Czech Republic round-up: Blazek beaten for sorry Sparta

Three days after their UEFA Cup exit at the hands of Turkish club Denizlispor, AC Sparta Praha slipped up again with a 1-0 defeat against FC Zlín at the weekend.

First defeat
Sparta's goalkeeper Jaromír Blazek had not conceded a goal in the Czech First Division for 762 minutes but Petr Novosad ended his record with his first league goal as the unbeaten leaders were stunned by the newcomers at Letná stadium. Sparta were unable to respond and a lacklustre performance saw them suffer their first league defeat since April.

Late winner
Second-placed SK Slavia Praha also found the going tough as they struggled to a hard-earned 1-0 victory over SK Sigma Olomouc. Hosts Slavia had defender Martin Müller to thank for a goalline clearance, before substitute Tomás Dosek decided the game five minutes before the final whistle leaving new Olomouc's coach Jirí Kotrba without single point after three matches in charge.

Polák on target
FC Slovan Liberec made eight changes to their lineup after Thursday's penalty shoot-out victory over Ipswich Town FC in the UEFA Cup. Nevertheless, the under-strength team still managed to defeat FC Príbram 2-0, with a penalty from Samuel Slovák and a superb effort from Jan Polák. Príbram have not scored a goal away from home since the start of the season.

Joy for Zelenka
FK Teplice extended their winning run to nine matches under the guidance of Frantisek Straha, and the caretaker coach was rewarded with the head coach's role after a 1-0 victory over FK Chmel Blšany. Ludek Zelenka scored his club's 1000th goal to secure the three points.

Licka stamps authority
FC Baník Ostrava's undefeated home record with a single-goal loss at the hands of FK Viktoria Zizkov. Zizkov were missing three suspended players but had Marcel Licka to thank as he scored the winner against his former team-mates, including his brother Mario.

Kowalík double
CU Bohemians Praha remain bottom of the standings after making it seven matches without a win against 1. FC Synot. The convincing 3-1 defeat means that Bohemians have now conceded 13 goals in their last four games. Jirí Kowalík was their nemesis this time, scoring twice and missing a penalty.

Giant step
Newly promoted SK Ceské Budejovice took another giant step away from the relegation zone with a 2-1 win against fellow strugglers SK Hradec Králové. Monday's action saw Milan Pacanda hit the only goal as 1. FC Brno defeated FK Jablonec 97.