The Czech Cup campaign has come to a premature end for Raimonds Krollis and his club Slovan Liberec, who were knocked out on penalties by second-division side Artis Brno following a 1-1 draw (5-6 after shootout).
For Krollis, who missed almost a month at the start of the season through injury, this was his first start since August 17. The Latvian international returned to the lineup in the cup clash, hoping to make an impact. Liberec took the lead through Nigerian forward Afolabi Soliu, but Brno responded quickly to level the score.
Right before halftime, Brno were reduced to ten men, yet Liberec failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage. Despite dominating possession, they couldn’t find a breakthrough in either regulation or extra time, and the match remained 1-1 after 120 minutes.
The shootout then proved decisive. Krollis confidently converted Liberec’s second spot-kick, but Brno were nearly flawless, scoring six of their seven penalties. Liberec’s seventh taker, Petr Hodous, saw his effort saved, sealing their exit at the Round of 32 stage.
For Krollis, it marked his first full game of the season, a positive milestone in getting back to his form. He and Liberec will now look to bounce back quickly, with their next chance coming on Saturday in a league clash against Bohemians.
Meanwhile, fellow Latvian international Rihards Matrevics and his Dukla Prague side advanced to the Round of 16, defeating Jihlava 1-0. The 26-year-old goalkeeper, however, missed his third consecutive game due to a minor concussion and remains sidelined.
