AS Trencin vs Petržalka

Petržalka, competing in the Slovak second-tier MONACObet liga, started the brighter side. Tomáš Šefčík, a former Trenčín player, tested the home defence early with two free-kick efforts that cleared the crossbar. The visitors took the lead against the run of play in the 33rd minute when Bordáč struck from distance, finding the top corner with a precise effort past first-half goalkeeper Marek Sláviček.

Petržalka thought they had doubled their lead before half-time when a well-worked move ended with the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The visitors went into the break 1-0 up.

Galád changed his entire outfield XI at half-time, and the impact was immediate. In the 49th minute, Traore rose highest to meet a corner and headed past Petržalka goalkeeper Hudec to level the scores. Three minutes later, Nadareishvili fired Trenčín ahead, turning the match on its head inside 180 seconds of the restart.

Petržalka refused to fold. In the 62nd minute, Patrik Nikolaj restored parity with a well-taken finish, making it 2-2. The match remained finely balanced until the closing stages.

The decisive moment arrived in the 84th minute. A free-kick from Amar Baždarić forced a strong save from Hudec, but from the resulting corner, Traore again powered home a header — his second of the match — to put Trenčín back in front. Sabljić sealed the win in the 89th minute, slotting home after sustained pressure.

Galád's decision to field an entirely different XI in the second half transformed the match. The first-half lineup — featuring new Serbian signing Jovanović in defence and youngsters such as Mikulaj and Zirkzee in attack — struggled to create clear chances. The second-half unit, with experienced figures like Traore, Nadareishvili and Baždarić, brought greater intensity and composure.

Club academy graduate Hugo Pavek, who played the second half, said after the match: "The boys underestimated it in the first half. In the second, the guests were already tired, the hot weather also played a part. We need to continue with our efficiency, that's been troubling us for a long time even during the season, and I'm glad it's working out for us now."

Arafat Al Haj Traore (AS Trenčín) — Two second-half headers from corners, both well-taken and decisive. The defender's aerial threat from set pieces proved Petržalka's undoing. Player of the match.

Giorgi Nadareishvili (AS Trenčín) — Scored the crucial second goal two minutes after the equaliser, turning the momentum entirely. Energetic in midfield after coming on at half-time.

Frane Sabljić (AS Trenčín) — Rounded off the scoring with a clinical 89th-minute finish. Led the second-half line effectively alongside Adamkovič.

Dávid Bordáč (Petržalka) — Opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range strike and was a threat throughout the first half.

All six goals came from open or set-piece play — no penalties — reflecting a lively pre-season encounter with minimal defensive structure from either side. Trenčín's four-goal haul after managing just one shot on target in the first half underscores the impact of the half-time substitutions. Petržalka's two goals came from their only two clear efforts of note, suggesting a clinical edge but an inability to sustain pressure across 90 minutes.

The match featured zero cards, typical of a friendly where the focus was on fitness rather than aggression, and both sides rotated through their full squads to distribute minutes in warm conditions.

This was AS Trenčín's first pre-season friendly on home soil in their 2026/27 summer build-up, following a 2-1 win at Slovan Bratislava B on 20 June. They face FC Zlín (3 July) and FK Inter Bratislava (same day) next, before a trip to Polish side Pogoń Grodzisk Mazowiecki on 7 July. The Niké Liga season begins in late July.

FC Petržalka, who compete in the MONACObet liga, continue their own pre-season programme with further friendlies in early July.

A pre-season friendly that delivered exactly what the format promises: experimental lineups, a goal deficit turned into a comfortable win, and fitness minutes for two full XIs. Trenčín's second-half response was emphatic, but it was the first-half struggles — and Petržalka's inability to capitalise further when on top — that will give both coaching staff more to analyse than the scoreline alone suggests.