England v Czech Republic
Wednesday 20 August 2008
Wembley Stadium
Kick-off 8pm
Click here for ticket details
Czech Republic, one of the Euro 2008 Finalists, will play England at Wembley in August. The two countries have only met once before on a football field, England winning a friendly at the old Wembley 2-0 in 1998.
Two years earlier the Czech Republic of Patrik Berger and Karel Poborsky had featured in the Euro 96 Final against Germany, also at Wembley. If a certain kick from the penalty mark had been nearer to the corner of the goal in the semi-final, it could have been England v Czech Republic in that glittering Final.
Glenn Hoddle's England produced a quality performance to beat the Czechs, unbeaten in their previous nine internationals, in '98. England withstood some early pressure from the visitors before their confidence grew and they took the lead on 22 minutes. Ian Wright burst past Novotny and swept the ball across the box for Darren Anderton, arriving late and undetected, to send a low left-footer between Kouba and the post.
England warmed to the task after that and fashioned another goal six minutes before the break. Dion Dublin flicked Wright's cross towards the far post and Paul Merson guided a cool shot past the 'keeper. The home side maintained their control in the second half, though there was one moment of alarm when Nigel Martyn had to leap across his goal to tip over a rasping effort from Lokvenc.
Before the old Czechoslovakia became two separate countries - Czech Republic and Slovakia - there were a dozen fixtures between England and the Czechs. The series began in 1934, when Czechoslovakia won a friendly 2-1 in Prague. They were a strong side then, reaching the World Cup Final in the same year. Italy edged them 2-1 after extra time in Rome.
There was a 5-4 thriller at White Hart Lane in 1937, Stanley Matthews scoring a hat-trick in England's victory. Then, after a gap of 26 years, Bobby Moore wore the captain's armband for the first time as England won a friendly 4-2 in Bratislava. We faced the Czechs in two World Cups, winning 1-0 in Guadalajara with debutant Allan Clarke's penalty in 1970 and 2-0 in Bilbao in 1982.