Tyler Adams, Evanilson and Rayan came off the bench to rescue Bournemouth in the Europa League with a 3-1 turnaround win over 10-man Sparta Prague, extending their winning run to seven matches.
Bournemouth remain in red-hot form and now sit top of the league-phase table. They have made a dream start to their first European campaign, with four wins.
Marco Rose made eight changes from the side that beat Leeds last Saturday, but he had to call on his main men after Bournemouth fell behind. Ebrima Singhateh scored a wonderful solo effort in the 35th minute, running from his own half to end Bournemouth’s six-game streak without conceding. It came just five minutes after Lewis Cook had missed a penalty for the visitors, sending his low shot against the inside of the left post after a handball decision.
Within 120 seconds of the restart, the hosts were down to 10 men. Centre-back Tobias Guddal picked up a second yellow card for needlessly hauling down striker Alvaro Rodriguez.
Adams leads the turnaround
Rose introduced Adams at half-time, and the midfielder led the comeback. He strode onto a loose ball just outside the area and placed a brilliant, first-time shot into the bottom-left corner in the 57th minute.
Bournemouth pushed for the win, bringing on Adrian Truffert, Marcus Tavernier, Evanilson and Rayan. They had to be patient to break down the resilient Czech side before a moment of quality from Evanilson put them ahead. Ryan Christie found the striker in a crowded penalty box. With little room to manoeuvre, Evanilson shifted the ball onto his right foot and rolled an inch-perfect shot inside the right post in the 81st minute. It was his sixth goal in his last seven matches.
Rayan sealed the result in the final minute, sending a low shot from 25 yards into the bottom-right corner.
Managers and players reflect
Adams reflected on the club’s recent form: “It doesn’t feel that long ago since we lost 5-1 to Chelsea and that stings a little bit. We don’t want to feel that ever again. I think we turned a page, and we have been a more mature team ever since. The way that we defend, the way that we take pride in the mentality of making sure we don’t give the opposition any opportunity to breathe.
“Everyone is working hard every day in training. Guys that aren’t playing are working hard, and the guys that are playing are working hard, so there’s a lot of competition, but that breeds success. I’m happy with the team’s performance.”
On Evanilson’s form, Adams added: “He’s on fire right now. You see him work on it in training. He does extra work on his finishing every day after training, so for him to do it in a game is no surprise. He has so much quality, so whenever he gets in and around the box, we are confident that he is going to find the back of the net.”
Rose praised the performance: “It was a good team performance. We changed eight players, and we needed to be ready for this game because they are good opposition. We missed a penalty, struggled in some moments, and they scored a nice goal, but then to come back away here is a good sign to everyone in the team.”
On his half-time changes, he said: “Just to be clinical, be good in counter-pressing. We said we have to stay composed, increase the speed of the game, and we did it really well.”
On Evanilson, Rose said: “It’s a joy to watch him moving and playing. He is such an important player for us. When you know you have this quality on the bench, it makes you composed as a coach.”
On the seven-match winning run, he said: “It’s a big achievement, and we have to continue. We need to stay alert and sharp. It’s up to us to use this momentum. Everyone tries to beat us, and if we get into a comfort zone just a little bit, we get in trouble.”