Football: Sparta beats Slavia in Prague derby

In a major fixture of the Czech football season, Sparta Prague beat city rivals Slavia 1:0 on Monday. The host Sparta, a strong favourite for this year’s title, was on the defensive throughout much of the first half, with defending champions Slavia wasting some good opportunities. But in the 39th minute, Sparta threw the ball in front of the goal where it re-bounced before Sparta’s Libor Sionko drove it in. In the second half, Slavia was pushing to equalize but Sparta would not let that happen. After Monday’s win, Sparta Prague is leading the table with two points ahead of Baník Ostrava, six rounds before the end of the season. Slavia, down at eight place, has lost any viable chance of defending the league title.