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Čišovský treble puts Plzeň in charge against Kalju

JK Nõmme Kalju 0-4 FC Viktoria Plzeň
A hat-trick from Marián Čišovský put Plzeň firmly in pole position to reach the play-offs ahead of next week's second leg in Estonia.

Marián Čišovský is congratulated after scoring one of his three goals for Plzeň
Marián Čišovský is congratulated after scoring one of his three goals for Plzeň ©Gertrud Alatare

Marián Čišovský's hat-trick put FC Viktoria Plzeň in firm charge of their third qualifying round tie against JK Nõmme Kalju and on the brink of reaching the play-offs.

Plzeň, who also struck four in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie against FK Željezničar, went in front just two minutes into Tuesday's game in Tallinn. Čišovský added two more after the break, finding the net either side of Michal Ďuriš's 77th-minute effort.

Kalju's Achilles heel was evident from the off, with Čišovský the first to benefit from the hosts' failure to deal with a set piece. Tomáš Wágner nearly doubled Plzeň's advantage just before the break, but his header struck a post. It mattered not, though, because another Pavel Horváth cross was converted soon after the interval, Čišovský doing the honours with a superb header.

Though Kalju momentarily threatened through Eino Puri's long-range shot, Pavel Vrba's side remained in the ascendancy and went 3-0 ahead through Ďuriš. The icing on the cake came in the second minute of added time, Čišovský completing his treble with another header.

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