Slavia Prague defender Igoh Ogbu remains confident his team can reach the UEFA Champions League knockout stages despite their recent loss to Tottenham Hotspur, SportPremi reports.
The Czech Republic winless start to the 2025-26 European campaign continued on Tuesday night, as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Spurs.
The Red and Whites have found themselves on the brink of early elimination from the tournament, having only gathered three points from their opening six matches.
They must now win both of their remaining two games, to stand a chance of finishing in the top 24 spots and a place in the knockout rounds of the competition.
Slavia Prague will take on Barcelona and Pafos in their final two group matches, aware that failing to secure maximum points will see their European campaign come to an end.
Slavia Prague set unwanted record
The Czech outfit headed into the clash against Tottenham Hotspur, hoping for a shock win to reignite their campaign.
However, they conceded three times without a reply, leaving them in 33rd position ahead of the final two round of fixtures.
An own goal by David Sima opened the scoring for the home side, before second half penalty kicks by Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons completed the win.
Slavia Prague became the first team since AC Milan in 2023 to fail to score in five consecutive UCL matches, while they also remain winless in their last 17 matches in the competition.
Ogbu backs Slavia Prague to reach knockout
While speaking after the clash, Igoh Ogbu expressed optimism about his side’s chances, which is looking nearly impossible at the moment.
“In the Champions League, I don’t think we have lost all the games, we had three draws, and we lost two of the games before facing Spurs.
“We have a chance. We have two more games, and anything is possible. We have that maturity to get the needed result going forward because we’re a young team”, Ogbu admitted.
“We have young players and we work hard. I think anything is possible in football. I think we can achieve it if we keep working hard and keep doing good.”
The Nigerian defender also reflected on the defeat to Spurs, where he also conceded a penalty kick after a foul on Xavi Simons, who confidently dispatched for the third goal of the clash
“The defeat to Spurs is a tough one. To be honest, it was really a tough game for us and a good experience. I think for me, I’m okay with it”, he continued his assessment.
“I think (the penalty call) is a fair decision. For me, it’s all a learning process. I wasn’t happy to get a penalty for my team, I think it’s a work in progress, and it’s part of the game.”
