Czech Republic’s football squad earns silver at U-19 European Championship

Spain were undeniably the favourites to win their fifth UEFA European Under-19 Championship title going into Monday’s final – and in the end their team persevered, defeating the Czech Republic 3:2. Despite the loss, most would agree the Czech team gave the Spanish squad a run for the money. The Czechs repeatedly threatened, scored the opener and led twice, before Spain came from behind to seal the victory.

Photo: Radu Vioreaunu, EPA/ISIFA

The first half was decidedly even; it was in the second the Czechs’ U-19 squad delivered. Jaroslav Krejčí opened the scoring in the 52 minute, shooting through two defenders to beat Badia. Spain had a chance to equalise soon afterwards but goalkeeper Tomáš Koubek – excellent in the tournament – turned a close-range shot away with a fine reflex save. The score remained 1:0 until the 85th minute, when Jon Aurtenetxe tied it.

Early into extra time, the Czechs scored first again, and Krejčí was again instrumental by sending a clever cross to Lácha, who wasted no time firing in. Badia was powerless on the play.

Unfortunately for the Czechs, that was as close as they came to winning it: Spain coach Ginés Meléndez’s decision to bring in Alcácer was soon to pay off against the Czech defence. He scored twice: in the 108th and 115th minutes. In the first shot Morata headed the ball for him to slot it easily past Koubek. The second goal, the Czech goalie got part of his glove on it but couldn’t stop it from going in. With five minutes left, the Czechs were no longer able to get anything going and had to settle for silver, missing an opportunity to be the first Czech team to win the U-19 title.

After the final here’s what coach Jaroslav Hřebík had to say:

“We played in such a manner that we were winning five minutes before the end. The Spanish players must have been worried whether or not they would be able to equalise. This was the sixth match in 17 days and it was unbelievable. Our players were fantastic; now they’re in tears in the changing room. It’s too bad but we lost.”

Overall the team performed admirably throughout the tournament, producing the second-most goals in the competition: they were sharp, quick on the ball, and produced chances – and commentators in the Czech press described the team’s finish as silver with a tinge of gold. Vladimír Táborský, a Czech football expert, points out there were moments in the final when the title was agonisingly close but key decisions and several factors put the title beyond reach.

“Luck played a bit of a role in the final result and maybe we lacked enough remaining strength in extra time. The Spanish coach’s decision to bring on the player who scored two goals of course paid off. Overall, the big surprise was how well we matched up against Spain, the favourite. There were even moments in the match when we were better and we came close to winning the whole thing.”

Even in defeat, finishing as finalists in the U-19 sends a very positive signal for the future of Czech football (which has floundered at the senior level): two of the team’s players – defender and squad captain Jakub Brabec and striker Tomáš Přikryl - were listed at UEFA.com as “players to watch” and many others on the team weren’t too shabby either: the Czech Republic’s Deník Sport, for example, highlighted Ladislav Krejčí, Adam Jánoš, and Patrik Lácha as key players on the Czech team.