Slovan Bratislava II vs AS Trencin

Trenčín made a wholesale change at half-time, sending out a completely different XI for the second period. The fresh line-up immediately took control of possession but struggled to carve out clear chances.

The pivotal moment arrived in the 55th minute when the referee awarded Trenčín a penalty for handball. Defender Brandis stepped up but struck the post, keeping the hosts ahead. The miss could have deflated the visitors, but instead it sparked greater urgency.

Five minutes later, Sabljić weaved into a promising position but lost his footing at the critical moment, and Slovan nearly punished the miss on the counter-attack. In the 65th minute, young midfielder Matúš Uhlárik — making his first-team bow — forced a save, signalling Trenčín's growing momentum.

The equaliser came in the 71st minute. Winger Bangs delivered an excellent driven cross into the box and striker S. Adyrbekov finished first-time to make it 1–1.

Trenčín kept pressing. Uhlárik whipped in a dangerous set piece in the 76th minute and Brandis came centimetres from turning it home. Slovan's only late threat came in the 80th minute after a defensive lapse, but the visitors survived.

The winner arrived in the 83rd minute. Trialist forward J. Zirkzee — on a trial spell at the club — latched onto a pass inside the box and finished calmly past the Slovan keeper to seal a 2–1 victory.

J. Zirkzee (AS Trenčín) — Introduced in the 70th minute for Longbak, the Dutch trialist took just 13 minutes to score the winner with a composed finish. A telling contribution that will have caught the coaching staff's attention.

S. Adyrbekov (AS Trenčín) — The Kazakh forward scored the crucial equaliser with a sharp first-time finish from Bangs's cross and led the line well in the second half.

Matúš Uhlárik (AS Trenčín) — The academy graduate impressed on his senior debut in the second half, creating multiple chances from midfield and showing composure beyond his years. "I felt very good and I'm glad I'm starting to collect minutes in the A-team," Uhlárik told the club's official site after the match.

M. Plavnik (Slovan Bratislava II) — Scored the opening goal from the penalty spot and was involved in much of Slovan's first-half attacking play.

Player of the match: S. Adyrbekov — his equaliser changed the game's momentum and set up the platform for the comeback.

The match statistics tell a story of two contrasting halves. Trenčín's first XI dominated possession in the opening 45 minutes — creating multiple chances (Kasana hitting the bar, Baždarić's free kick just wide) — but went into the break trailing due to a single defensive lapse and a contentious penalty call. The xG picture likely favoured Trenčín over the full 90 minutes given the volume of chances they created, particularly in the second period.

The 1–0 half-time scoreline severely flattered Slovan Bratislava II, who created little from open play. Trenčín's second-half XI maintained the territorial dominance and finally converted it into goals, with 11 shots (approximate across both periods) reflecting their control. The missed penalty (Brandis hitting the post, 55') was the defining moment — had Slovan doubled their lead on the counter, the outcome may have been different.

For AS Trenčín, this is a confident start to pre-season ahead of the 2026/27 Niké Liga campaign. The manager's side showed resilience to overturn a deficit and depth across two different XIs. Trialist Zirkzee's immediate impact and Uhlárik's confident senior debut are encouraging signs. Trenčín continue their pre-season schedule against FC Petržalka on 27 June, followed by a double-header against FC Zlín and FK Inter Bratislava on 3 July.

For Slovan Bratislava II — the reserve side of Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava playing in the second-tier 2. Liga — the performance showed defensive organisation but a lack of cutting edge from open play. They will look to build sharpness in their own pre-season friendlies ahead of the new campaign.

A deserved win for AS Trenčín, whose dominance across 90 minutes told in the end. The two completely different XIs employed by the coaching staff served their purpose — giving minutes to the entire squad while demonstrating squad depth. Slovan B's first-half resistance was commendable, but they rarely threatened after the break and could not hold out.