Southampton push forward on what will surely be their final attacking move of the game. Redmond cuts inside from the left wing and fires a cross into the middle of the box, but Long ends up pushing his marker to the ground and gives away a free-kick. That should be that.
90' +3
D. Köstl enters the game and replaces L. Juliš.
Sparta have made their final substitution, with Julis making way for Kostl.
90' +2
Yoshida goes close! Austin is fouled over on the left wing and Southampton are awarded a free-kick in a great position. Ward-Prowse steps up and whips a lovely cross right on to the head of Yoshida, but the centre-back was in slightly too much of a rush to push forward and is flagged offside as soon as his effort on goal is saved by Koubek.
90' +1
V. Dudl enters the game and replaces D. Holzer.
Sparta have made another late alteration, with Dudl coming on to replace Holzer.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time. Will Southampton be able to find a late equaliser?
89'
Chance for Long! McQueen charges down the left wing on a marauding run before curling a cross into the middle of the penalty area and towards Long, but the striker is unable to pull off his attempted bicycle kick and fails to make contact with the ball in front of goal.
88'
F. Havelka enters the game and replaces D. Lafata.
Lafata receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Havelka for the final few minutes.
86'
Once again, Boufal rushes down the right wing as he tries to latch on to a lofted pass forward, but the ball from Yoshida is a poor one and has far too much power behind it, resulting in the Moroccan stamping the ground in frustration.
84'
Sparta push out of their own half of the pitch and are able to win themselves a free-kick over on the left wing. Dockal steps up and sends a looping cross over towards the far post, but it fails to find a yellow shirt and is just about dealt with by the visitors.
82'
Southampton continue to boss possession inside the Sparta half of the pitch as they desperately try to find a way back into the game, but the home side have dropped incredibly deep as they try to hold on to their slim advantage. Boufal is eventually able to pick up the ball in a pocket of space over on the left flank, but his run is slightly mistimed and the linesman's flag is quickly raised.
Minute
Description
80'
Free header for Van Dijk! Ward-Prowse's cross from the resulting set-piece is excellent and finds Van Dijk in a great position in front of goal, but the Dutchman is unable to guide his headed effort on target and instead sends it over the top of the crossbar. He really should have done better with that golden opportunity!
79'
Vital interception by Mazuch! Long peels out to the right-hand side of the penalty area and gets himself into a great position before side-footing a low cross towards Austin, but Mazuch is in the right place at the right time and is able to poke the ball out for a corner.
78'
Southampton immediately win the ball back and fly forward on another quick attacking move. Long charges through the middle of the pitch and heads towards the penalty area before shooting from 25 yards out, but his strike is slightly mishit and ends up bouncing a few yards wide of the near post.
77'
Redmond cuts inside from the right flank and immediately sends a clever through-ball into the Sparta penalty area and towards Austin, who had made a good run towards goal, but it's slightly overhit by the winger and can only find the hands of Koubek.
76'
Sparta move the ball around nicely deep down the right flank as they try to find a way into the Southampton penalty area, but a heavy touch ends up sending the ball over to Van Dijk, who then thumps a clearance out of play for a throw-in.
74'
Martina darts towards the byline before sending a looping cross into the heart of the Sparta penalty area. Koubek rises high as he tries to deal with the ball, but he's clattered into from behind by Long and is sent crashing to the ground. The home side aren't at all happy with the Irishman and try to get him booked, but the referee isn't interested and only awards the hosts a free-kick.
73'
Southampton have made their final alteration, with Clasie coming off for Austin in an attacking change.
72'
C. Austin enters the game and replaces J. Clasie.
Oh dear! The corner is sent short and worked towards Boufal on the left-hand edge of the penalty area, but the Moroccan ends up losing his footing as soon as he picks up possession and ends up poking the ball out for a goal-kick.
71'
Long is tripped over from behind by Dockal and wins a free-kick for Southampton in a very dangerous position 30 yards away from the Sparta goal. Ward-Prowse steps up and curls a brilliant cross towards Van Dijk at the far post, but Lafata is just about able to turn the ball behind for a corner.
70'
And now Ward-Prowse is presented with a great opportunity to score! Boufal, who has made a good impact after coming on to the pitch, chips a lovely cross into the Sparta box and towards Ward-Prowse, who had made a good run forward, but he's unable to control the ball in front of goal and allows it to bounce through to Koubek.
68'
Excellent save by Forster! Southampton are all over the place on the edge of their own penalty area and poor defending results in the ball trickling over to Dockal. The striker is in a pocket of space and quickly gets a shot away under pressure from Yoshida, but Forster gets down low to save the effort with a wonderful one-handed stop.
66'
Marecek goes close! Karavaev cuts inside from the right wing on another great run before poking the ball over to Marecek, who is left in a pocket of space by Southampton. He takes a quick touch and then unleashes a thumping shot, but it ends up flying just wide of the far post after beating Forster.
64'
Great defending by Mazuch! Boufal picks up the ball just outside the box over on the right flank and immediately swings a wonderful cross into the middle of the penalty area. It looks set to find Long in front of goal, but Mazuch rises high to beat the striker to the ball at the vital moment.
62'
Julis hits the crossbar! Dockal and Julis link up well over on the right wing before the latter chips a cross-cum-shot into the Southampton penalty area. It's slightly mishit by the winger but still causes Forster problems before hitting the woodwork and landing on the top of the net.
60'
Boufal pokes a pass down the right wing and into the path of Martina, who did well to get himself into a pocket of space just outside of the penalty area, but the full-back's attempted cross into the box is poor and ends up sailing over the top of the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.
58'
Sparta almost double their lead! Another clever free-kick from the hosts causes all sorts of problems for the Southampton back line, but just as Lafata is about to make contact with the ball in front of goal, the ball flies just past his head. It then looks as if it's going to bounce past Forster and into the top right-hand corner of the net, but the goalkeeper is just about able to stop it from doing so with an unconvincing save at the vital moment.
57'
Chance for Karavaev! The Russian full-back cuts inside from the right flank and heads towards the penalty area before trying to whip a low cross into the bottom left-hand corner of the net, but Forster gets down to parry the effort away. The ball then rolls out to Costa, but he's brought crashing to the ground by Boufal and wins his side a free-kick in a dangerous position.
55'
Oriol Romeu enters the game and replaces P. Højbjerg.
S. Boufal enters the game and replaces J. Rodríguez.
Meanwhile, Boufal has come on to replace Rodriguez, who had a disappointing evening.
Hojbjerg gingerly makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Romeu.
54'
Hojbjerg goes down off the ball and seems to be struggling with a dead leg that was causing him some grief in the first half, and it looks as if his game might be over already.
52'
A slightly lax attempted headed clearance by Van Dijk can only find Marecek on the edge of the penalty area, but, luckily for the Southampton defender, the midfielder's first-time shot is poor and fails to trouble Forster.
51'
McQueen darts down the left flank and swings a cross into the feet of Long at the near post, but the striker's attempted back-heeled shot ends up flying wide of the goal before the referee eventually awards a throw-in to Sparta after judging that the full-back had run the ball out of play.
49'
Martina gets himself into a good position deep down the right wing before swinging a looping cross over to the far post, but it's overhit and ends up sailing over the head of Redmond. Southampton are able to keep hold of possession, however, and work the ball over to Yoshida, but the centre-back's audacious effort from 30 yards out fails to hit its intended target.
48'
After a good start to the second half from the home side, Dockal breaks down the right flank as he tries to carve out an early chance on goal, but Hojbjerg does well to dart in front of the striker to dispossess him before he can get the ball under control.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45'
Clasie drifts out to the right wing and picks up the ball in a good position before curling a dangerous cross into the heart of the box. It looks set to find Rodriguez in front of goal, but Mazuch is there to head the ball away from the striker before the referee brings an end to the first half.
44'
Ward-Prowse spins past his marker midway inside the Sparta half of the pitch before poking the ball over to Clasie. The Dutchman is in a pocket of space and decides to shoot from 30 yards out instead of teeing up a teammate, and his long-range effort ends up bouncing straight into the hands of Koubek.
42'
It's all Southampton at the moment, but, as has been the case for the majority of the evening, they're struggling to beat a resolute Sparta side. With a goal under their belts, the hosts are doing well to sit deep and soak up the pressure being put on them, leaving Rodriguez and Long looking isolated and frustrated up front.
40'
Martina makes a good overlapping run deep down the right flank before curling a dangerous cross into the box. It finds Rodriguez, who then tries to nod the ball over to Long, but the Irishman is unable to meet it in front of goal, despite managing to rise high above his marker.
38'
Hojbjerg is tripped over by Dockal and Southampton are awarded another free-kick, this time just inside the Sparta half of the pitch. It's sent short and worked around quickly as the visitors try to find a way through the sea of yellow shirts camped in front of them, but they're unable to do so and the hosts hold on once again.
36'
Once again, a Southampton player darts through Sparta's high line and receives the ball in a great position in front of goal. However, this time it's Rodriguez who is caught offside by the hosts' defence and is flagged offside just as he's about to shoot.
34'
Southampton move the ball around quickly from one flank to the other before Martina pokes a clever pass through the Sparta back line and into the path of Long, but the striker's run forward is slightly mistimed and the linesman's flag is raised as soon as he meets the ball inside the box.
32'
M. Holek gets yellow.
Holek flies into Ward-Prowse and brings the Southampton midfielder crashing to the ground with a late challenge, resulting in a yellow card for the Sparta man and a free-kick for the visitors. Ward-Prowse steps up and chips a cross into the heart of the penalty area, but Costa is there to head the ball away from danger.
30'
After spending several minutes on the back foot, Sparta are able to break out of their own half of the pitch before winning themselves a free-kick in an advantageous position. Again, the set-piece is a smart one and is chipped towards Costa, but, despite his best efforts, the full-back is unable to meet the ball at the far post this time.
28'
Good link-up play between Redmond and McQueen results in a corner for Southampton, this time over on the left wing. Ward-Prowse's cross is better than the last two but Koubek is easily able to punch the ball away before Long gives away a free-kick for climbing all over Holzer.
26'
McQueen does well to get himself into a good position down the left wing, but this time he's closed down by a group of Sparta players and is unable to penetrate the box. He spins and finds Long, however, but the latter's cross over to the far post and is overhit and sails out of play for a goal-kick.
24'
Another good chance for Southampton! Once again, Redmond and McQueen link up well deep down the left flank before the latter cuts into the penalty area and sets up Rodriguez. The striker's first-time shot is poor but is deflected back to the full-back, who then fires his follow-up effort comfortably wide of the near post.
22'
Ward-Prowse gets himself into a good position 25 yards away from goal and tries to test Koubek with a low strike, but he's unable to find the bottom right-hand corner of the net and instead sends his effort just wide of its intended target.
21'
Long darts into the right-hand side of the Sparta box before winning his side another corner. Again, Ward-Prowse's cross is a poor one and the hosts are easily able to thump the ball out for a throw-in on the left wing.
19'
Once again, it's Ward-Prowse who takes the set-piece, but this time his curling cross towards the near post is slightly underhit and is easily cleared by the first man. The ball then falls to Hojbjerg, but the midfielder's attempted shot from distance is closed down and deflects away from danger.
18'
Southampton come back once again and move the ball around quickly deep inside the hosts' half of the pitch. Martina eventually chips a cross into the penalty area and picks out Ward-Prowse, but the latter's clever poked pass fails to find Rodriguez and is dealt with by Koubek.
17'
Great opportunity for McQueen! Redmond sends a lovely chipped pass over the top of the Sparta back line and into the path of McQueen, who darts into the penalty area and fires a thumping low strike that Koubek does well to parry away with his feet.
15'
Rodriguez charges towards the edge of the Sparta penalty area as he tries to get on the end of a lofted, bouncing pass forward, but Koubek reads the danger well and rushes out to beat the Southampton striker to the pass.
13'
Southampton immediately break forward as they try to carve out a chance to equalise, but, after doing well to get forward down the left wing, McQueen runs into traffic just outside of the penalty area and is dispossessed before he can whip a cross into the box.
11'
C. Nhamoinesu has scored a goal for Sparta Prague! Assist by B. Dočkal.
That was a wonderful cross from Dockal, who did wonderfully well to pick out the run of Costa, but questions have to be asked of Southampton, who fell asleep and failed to track the full-back.
GOAL! Sparta have taken the lead! Van Dijk clatters in Julis and brings the winger crashing to the ground, resulting in a free-kick for the hosts in a dangerous position. It's chipped into the left-hand side of the box and finds Costa completely unmarked at the near post, and the left-back immediately beats Forster with a wonderful volley from close range.
9'
Long charges down the right flank as he tries to latch on to a lofted pass forward and carve out another early chance on goal for the visitors. However, he ends up tangling with Kadlec at the last moment and trips the centre-back, resulting in a free-kick for Sparta deep inside their own half of the pitch.
7'
Rodriguez gets himself into a good position inside the Sparta penalty area once again before latching on to a poked pass forward from Long, but he ends up receiving the ball in a slightly offside position and the linesman's flag is raised as soon as the striker is about to spin and shoot.
5'
And now Lafata goes close! A misplaced header from Hojbjerg almost lands right on to the outstretched foot of Lafata in front of goal, but the ball ends up missing the Sparta captain by the narrowest of margins before being collected by Forster. That was almost a terrible mistake by the Danish midfielder!
3'
Great chance for Rodriguez! Long breaks towards the Sparta penalty area on a great run before teeing Clasie. The Dutchman is in a great position on the edge of the box and quickly pokes the ball over to Rodriguez, who only has Koubek to beat, but the latter's first touch is horrible and results in him being dispossessed before he can unleash a shot.
1'
And we're off! Southampton get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Long is brought down from behind by Mazuch and wins a free-kick for Southampton in a dangerous position midway inside the Sparta half of the pitch. Ward-Prowse steps up and sends a cross right on to the head of Long, but the striker's effort is tipped round the near post and out for a corner.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Europa League group stage game between Sparta Prague and Southampton at the Generali Arena.
Tonight’s clash sees first take on second in a game that, one way or another, should determine who will feature in the knockout stage of the competition. For Sparta, who currently sit top of Group K with nine points, a win will guarantee that they go through as group winners, whilst a draw would also all but confirm their place in the last-32.
As for Southampton, they currently sit two points behind Sparta in second spot thanks to the 2-1 win at home to Inter earlier in the month, and they will feel confident about their chances of pulling off a positive result here this evening. They comfortably won 3-0 against the Czech side when they first met in September, whilst they showed good determination to hold in-form Liverpool to a goalless draw on the weekend.
It won’t be easy, however, as they must face a Sparta side that are currently in fine form. After losing to Southampton in their opening game, tonight’s hosts went on to win all of their three subsequent games, and they are currently enjoying a four-game unbeaten run. They impressed last year by reaching the quarter-finals and, thanks to a positive group-stage campaign, will feel they can match that achievement again this year.
September’s clash between the two sides was the first time they had ever met, but Sparta have historically struggled against English teams, winning just thee of the 19 games played. However, they have impressed at home in recent months and head into tonight’s contest with just one defeat from their previous 17 games played at the Generali Arena, with all of their last five clashes ending in victories.
Southampton XI (4-3-3): Forster; Martina, Yoshida, Van Dijk, McQueen; Clasie, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse; Redmond, Long, Rodriguez.
David Holoubek has decided to make two changes to the Sparta side that started the 3-0 victory against Karvina on the weekend, with Ondrej Mazuch and Borek Dockal coming into the starting line-up to replace Filip Havelka and Matej Pulkrab.
Meanwhile, Southampton boss Claude Puel has made seven alterations to the team that featured in the draw at home to Liverpool on Saturday, with Cedric Soares, Jose Fonte, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu, Steven Davis, Charlie Austin and Sofiane Boufal making way for Cuco Martina, Maya Yoshida, Sam McQueen, Jordy Clasie, James Ward-Prowse, Shane Long and Jay Rodriguez, respectively.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Sparta Prague XI (4-4-2): Koubek; Karavaev, Mazuch, Michal Kadlec, Costa; Julis, Holek, Marecek, Holzer; Dockal, Lafata.
HALF-TIME: SPARTA PRAGUE 1-0 SOUTHAMPTON
Southampton have bossed possession during a first half in which they have almost constantly been on the front foot, but it's Sparta who head into the break a goal up thanks to a piece of magic from Dockal and Costa. The well-worked set-piece was the hosts' only clear-cut chance on goal, but since then they have defended resolutely to frustrate a Southampton side that just can't seem to get near to Koubek.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: SPARTA PRAGUE 1-0 SOUTHAMPTON
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and the Sparta fans go wild! Tonight's victory is their first against an English side in 33 years, and it's one that means that they are guaranteed a place in the knockout stage of the competition after finishing top of the group. Southampton will feel incredibly frustrated that they were unable to book their spot in the last-32, as a lacklustre performance from them means that it's now all to play for in the final group-stage game.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva's shock win against Inter thanks to a last-minute goal means that both they and Southampton are tied on seven points heading into their clash at St. Mary's, where the Saints need either a win or a goalless draw to make it through at the expense of the Israeli side.
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