OSTRAVA (Interstat) — Plzen scored four second-half goals and routed Ostrava 4-0 in a global football match Sunday at Městský stadion - Vítkovice Aréna in Ostrava. The visiting side controlled the second half after a scoreless first half, turning a close match into a decisive result with a rapid burst of goals after the break. Ostrava could not find a response and finished the match without a goal.

Adam Gabriel led Plzen with two goals in 84 minutes. Amar Memic had three assists in 66 minutes. Lukas Cerv scored once while playing 90 minutes. Tobias Paliscak had one assist in 90 minutes. Tomas Ladra scored once in 24 minutes. Those performances came in that order of importance as Plzen converted its best chances and kept Ostrava from mounting a comeback.

The decisive stretch began in the 48th minute when Gabriel scored. Gabriel struck again in the 56th minute, and Cerv made it 3-0 in the 57th. Ladra closed the scoring in the 80th minute. Memic assisted on three of the four goals, helping Plzen pull away after a first half that included yellow cards for Plzen’s Prebsl in the 18th minute and Ostrava’s Boula in the 30th minute and Kubala in the 35th minute. The three-goal burst in the opening minutes of the second half was the most important passage of the match and removed any doubt about the outcome.

Ostrava made substitutions in the 61st minute with Kmet, in the 62nd with Skrkon and Frydrych, in the 71st with Kohut and in the 72nd with Kubala. Plzen made changes in the 66th minute with Sojka, Adu and Memic, in the 75th with Doski and in the 84th with Gabriel. The home side changed its shape and personnel after falling behind, but Plzen’s defense held firm and the visitors added the final goal late.

Plzen improved to 3 wins and 1 loss in the competition. Ostrava is now 0 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws in the competition. Across all competitions, Plzen is 4 wins and 3 losses, while Ostrava is 1 win, 2 losses and 3 draws. Plzen’s previous competitive match was a 6-1 win at Jihlava, and Ostrava’s previous competitive match was a 2-0 win at Sparta Prague. Plzen also had recent results that included a 3-2 win at Jablonec, a 3-0 win over Mlada Boleslav, a 2-1 home loss to FK Pardubice, a 2-1 home loss to Levski Sofia and a 2-1 loss at Ferencvaros. Ostrava’s recent results included scoreless draws with Liberec and Sparta Prague, a 1-0 loss at Bohemians and a 1-1 draw at GKS Katowice.

Ostrava’s record in the competition remained without a win after the home defeat. Plzen’s competition record moved above .500 with the victory. The match was played at Městský stadion - Vítkovice Aréna in Ostrava, where the home side was unable to recover after conceding early in the second half. Plzen’s four goals all came after halftime, with Gabriel’s two strikes setting the tone for the visitors. Ostrava’s best chances came before the break, but the home side could not convert them into a goal. Ostrava pressed for a response after the substitutions, but Plzen kept the home side away from goal. The visitors managed the closing stages comfortably and finished with a clean sheet. Plzen’s second-half scoring run came after a first half in which both teams traded fouls and bookings but neither side found the net.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Plzen 3, Ostrava 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Ostrava with a 96.4 percent probability to win. Plzen 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 2.5.