Analysis The numbers behind the result
Plzen overwhelm 10-man Crvena Zvezda in Europa League rout
Plzen's 5-1 extra-time victory was emphatic yet somewhat skewed by Crvena Zvezda's 53rd-minute red card to Osman Bukari. Despite holding 55% possession, Plzen showed superior attacking intent with 12 shots on target versus Crvena Zvezda's 2, while their 8 corners to the visitors' 3 underscored dominance in wide areas. Prince Adu's early opener (8') was quickly cancelled out by Mirko Ivanic (11'), but the turning point came when Bukari's dismissal left Crvena Zvezda defending for 67 minutes.
The hosts capitalised ruthlessly after the break: Dusan Visinsky converted a 58th-minute penalty before Patrik Hrosovsky (63'), Cedric Kabongo (90+5'), and Dominik Krcik (96') padded the scoreline. Crvena Zvezda's indiscipline proved costly – collecting 7 yellow cards alongside the red – while Plzen's 17 shots off target suggest they could have won more convincingly. The defining stat? Plzen landed 6 times as many shots on target (12 vs 2), illustrating their control after the numerical advantage.