KOSICE (Interstat) — Kosice and Zilina played to a 2-2 draw on Sunday in a match that produced four goals, two yellow cards, several substitutions and a split of the points in the competition. Zilina twice had to respond, while Kosice twice held a lead before the visitors found a second equalizer. The result added another draw to both records and kept the home side unbeaten in the competition. Kosice pressed early and was rewarded with the opening goal, but Zilina stayed within reach and made the finish tense. The game ended level after a lively second half that produced two goals and several changes.

Aleksa Maras gave Kosice the lead in the 36th minute. Zilina equalized through Timotej Hranica in the 50th minute, and Filip Lichy restored Kosice’s advantage in the 62nd. Michal Fasko scored Zilina’s second goal later in the match, and neither side could find a winner over the closing stretch. Damjanovic was booked for Kosice in the 44th minute, and Kosa received a yellow card in the 56th. The two bookings were the only cautions listed in a match that otherwise moved quickly from end to end. Kosice held its first lead for 14 minutes before Hranica leveled, and Lichy’s goal came 12 minutes after that equalizer. Zilina pushed numbers forward after the break, and Kosice answered with counterattacks that kept the visiting defense busy until the final whistle.

Timotej Hranica of Zilina played 90 minutes and scored once. Filip Lichy of Kosice played 90 minutes and scored once. Michal Fasko of Zilina played 88 minutes and scored once. Aleksa Maras of Kosice played 82 minutes and scored once. Miroslav Sovic of Kosice played 83 minutes and recorded one assist. Daniel Magda of Kosice played 32 minutes and recorded one assist. The production came from a range of roles, with Zilina getting goals from Hranica and Fasko and Kosice getting goals from Lichy and Maras. Sovic and Magda provided the assists that helped Kosice build its two leads.

Zilina made a 20th-minute change with Okal. Kosice used Rehus and Kosa S. in the 58th minute, Zilina used Kosa F. in the 63rd, and Kosice used Kakay in the 73rd. Kosice also substituted Maras in the 82nd minute and Sovic in the 83rd, while Zilina substituted Fasko in the 88th. The changes broke up the flow in the second half, but both teams continued to push for a third goal as the match moved toward its final minutes. Kosice’s bench helped freshen the attack after the hour mark, and Zilina’s late change added another body forward for the closing push.

The result left Zilina with a competition record of 0 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws. Kosice sits at 0 wins, 0 losses and 3 draws in the competition. Across all competitions, Zilina stands at 1 win, 2 losses and 2 draws, and Kosice stands at 1 win, 0 losses and 3 draws. Zilina entered the match after a loss to Dunajska Streda, a win at TJ Kostolne Kracany, a draw at Ruzomberok and a loss at Sigma Olomouc. Kosice had drawn at Michalovce, won at Povazska Bystrica and drawn with Komarno in its previous matches. Both teams remained without a competition win after Sunday’s draw, and Kosice remained unbeaten in the competition despite failing to protect its two leads.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Kosice 4, Zilina 1 before kickoff. Interstat’s ELO system projected Zilina with an 86.5 percent probability to win. Kosice had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 4 went under the over/under line of 3.5.