Sports News

In Sports News: In the Tipsport Extraliga hockey playoffs, Liberec reach the semi-finals while Vítkovice force a game 7 in their quarterfinal against Pardubice;in the NHL, goalies Neuwirth, Pavelec suffer defeat against Caroline, Chicago; in football, Liberec remain within three points of league-leaders Sparta; Chelsea book spot in Champions League quarterfinals.

Tipsport Extraliga: Liberec book spot in playoff semi-finals

Liberec - České Budějovice, photo: CTK

In hockey, Vítkovice trounced opponents Pardubice in their game 6 quarterfinal in the Tipsport Extraliga, winning by a score of 6:1. In the win Vítkovice – who got goals from Klimek, Pohl, Punčochář and Ujčík who had a a timely hat-trick from – evened the series and forced a deciding game 7 to be played on Tuesday evening.

In the quarterfinals, clubs Kometa Brno and Plzeň are a win away from advancing to the next round: Brno leads Sparta 3:2 and will face the Prague club later on Monday; Plzeň lead Zlín by the same margin and could wrap things up also later in the day. Liberec, meanwhile, have already made it to the next round, after eliminating České Budějovice 4:1 in their series.

NHL action: goalies Neuwirth, Pavelec post losses

Ondřej Pavelec, photo: CTK

Overseas in the NHL on Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers’ Aleš Hemský was named the first star in his team’s game against Phoenix. The player got six shots off against the Phoenix goalie, scoring once to give the club a 2:0 lead. Phoenix, however, came back and spoiled the night for the Oilers, edging the Canadian team 3:2 in a penalty shootout.

In other action, Washington goalie Michal Neuwirth earned his first assist of the season after he deflected the puck and it was picked up by Alexander Ovechkin who scored against Chicago. But the assist was one of the few bright moments of the evening for the Czech goalie, who allowed five goals by the Blackhawks: the final score was 5:2.

The Winnipeg Jets, also suffered a defeat, losing 4:3 against Carolina. Jets’ goalie Ondřej Pavelec stopped 31 shots by the Hurricane but it wasn’t enough.

Football: Liberec defeat Olomouc, Sparta down rivals Ostrava

Olomouc - Liberec, photo: CTK

In football, Liberec got a little bit of a scare against Olomouc at the weekend, trailing the home team in the first half by a score of 1:0, before turning on the goals in the second. Although the game was tied at 2:2 in the 61st minute, Liberec added two more goals for a final score of 4:2 to snatch all three points remain within reach of Sparta, who defeated Ostrava 2:0 on Friday. In the league, Plzeň are in third place on 40 points, having defeated Jablonec 2:0.

Čech’s Chelsea FC to play Benfica in Champion League’s quarterfinals

Petr Čech, photo: CTK

Football club Chelsea with Czech goalkeeper Petr Čech will face the Portuguese side Benfica Lisbon in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The first leg is scheduled for the end of March in Lisbon, while the second is to be played in London in the first week of April. Petr Čech has welcomed the draw but warned Benfica was a strong opponent that had knocked out Russia’s FC Zenit. Chelsea FC secured a spot in the Champions League’s last 16 when on Wednesday they defeated Italy’s SSC Napoli 4:1 in extra time after having lost 3:1 in the first leg in Naples.