Sparta Prague vs Mlada Boleslav

The match exploded into life inside the first minute. Sparta defenceman Jakub Krejčík was penalised early, and from the resulting power play, Antoine Morand found a loose puck in the slot and fired past goaltender Jakub Kovář to make it 1–0 after just 60 seconds.

Sparta responded with sustained pressure and earned a two-man advantage, but Mlada Boleslav goaltender Matěj Mokry held firm. The hosts had a golden chance to equalise when Matěj Blümel — one of Sparta's summer signings — raced in on a shorthanded breakaway, but his deke was saved by Mokry.

Sparta's persistence paid off in the second period. After Dávid Gríger was called for hooking, Nino Tomov — the Bulgarian defenceman — drifted into the slot and sent a puck toward the net. Mokry inadvertently deflected it over his own goal line with his stick, levelling the score at 1–1 at 28:09.

The third period followed a familiar pattern for pre-season: both sides struggled to sustain offensive zone time. But with under ten minutes to play, Boleslav struck on a 3-on-2 rush. Kovář made the initial save but Antoine Morand was left entirely unmarked to bury the rebound for his second goal of the night at 50:16, restoring the visitors' lead.

Sparta pushed for an equaliser, but Morand nearly completed a hat-trick from a goalmouth scramble. Then, at 57:40, Jordan Martel broke in alone on a clean breakaway, deked to his forehand and slid the puck past Kovář's right pad to seal the 3–1 win.

Morand's second goal at 50:16 was the decisive moment. Sparta had survived a disjointed third period without conceding until that point, and the visitor's second goal — a simple rebound finish from a broken play — punctured the momentum Sparta had built through the middle frame. Once trailing again, Sparta never truly threatened Mokry's goal.

Antoine Morand (Mlada Boleslav) — The Canadian centre was the match-winner, scoring the opening goal on a first-minute power play and netting the go-ahead goal midway through the third. His positioning in front of goal caused Sparta problems all night.

Nino Tomov (Sparta Prague) — The Bulgarian defenceman scored Sparta's only goal, a fortunate equaliser at 28:09 when his shot was deflected in by Mokry. He was steady defensively across 60 minutes.

Matěj Mokry (Mlada Boleslav) — Despite the own-goal that gifted Sparta their equaliser, Mokry made several important saves, including a shorthanded breakaway stop on Blümel and a close-range denial of Chlapík in the second period.

Jordan Martel (Mlada Boleslav) — The Finnish forward sealed the win with a clinical breakaway goal at 57:40, adding an assist on Morand's first goal.

The official stat line showed 4–3 in penalty minutes favouring Sparta, and a 1/4 power-play conversion for Boleslav — Morand's first-period strike accounting for the sole man-advantage goal. Sparta failed to convert despite a two-man advantage in the first period, which proved costly. The shot count was relatively even across the three periods, with neither side dominating territorially, typical of an early pre-season fixture where both teams rotated heavily.

The friendly, played as part of Sparta's "Summer of 26" series at the neutral venue in Poděbrady, served as Sparta's second pre-season workout with their first-choice squad now featuring summer signings. Both sides continue their preparations for the 2026–27 Czech Extraliga season, which kicks off in September.

For Sparta, the defeat ended a run of five consecutive wins across all competitions against Mlada Boleslav (per the head-to-head record). For Boleslav, the victory — their first at Poděbrady in several seasons — provides a useful confidence boost heading into the final weeks of pre-season.

A deserved pre-season win for Mlada Boleslav, who were sharper in both boxes — Morand efficient in front of Sparta's goal, Mokry resolute at the other. Sparta's failure to convert their two-man advantage in the first period and a sluggish start to the third were the main takeaways for head coach as they fine-tune ahead of the Extraliga season.