BRATISLAVA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Slovan Bratislava triumphed over fifth-ranked Trencin 2-0 on Sunday in the 20th round of Slovak top soccer league Fortuna Liga to cement its leading position and advance to the post season with two rounds to go.
After the 22nd round, the top six teams will battle it out for ten more rounds for the league title and the rest will fight against relegation.
The most attractive match of the 20th round of Slovakia's premier football league was entirely under Bratislava's control.
The battle of two teams with the most potent offense featured goals only in Trencin's net. Argentinian Vernon de Marco put the last season's champions ahead in the 25th minute and Brazilian Rafael Ratao sealed the 2-0 victory in the second half. The home team showed solid efficiency, converting on two of the three shots on goal.
Trencin was forced to yield fifth place to Michalovce which made a huge jump up from eighth place, landing among the teams in the upper half of the standings after a close 1-0 victory over Nitra, winning its fourth match out of the last five when Milan Kvocera scored from close range on Matus Vojtko's pass. In the final minute, a player on both sides was awarded a red card after a needless confrontation. Michalovce's victory was much needed, as the team from the east of Slovakia got crushed 8-1 in the previous round by Trencin.
Nitra is a sitting duck in the penultimate spot in the standings, only a single point ahead of the league's struggling newcomer Pohronie.
The last-ranked Pohronie managed to fend-off Zilina's numerous fast-breaks and set pieces until the 75th minute when the 21-year-old Polish striker Dawid Kurminowski scored the game-winner after a through pass by Filip Balaj, securing the visitors' third consecutive victory and strengthening their second rank in the Fortuna Liga as a result.
The fight between the third Dunajska Streda and fourth Ruzomberok ended without goal, with both sides lacking in the offensive department and producing only a handful of shots on goal.
The home team's defender Matej Curma was close to scoring an own goal in the 73rd minute but got saved but the goal post.
One minute before the end of regulation, Dunajska Streda's midfielder Andras Schafer got sent off for diving.
The most goals were witnessed by the fans in Zlate Moravce. Tenth-ranked Sered triumphed 3-1, pulling its opponent down two spots to ninth.
The home team opened the score in the 20th minute after David Richtarech's quick shot from the top of the box but Sered rallied with three consecutive goals to earn its first victory in the last seven matches.
Elsewhere, Senica managed to move up one spot in the standings to eighth after a vital 2-0 victory, keeping its hopes for the top six alive despite a horrible situation in the club's management and roster alike.
The club owners from Venezuela are having a tough time handing over the club to potential buyers and have introduced the fourth coach since January.
Trnava is still waiting for its first goal in 2020 and failed to score against Senica in the fifth consecutive clash of these teams.
The following are the results of the 20th round:
Slovan Bratislava 2 AS Trencin 0
MFK Zemplin Michalovce 1 FC Nitra 0
FK Pohronie 0 MSK Zilina 1
MFK Ruzomberok 0 FC DAC 1904 Dunajska Streda 0
FC ViOn Zlate Moravce 1 SKF iClinic Sered 3
FK Senica 2 Spartak Trnava 0
