Super Eagles prospect Rafiu Durosinmi experienced the highs and lows of top-flight football on Sunday as he scored and missed a penalty in Viktoria Plzen’s hard-fought 3-3 draw with Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic 1 Liga.
The 22-year-old forward looked set to be the hero after finding the net late on to complete a dramatic comeback, but his earlier missed penalty — and a stoppage-time equaliser for the visitors — meant Plzen had to settle for a point in a game full of twists, Footballrover reports.
Rafiu Durosinmi Shows Resilience in Six-Goal Contest
Durosinmi, one of Plzen’s brightest attacking prospects, delivered another lively performance at the Doosan Aréna.
He scored in the 88th minute to level the match at 2-2 before Prince Adu appeared to seal victory a minute later.
However, Hradec Kralove stunned the home fans with a late equaliser deep into stoppage time.
The Nigerian forward’s goal was his fourth in the league this season, extending his tally to nine goals in 17 matches across all competitions. Impressively, he also won the most duels in the match (8), showing his physical edge in attack.
Despite his influence, Durosinmi’s afternoon could have been even better. He missed a first-half penalty that would have shifted the game in Plzen’s favour and later struck the woodwork — a reminder of how fine the margins were in a thrilling contest.
Missed Chances and Late Drama Shape the Match
The game had everything fans could hope for: early goals, a penalty miss, a red card, and a stoppage-time twist.
Hradec Kralove silenced the home crowd early on when Ondrej Mihalik struck in the 12th minute. Plzen responded on the stroke of half-time through Prince Adu’s composed finish to make it 1-1.
The second half saw more drama as veteran winger Vaclav Pilar restored Hradec’s lead in the 50th minute.
Minutes later, Durosinmi stepped up for a penalty but missed his effort, a moment that seemed to tilt the match further in the visitors’ favour.
However, the turning point came in the 66th minute when Hradec’s defender Tomas Petrasek was sent off.
With a man advantage, Plzen piled on the pressure, and in the 88th minute Durosinmi made amends by slotting home from Lukas Cerv’s pass.
The stadium erupted a minute later as Adu bagged his second of the match, seemingly completing an extraordinary comeback.
Yet, the drama was not over. In the sixth minute of added time, Jakub Kucera struck for the visitors to salvage a point in a breathtaking finish.
Rafiu Durosinmi composure in front of goal will be crucial as he continues to attract attention from clubs across Europe and Nigeria’s national team selectors.
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