I would rather win the cup than be second in the league, admits Kopic after progressing to the semi-finals

Is the final close?

We saw that if we manage the match in Jablonec, then the next match we play at home with Zlín and we will be the favorites in that match. Not reaching the final would be a big failure for us. After the defeat with Liberec, the cup match in Jablonec was important for us. What are we going to talk about, the league has already run away from us, Sparta and Slavia are far from us, moreover, after the defeat at the weekend, the gap has deepened even more. The cup is therefore very important to us. It also applied to Jablonec, so it was a difficult match, moreover, on difficult terrain.

You were at the first two goals. Did you get a lot of space from your opponent during them?

When I ran after the ball in the first situation, I was a bit angry with Matěj (Vydra) for not giving me a more vertical pass so that I could go straight to the goal myself, but fortunately it turned out well. I shot the ball into the goal and the stopper accidentally knocked the ball into the goal.

And three minutes later you scored yourself.

Čeki (Souaré) did it beautifully there, he shot the ball to the back post and I just set my foot in the slide and the ball bounced into the goal. Such matches are about the first goal, especially on such terrain. We had already played here a fortnight ago, so we knew it wasn’t going to be some beautiful chukkas. That’s just the way it is. We mainly went to advance.

If the match was about the first goal, how important was it that Kratochvíl from Jablonec scored only a stick in the 32nd minute when the score was 0:0?

He hit the crossbar, but two minutes before Šulcík also hit the crossbar, so it was 1:1 on the crossbars. But of course, on such terrain, the first goal will help you a lot. It would certainly be a big complication to cash in first.

You personally have been waiting for a goal for a long time, do you believe that this match will give you a kick?

I don’t have many numbers this year, that’s just the way it is. I scored a goal after a long time. I don’t have one in the league yet. I have chances, but I don’t like it. I hope that it will be broken with this goal and some more will be added before the end of the season. I have to say I’m running pretty good. I’m physically fine.

Photo: Radek Petrášek, CTK

The players of Pilsen rejoice at the second goal against Jablonec

You won the domestic cup 11 years ago with Jablonec…

It is my only Czech Cup, so I remember it quite often. Has it been eleven years already?

Yes, in 2013 you beat Mlada Boleslav in the final and you played a key role in the end.

It flies… I remember it, of course. I equalized at 2:2. Then I gave the decisive penalty, you probably won’t forget that for the rest of your life, so I wish I could repeat it with Pilsen.

Unlike the league, you have not yet won the domestic cup with her. Why is it?

It is so. Since I’ve been in Pilsen, we’ve only been in the semi-finals once. We’ve always played at the top for the title, so I’d say we’ve been focused on fighting for the title and the cup has probably been on the back burner.

Now the situation is different.

Yes, the title is probably 99 percent gone, so I would like to lift the cup over my head. I’ve already experienced it with Jablonec and it’s beautiful. I’d rather win the cup than be second in the league because lifting something over your head with the team is a great euphoria.