The promised UEL: Top spot, goals, points, and attendance
August 31, neutral ground in Lublin, Poland, 83rd minute against Zorya. Lukáš Masopust crosses into the penalty area, Matěj Jurásek rises in the air, ruthlessly driving the ball into the net with his head. A mild defeat at the final score of 1-2.
"At that moment, I felt like a god, the world belonged to me," described Jurásek in the Christmas edition of Slavia´s HALFTIME magazine. Why so much enthusiasm? Why are we elaborating on this? Without this goal, the subsequent might not have been possible. Nothing would have happened...
The 1-2 defeat against Zorya was enough, the risky venture of extra time did not happen. At home, Jindřich Trpišovský´s squad triumphed 2-0, eliminating the second Ukrainian representative from the Europa League qualifiers after Dnipro-1 (3-0, 1-1), advancing to the group stage. The draw assigned them to the "G" group alongside the Italian giant AS Roma, Servette FC, the Swiss runners-up, and Moldovan Sheriff Tiraspol.
And that was just the beginning...
Success that will mature
December 14, Scottish referee Walsh ends the match against Servette FC. 18,380 fans at Eden are in a frenzy. A comfortable 4-0 victory seals a historic milestone, Slavia claims the top spot in the group, heading straight to the Europa League Round of 16! In Jindřich Trpišovský´s era, the third appearance in the UEL group stage is transformed into the third progression to the knockout rounds.
"At this moment, we probably aren’t entirely able to fully appreciate such success. Perhaps, with time passing, the whole development of the group will sink in for us. We defeated AS Roma, for instance... Incredibly strong experience. It´s our unbelievable success; we won five times, and we´ll all remember it forever," states Ivan Schranz, who has scored nine times on the European stage wearing the red and white jersey.
Out of six games, they gathered 15 points with their teammates. Among the five triumphs, the domestic scalp of AS Roma stands out, secured by goals from Václav Jurečka and Lukáš Masopust, with an impressive score of 17:4. Only Leverkusen scored more goals in the group stage (19); Freiburg and Liverpool also netted seventeen times. The team produced 87 attempts on goal (9th among all participants), their opponents´ goalkeepers intervened 32 times against direct threats (8th place).
Second Home at Eden
During this year´s UEL season, a total of 93,116 fans visited Eden for five home games (an average of 18,623 per match). "My home, my fortress." The red and whites won all home encounters, scored seventeen times, and conceded none.
"I think I can speak for the entire team, the locker room, the whole Slavia. Eden is our second home, our second family. The support of the fans is hugely noticeable. Hats off to everyone who comes here, supports us. All the players immensely appreciate it. We´re very pleased that we repaid them by winning the whole group," acknowledges David Douděra.
Slavia succeeded as a team, but individuals also excelled. Igoh Ogbu and Aleš Mandous played the complete minutes (540), with the latter, the national team goalkeeper who replaced Ondřej Kolář after the defeat to Zorya, securing four clean sheets, the most successful among all. Brighton also kept clean sheets four times; goalkeepers Jason Steele and Bart Verbruggen shared game time.
Mojmír Chytil emerged as one of the most productive players in the Europa League group stage, experiencing two-goal evenings against Sheriff and Servette in home matches, adding two assists. Only João Pedro from Brighton scored more goals (6), along with Ioannnidis from Panathinaikos, Aubameyang from Marseille, and Lukaku from Roma (all with five).
David Douděra (2+2) and Lukáš Masopust and Václav Jurečka with two goals and an assist each also performed notably.
"Slavia is the biggest club in the Czech Republic, a club at the European level. That´s exactly why I came here. Beautiful clashes await us; I hope the draw assigns us famous opponents. Still, we want to progress. Advancement is the most important thing for us, no matter who we face. Since my arrival, I´ve experienced unbelievable feelings from the very first game. Whether it´s the league, cup, or Europe, there´s an incredible atmosphere here. Opponents always struggle against us, I´ve experienced it firsthand; the fans are unbelievable. We´re very grateful for how many of them come, the stunning choreographies. We highly value their support," expresses Mojmír Chytil.
First Place on the Eleventh Attempt
Apart from this year´s UEL battles, after transitioning to the group system, replacing the traditional "knockout" format, Slavia had appeared ten times in European cup groups.
In the UEFA Cup 2005/06 within Group A, they finished third behind Monaco and Hamburg. Two years later in the Champions League, they also secured third place; Sevilla and Arsenal were more successful. The UEFA Cup 2008/09 brought struggles in Group F, four points from four matches resulted in the last position behind Hamburg, Ajax, Aston Villa, and Žilina.
In the UEFA Europa League Group B in the 2009/10 season, they ended fourth among Valencia, Lille, and Genoa CFC. The same competition eight years later saw them clinch the third position, only three points behind the winning Villarreal. A year later, in the 2018/19 season, Slavia finally made it to the knockout stages in the EL, leaving Girondins Bordeaux and FC Copenhagen behind, with a shortfall to victorious Zenit.
Their historically second appearance in the Champions League group stage in the 2019/20 season saw clashes with Barcelona, Dortmund, and Inter Milan, resulting in fourth place. The following year, controlled progression from the second spot behind Bayer Leverkusen led the way; they had a six-point lead over Beer Sheva and a nine-point advantage over last-placed OGC Nice.
Their very first appearance in the newly formed Conference League in 2021 brought advancement from the second position behind Feyenoord, but the next year in the same competition, bitter disappointment as Slavia finished behind Sivasspor and Cluj.
On the eleventh attempt, final triumph ensued...
"Five victories out of six matches. It´s unique to achieve something like this. It was amazing that we had it in our hands at the end. I greatly appreciate it, but our dreams lie in a higher category. The Servette match at home was one of those amazing evenings, and I will fondly remember.
