The Czech Republic beat Scotland with a masterful Patrick Schick, author of a double that places them as provisional leaders of Group D. The Czech team showed their offensive potential and left one of the most impressive goals of Euro 2020 with which the Bayer Leverkusen striker sealed the victory (0-2). The Scots had a great game on their return to the tournament 25 years later, but they ran into a giant Vaclik and some lack of aim.
After England’s victory against Croatia the previous day, the second match of Group D of Euro 2020 started with Scotland – Czech Republic . 25 years later the Scottish anthem was sounded again in a continental tournament and resounded in the mythical Hampden Park stadium in Glasgow, well known to the Spanish fans, as it was the scene of the second UEFA Cup for Sevilla and where Real Madrid was crowned king of Europe with the conquest of the Fifth and the Ninth.
The host team soon took the ball, aware of the importance of getting a good result against the team with which they would presumably fight for third place in a group shared with Croatia and England . The Czechs, under the baton of Jaroshav Silhavy, were trying to recover that competitive version shown in their first appearances in the tournament and to make them forget the failure of 2016, where they only achieved a draw in the group stage.
After a few minutes of Scottish dominance, little by little the Czech Republic, nurtured by Slavia Prague players, was seen more by Marshall’s area and had the opportunity to take the lead on set pieces with a good cross from Jantko and to which Kalas almost did not reach the far post. In the 15th minute came the clearest chance of the game, with a great pass behind Jantko and Schick’s first shot, but the Scottish goalkeeper repelled well from below.
Nerves and inaccuracies
Shortly afterwards Scotland warned, after a great incorporation by the left wing of Robertson , the most outstanding player of their selection. The net winger assisted Dikes, but the ball went out the net. On the other flank, Christie made a great play by going between two Czech defenders, but it was his own teammate O’Donnell who got in the way and he ended up losing the ball.
After the first half hour of play and after several inaccuracies on both sides, the clearest opportunity came for Scotland with a point-blank shot from Robertson that Vaclik cleared masterfully from above. The Scottish captain appeared more and more on the band, creating danger with another center that Dykes almost did not control.
The Czech Republic had several consecutive corners and in one of them, on the second play, the goal that opened the scoring arrived. Coufal took charge of centering down the right and Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrick Schick headed in, well adjusted to the post, out of reach of Marshall. The Czech team was ahead (0-1) and with that result they went to rest.
Schick sentences with a work of art
At the restart, Steve Clarke decided to bench Christie and bring in Che Adams. It hadn’t been a minute that the Czechs warned a couple of times, first through Schick and then Darida, forcing Marshall to show off. The start was dizzying with a shot to the crossbar by Hendry from the half moon and shortly after Vaclik saved with a providential hand what would have been an own goal by Kalas. Just in case he appeared there with the Dykes boot, but he did not catch the Sevilla goalkeeper’s clearance.
At the moment when Scotland was most animated, Schick possibly got the goal of Euro 2020. He caught a ball in the medullary and seeing Marshall forward did not think twice, he shot and ended up in the cage the ball and the Scottish goalkeeper (0-2).
Spirits were low at Hampden Park, but the crowd rose from their seats again when Armstrong nearly closed the gap from the lead. Kalas interposed and the rejection went just over the crossbar. Then he had another Dykes, but Vaclik took it out and one more with the foot to the same pitcher.
The Scottish coach was looking for new blood and brought in Fraser and McGregor to seat Armstrong and Hendry and later Nisbet entered for Dykes. The Czech also moved the bench with the entry of Holes, Hlozek and Vydra by Keal, Janko and Masopust, which changed the drawing.
Scotland kept looking for a way to close the gap but ran into Vaclik again and again. The timer advanced and the Czech Republic with the three points secured, took Schick, the player of the match, off the field, who had his option to make a hat-trick. In injury time, Marshall avoided a more bulky defeat in a match that leaves the Central Europeans as provisional leaders of Group D and complicates matters for Croatia.
