Durosinmi Shines as Plzen Comes Back to Defeat Ferencváros in Playoff Drama

Viktoria Plzen staged a remarkable comeback following a first-leg loss, defeating Ferencvaros 3-1 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League. This marks the first instance in which they have advanced in a significant European competition after falling short in the initial match.

As they made their way to Czechia with a slender one-goal advantage, Ferencvaros faced an uphill battle from the outset.

They were immediately under pressure and were fortunate not to concede early when Lukas Cerv’s shot was spectacularly cleared off the line by Julio Romao.

At the other end, Ferencvaros tried to respond, with Matheus Saldanha curling a shot just past the post.

The back-and-forth contest continued as Plzen created their own opportunity, but David Grof pulled off a brilliant save to deny Lukas Kalvach’s deflected attempt.

Ferencvaros’ resilience was finally broken just before the half-hour mark when Rafiu Durosinmi directed a powerful header towards goal. Although Grof made an impressive stop, a combination of Durosinmi and Vaclav Jemelka forced the ball over the line.

The tie was flipped on its head just eight minutes later when Pavel Sulc emphatically scored after a clever setup from Matej Vydra.

This goal put Plzen ahead on aggregate, and shortly after, they increased their advantage further with Durosinmi tapping in Sulc’s cross at the near post.

Facing a daunting task, Ferencvaros needed to respond, prompting manager Robbie Keane to make a pair of substitutions at halftime in hopes of altering the momentum.

However, the changes failed to ignite their performance, as Ferencvaros struggled to create any clear-cut chances during a second half that was largely uneventful.

This suited the hosts perfectly, as they recognised their work for the evening was largely completed. Plzen were content to sit back and control the match until the final whistle.

Ultimately, the hosts were able to withstand a late surge from Ferencvaros, securing the win. This fifth victory from their last six second-leg home fixtures was crucial, although the scoreline could have been even more emphatic, as Prince Kwabena Adu squandered a golden chance, shooting wide with only Grof to beat.

For Ferencvaros, this marks another disappointing chapter in their Europa League campaign, having now suffered three consecutive away defeats in the competition, accumulating an aggregate score of 10-0 against them.