FK Železiarne Podbrezova continued their impressive run in the Slovak top flight with a 4-1 victory over 1. FC Tatran Prešov, as Estonian midfielder Kevor Palumets capped the win with a late goal.
The 23-year-old returned to the matchday squad after missing one fixture and began the game on the bench. Podbrezova, who have started 2026 in red-hot form with three dominant wins and an aggregate goal difference of 14-0 prior to this round, laid the foundation for another convincing result by scoring three times in the first half.
Latvian international defender Daniels Balodis, representing Prešov, entered the match at the start of the second half – just like Palumets. Although Prešov managed to pull one goal back late on, it was Palumets who had the final say. In the third minute of stoppage time, he reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the penalty area and fired home powerfully to seal the 4-1 result.
It was Palumets’ third league goal of the season in 21 appearances, to go along with five assists. Balodis, meanwhile, made his 16th league appearance of the campaign, playing 45 minutes.
The victory moves Podbrezová closer to the top four, now just one point behind Spartak Trnava, while league leaders Slovan Bratislava remain ten points clear. Prešov sit 11th out of 12 teams with 21 points from 22 matches.
In another Slovak top-flight fixture, AS Trenčín claimed a 1-0 away win over MFK Skalica. The match marked the debut of Estonian full-back Kristo Hussar, who recently joined from FC Flora.
Hussar started alongside fellow Estonian Markus Poom, another former Flora player. The decisive goal came in the first half from Cape Verde striker Eyner Soares, who converted a penalty. Both Hussar and Poom played the full 90 minutes, while Estonian winger Dimitri Jepihhin was absent due to injury, having last featured on February 14.
Trenčín’s victory secured three valuable points as they continue their push up the table.
