21 top moments of 2021
1
Bah – Bah – Bah!
On 5 January Slavia signed 23-year old Danish full back Alexander Bah from Sonderjyske. He became one of the key players for the 2021/22 autumn season with 25 appearances across all competitions, 5 goals and 5 assists. Bah also earned his first call-up to the Danish national team.
2
The Fox Hunt
Slavia were drawn against Leicester FC in the UEL round of 32. As clear underdogs the Red-Whites managed to hold the Foxes to a goalless draw home at Eden and win the away leg 2-0 after second-half goals by Lukáš Provod and Abdallah Sima.
3
Coming from Behind
On the last February day of 2021 Slavia successfully finished one of the most difficult league game of 2020/21 season. The Red-Whites were losing twice at Slovácko, but managed to come from behind to win 3-2 thanks to late goals by Stanciu and Lingr.
4
Rangers out
Another great opponent for the UEL round of 16, another trip to the UK. After a 1-1 home draw against Rangers, the dramatic second leg at Ibrox brought a great Slavia tactical performance and a surprising 2-0 win thanks to Olayinka’s header and Stanciu’s perfect free kick.
5
Superb Stanciu
February and March 2021 caught Nico Stanciu in his top form. The Romanian midfielder scored 8 goals in 9 games during these two months and helped Slavia to 5 league wins and elimination of Leicester and Rangers in the UEFA Europa League.
6
Holeš in Arsenal Defence
Solid performance at Emirates in the first leg of the UEL quarter-final could be spoiled by late goal by Pepe, but Slavia did not give up and Tomáš Holeš headed in an equaliser after Lukáš Provod’s corner in the 94th minute.
7
A Derby Serie
On 11 April Tomáš Holeš and Stanislav Tecl secured our 2-0 win over Sparta in a Prague Derby. It was our 13th unbeaten Derby against Sparta and 38th straight unbeaten game in the Czech league.
8
Provod’s Misfortune
2020/21 was a season of dreams for Lukáš Provod until the game against Olomouc in May. Provod had to be substituted after 19 minutes and the verdict was cruel – cruciate ligament rupture which caused our midfielder miss not only the last league games, but most importantly the EURO and Czech journey to the quarter-finals.
9
The Cup Winners
With Czech title in hand the Red-Whites travelled to Plzeň to take on Viktoria in the MOL Cup final. Abdallah Sima returned after a groin injury, came on the pitch after 60 minutes and became a match-winner at minute 73. After a one-year break, Slavia won another Czech double.
10
Hat-trick for the Invincibles
In 2020/21 Slavia secured their Czech title with 5 games left but could finally celebrate after the last game at home against České Budějovice. Lingr and Kuchta gave us two-goal cushion before the break, and Skovajsa’s goal in the second half thus could not spoil the final moments of the season. The Red-Whites went through the entire season unbeaten and celebrated their 3rd champions title in a row, 4th in the last 5 years.
11
Kuchta the King
Jan Kuchta scored 15 league goals and became the top scorer of the 2020/21 Fortuna Liga (joint with Adam Hložek from Sparta). The crown goes to Slavia for the second time in a row, a year before Petar Musa won with 14 goals.
12
Ousou on the Scene
In July 2021, the captain of Sweden U-21 team Aiham Ousou appeared at Eden. Original plan? Slowly include him into the first team. Reality? After several injuries Ousou started to 22 games across all competitions and created a solid centre-back duo with Taras Kacharaba which kept 8 clean sheets.
13
Farewell to Sima
Another player moving from Slavia to the Premier League. Abdallah Sima scored 20 goals in 39 games for Slavia first team and reserves during the 2020/21 season (11 in the Czech league and 4 in the UEFA Europa League). At the end of the season the Senegalese forward was named Revelation of the Season at the League Football Association Awards. On the beginning of 2021/22 season he left for England to join Brighton & Hove Albion.
14
17-year old Wonder
Daniel Samek made his first-team debut in March 2021, but the 17-year old midfielder made a proper impact in the new season. He scored his maiden goal against Ostrava in August and finished the autumn with 21 caps for the first team, 3 goals and 3 assists.
15
Back on Track Against Union
After two failed attempts to qualify for the Champions League and Europa League, Slavia desperately needed a win on the beginning of the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage. Thousands Union fans flooded Eden to watch the first European game of their team after decades and created great atmosphere together with Slavia crowd in which the Red-Whites managed to win 3-1.
16
The Most Successful Manager
With the 5-1 win over Bohemians in September 2021, Jindřich Trpišovský became the most successful Slavia manager in the modern era of Slavia from 1990. 125 games in charge of the club, 92 wins, 24 draws, 9 defeats.
17
End of the Record Run
The 0-1 loss at Sparta on 3 October 2021 meant the end of our record-breaking unbeaten run. Slavia haven’t lost 54 games in a row in the Czech Fortuna Liga. 1 year, 7 months and 3 days created a new all-time Czech record. It was also our first Prague Derby defeat since 2016.
18
Victory against Viktoria
One of the most important – and most dramatic – games came on 31 October. Slavia were 4 points behind their guests before the game but managed to win 2-0 thanks to goals by Ondřej Lingr and ex-Viktoria Michael Krmenčík. The away team ended up with three red cards after an emotional end of the game.
19
Late Drama in Berlin
Slavia needed at least one point from their last game of the UECL group stage against Union. Ivan Schranz gave us lead at freezing Olympic Stadium early in the second half, but Kruse equalised 14 minutes later, and the drama lasted to the very last minute. After a 1-1 draw, Slavia qualified for the knockout stage play-off and will play against Fenerbahce in February 2022.
20
You Shall not Pass
From 27 October to 19 December, Aleš Mandous kept clean sheet for 724 minutes which was the 4th longest streak in the history of the Czech league. Slavia scored 19 goals, conceded 0 and won 21 points in those 7 games. Mandous joined Slavia in summer, started to 18 games overall and earned a call-up to the Czech national team in November.
21
Last-minute save
Slavia were 2-0 up in the last league game of the autumn season, but the game at Baník brought a real drama after the break. The home side came from behind, but the Red-Whites managed to equalise despite two red cards. A penalty for Baník in the added time could decide the game, but Aleš Mandous saved it. A 3-3 draw meant that Slavia would stay on top of the league table.
