What happened to the Czechs?
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006They had started off their campaign demolishing the USA 3-0, but then went on to lose to Ghana… Today, against Italy, they needed to show the form they displayed in their first match to preserve the hope of making it to the last 16.
Did anyone see them today? They were completely harmless and never posed a real threat to Italy. True, Jan Polak was sent off just before the half time whistle, but they still hadn’t managed to produce anything tangible while they were still 11. Did Jan Koller’s injury affect the team so much, to the extent that they couldn’t play together anymore? This was probably their biggest chance ever to World Cup glory and they’ve blown it, big time!
Italy weren’t exactly impressive either, but they were effective. It was rather frustrating seeing them fighting (!) to preserve the 1-0 lead rather than taking advantage of having one man more on the pitch in order to secure victory. They finally got their second with Inzaghi in the closing minutes, but if they want to make it all the way, they better find back to the form they showed in their opener….
Well done to Ghana: with their 2-1 victory over the US they made it through to the next round and will probably face Brazil next…They played with enthusiasm and looked solid throughout. Shame Essien will miss the next match (he got his second yellow today), but they have enough good players to pose a threat to any team.
