“I visualized that goal today and I’m extremely happy for it. That season was not easy at all. The autumn did not go well for us, our performances were like on a swing. But in the spring our performances were consistent and we deserved to advance. Today we confirmed it with the victory,” explained Bartl.
Bartl dedicated his goal to teammate Michal Papadopulos, for whom the final game of the season was also the last in his career. “We are great friends, he is saying goodbye today, so I am happy that I could make his farewell pleasant. He’s had a rich career and I’m happy to have been there as he ends it. That goal is for him,” Bartl confided.
The former national team striker fulfilled the promise made before the season and hung up his football boots only after he helped Karvina return to the first league. When he substituted shortly before the end of the game, his teammates created a hall of fame for him. “We knew that if we scored that goal, we would do it that way, because there would be no time for it after the game. I’m sorry that Papen is retiring, but he probably won’t let himself be broken,” said Karviná coach Tomáš Hejdušek.
“One hundred percent I won’t let. My health won’t allow it anymore. The knee that has been bothering me for a long time is not good. Besides, I don’t even trust the league anymore. I said before the season that I wanted to end the promotion and I’m fulfilling that,” smiled the 38-year-old Papadopulos.
The sparring he used to leave the field moved him almost to tears. “I did not expect that. I am grateful to the team for that. It made me very happy and I was in tears,” admitted the former player of Baník Ostrava, German Leverkusen and English Arsenal.
He entered the match in the 56th minute, but no one was surprised that he did not finish it. “The boys probably knew that if we were in the lead, I would substitute. But I mainly wanted to win. I imagined that I would like to end my career with a win. I have Dan Bartle to thank for making the decision. He’s my best friend from the team, so he gave me a nice present,” Papadopulos smiled.
In addition to advancing Karviná, second-placed Vyškov, who will challenge the fifteenth-ranked team Fortuna of the Zlín league, and third-placed Příbram are fighting for the first league in the play-off. She confronts Pardubice. Along with Třinec, Slavia Praha also falls from the second league.
