalized in the 75th minute, when Jakub Kostka finished dangerously after a corner kick, but did not push the ball over the goal line. However, the footballers from the west of Bohemia did not wait. In the 85th minute, substitute Vítězslav Janda used the pressure thanks to a light run and it was equalized.
The winner had to be decided by a shootout from the penalty kick mark. Both goalkeepers made saves, goals were also prevented twice by the goal structure, and the dramatic shootout lasted until the sixth series, after which the football players of the Králové Hradec Králové region rejoiced at the 4:3 victory.
“It was a very balanced game and it was about the first goal scored. We scored here and we were a bit happier at that moment. At the end of the match, the opponent played a bit of a joke and managed to equalize at 1:1. The penalty shootout is already a lottery and this time we were lucky and won. The boys can now of course look forward to the final duel,” Miloš Dvořák, coach of Královéhradecky KFS, said after the match.
The second semi-final between Zlínský KFS and KFS Vysočina was also supposed to be played on Wednesday, April 24, but it was postponed due to bad weather and the replacement date has not yet been determined.
The winner of the Czech National Cup of regional selections secures participation in the qualification for the European Amateur Championship known as the UEFA Regions Cup. The Czech representative will play a qualifying tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, if successful, will ensure participation in the final tournament, which will take place in 2025.