Cech a step away from Champions League final

This week has been an important one for football fans with the quarterfinals being decided in Europe's prestigious club football tournament - the Champions League. Czechs too, have had plenty to watch, with several of their own players playing on Champions League teams: for example Juventus' Pavel Nedved, Liverpool's Milan Baros, and Chelsea's Petr Cech. Cech, labelled one of the world's best overall goalies was in action Tuesday.

Pavel Nedved, photo: CTK

It wasn't the best of games for Petr Cech - a 3-2 loss on a scrappy last minute goal - but in the end it was enough for Chelsea to down Bayern Munich on aggregate, keeping their Champions League dream alive. The team has now made it to the semi-final, and will face either England's Liverpool, or Italy's Juventus, whichever eliminates the other in their upcoming match.

Either semi-final means this year Czechs should see a significant first: the first time one of their own appears in the final of the Champions League. Shocking as it may seem, no Czech has ever done so.

Midfielder Pavel Nedved came close in 2003: but the final slipped agonisingly beyond his grasp: thanks to a yellow card he never stepped onto the pitch.

Last year Monaco's Jaroslav Plasil also came close, but spent what must have been an equally painful experience on the substitute's bench.

This year that seems more than likely to change: barring another yellow card or injury, a Czech should take the field in the final match.

The sentimental favourite for many must be Pavel Nedved: at 32 the player Juve fans know as Furia Ceca has had a measure of bad luck, repeated injury this season. Recently, Nedved indicated he might even throw in the towel, but when he has played he has been brilliant, and he remains one to watch. This might still be his year.

Petr Cech, photo: CTK

The other sentimental favourite is Chelsea's Petr Cech. Defeated Tuesday night, the world's number 2 goalkeeper has been something less than his usual tour-de-force, conceding an uncharacteristic 10 goals in his last five Champions League games. On the other hand, there have been brilliant moments too: stopping the ball dead on the goal line.

Could this be his year?

We'll have to wait to find out, but that said, in a way it would be something undeniably appropriate if the first Czech to appear in the vaunted final was actually named 'Cech'. That would be a 'first' no statistician here could forget.