Nigerian winger Ubong Ekpai scored his first goal of the season for Ceske Budejovice, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 2-1 loss to Slovacko on Match Day 25 of the Czech Liga on Saturday.
Ekpai, who previously played for Czech giants Slavia Prague, Vitoria Plzen and featured for the U23 Nigeria national team, had an early chance in the 5th minute but saw his header narrowly miss the left post.
Nigerian attackers Marvis Ogiomade and Elvis Isaac also tested their luck in the match, but neither could find the back of the net for Ceske Budejovice. Slovacko took the lead in the 23rd minute through Vlasiy Sinyavskiy’s long-range strike into an empty net after a defensive mistake.
Ceske Budejovice responded just before halftime when Ekpai equalized in the 43rd minute, heading in a perfect cross from Filip Havelka. This goal came in his 16th appearance of the season, marking a significant moment for the Nigerian.
Ekpai in training for Ceske Dynamo.
However, Slovacko regained the lead in the 50th minute through Jiri Klima’s quick reaction in the box, making it 2-1. Ekpai then had a great chance to level the score in the 51st minute, receiving a through ball in the box, but Slovacko goalkeeper Milan Heca made a stunning save to deny him.
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Despite pushing for a late equalizer, Ceske Budejovice couldn’t break through, and the game ended with a 2-1 defeat.
Ekpai’s goal was a bright moment for the team, but Ceske Budejovice remains in search of consistency as their fight to stay up in the Czech Liga continues. Their next challenge comes against Karvina, as they look to bounce back and secure vital points in the relegation battle.
