In between the two UEFA Conference League qualifiers against Katowice, the Šošoni kicked off their 2026/27 Niké Liga campaign. In a remarkable eight-goal thriller at the Stadium under the Dubeň hill, Žilina shared the spoils with Košice in a dramatic 4:4 draw after both leading and trailing during the contest.
Dani Homet struck twice for the Šošoni, while Timotej Hranica and Andrea Florea added the other goals, with Florea netting his first-ever league goal for the club.
The yellow-and-greens now turn their attention back to Europe, with the return leg of the second qualifying round against Katowice coming up next. After that, league action continues with another trip east as Žilina face Michalovce next Sunday.
Head coach Pavol Staňo made several changes to his side following Thursday’s European fixture, with only Pališčák, Hranica and Roginić retaining their places in the starting lineup. It was also a league debut in the starting XI for Patrik Baleja and Dávid Šípoš.
With a heavily rotated team, the Šošoni needed a few minutes to find their rhythm, and Košice looked to take advantage. Dávid Šípoš was kept busy early on, though mostly with his distribution, while at the other end a mistake from goalkeeper Dąbrowski gifted Xavi Adang a shooting opportunity from distance, only for the midfielder to miss the target. The opener arrived in style in the 15th minute. Timotej Hranica controlled the ball on his chest and unleashed a superb half-volley from outside the box that nestled perfectly inside the post to make it 1:0. The lead lasted only until VAR intervened. A cross struck the hand of Marek Okál, and after reviewing the incident, the referee awarded a penalty. Čerepkai converted to bring the visitors level. The equaliser sparked a response from Žilina, who began to spend more time in the attacking third. Filip Kaša came close with an ambitious effort, but it was Košice who struck next. Following a loose clearance, Gallovič was given too much space and curled a precise finish into the far corner, turning the game around before the break. Despite finishing the first half on the front foot, the Šošoni headed into the dressing room trailing 2:1.
Two changes followed at half-time, with Hranica and Pališčák making way for Minárik and Jenci Bario. The equaliser arrived shortly afterwards. Patrik Baleja tested Dąbrowski from distance, the goalkeeper could only parry the effort, and Andrea Florea reacted quickest to slot home his first league goal for the club and make it 2:2. The goal energised the hosts. Bario added pace and creativity down the left flank, while Marko Roginić and Samo Ďatko both came close to restoring the lead. The breakthrough eventually arrived in spectacular fashion. Michal Faško delivered a cross to the back post, where Dani Homet somehow kept a seemingly lost ball alive and hooked it into the net with an acrobatic finish for 3:2. The drama was far from over. Šípoš produced an excellent save to deny Madleňák, but moments later Maraš capitalised on a defensive error to level the score once again. With half an hour still remaining, there was plenty more to come. In the 78th minute, Bario was involved again as his delivery eventually found Homet, who turned cleverly inside the box and fired home his second goal of the evening to put the Šošoni back in front at 4:3. Yet Košice had one final response. Maraš matched Homet’s brace with a composed finish of his own, making it 4:4 and completing a remarkable eight-goal contest. The Šošoni pushed for a winner in the closing stages, but after Thursday’s European exertions, the decisive fifth goal never arrived.
Attention now turns back to Europe, with the return leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round against Katowice up next in Poland. The yellow-and-greens then return to league action next Sunday in Round 2, when they face another eastern opponent, Michalovce.
Post-match reactions
“Whenever you make that many changes to the lineup, it naturally takes time for things to click. On the other hand, the players who came in showed their quality and proved once again that we have a deep squad with plenty of options. Several players who have been working hard in training for a long time got their opportunity and deserved their chance.The half-time substitutions were planned in advance, which may also be why we had fewer options to freshen up the game later on. You could see the effects of Thursday’s match on some players, but those who came off the bench still helped us turn the game around. At the same time, we wanted to manage the workload of several players ahead of Thursday’s return leg and reduce the risk of injuries.It was certainly an entertaining match for the fans. We managed to come back from a difficult situation, but we also failed to hold on to our lead twice. We didn’t manage the game well enough in those moments, so a draw is probably a fair result. We need to be more focused defensively, because conceding four goals is simply too many for a team that wants to compete at the top of the table.What pleases me most is that we came through the match without any injuries. Now all our attention turns to Katowice. Everyone wants to be part of that game. We know there will be a fantastic atmosphere and plenty of pressure from the stands, but those are exactly the kinds of matches that represent a great challenge for us.”
Pavol Staňo, tréner MŠK Žilina
„Vedeli sme, že Žilina má veľkú kvalitu, čo sa počas zápasu aj potvrdilo. Pripravili sme sa však na situácie, ktoré nás v minulosti trestali, a myslím si, že sme ich tentoraz zvládli lepšie. Bol to atraktívny zápas, v ktorom bolo na čo pozerať, a s výkonom svojho mužstva som spokojný. Diváci videli veľa gólov a verím, že odchádzali zo štadióna spokojní. Ja by som chcel predovšetkým pochváliť svojich hráčov za výkon, prístup a charakter. Ani za nepriaznivého stavu sa nevzdali a bojovali až do poslednej minúty.“
Peter Černák, tréner FC Košice
"Je škoda, že sa zápas skončil remízou, ale som šťastný za tím. Vo štvrtok sme odohrali náročný zápas a dnes sme sa snažili podať čo najlepší výkon, bojovali sme, otočili sme nepriaznivý priebeh, hoci na konci už chýbalo síl. Mrzí nás strata vedenia, no teší ma, že sme viacerí striedajúci hráči dobre nastúpili. A moje dva góly? Pre niekoho možno netradičné, no ja už som strelil niekoľko podobných gólov a pri takýchto zakončeniach sa cítim komfortne. Návrat po zranení bol náročný, ale cítim sa dobre a tieto dva góly mi určite dodajú viac sebavedomia. Samozrejme, streliť štyri góly je pre fanúšikov skvelé, no zároveň sme štyri inkasovali, takže musíme ďalej pracovať hlavne na defenzívnych veciach ako celé mužstvo. Verím svojim spoluhráčom, každý zápas chceme odohrať čo najlepšie a budeme v tom pokračovať. Prepíname na Katowice, kde to bude náročné, no určite pôjdeme za postupom."
Daniel Homet, útočník MŠK Žilina
