Smicer seals Czech progress

Holland 2-3 Czech Republic

Saturday 19 June 2004
7.45- Aveiro

For the second night running UEFA EURO 2004™ produced a scintillating encounter that the Czech Republic won by coming from two goals down, with Vladimír Šmicer scoring the winner two minutes from time after the Dutch were reduced to ten men for the last 15 minutes following a second yellow card for John Heitinga.

Group winners
The Czechs advance to the quarter-finals as winners of Group D, but the Netherlands must now beat Latvia and hope that the Czechs do them a favour against Germany in their last game.

Koller chance
The Czech Republic had the better of the early exchanges, Jan Koller volleying an excellent chance over from a clever chip by Tomáš Rosický in the very first minute. Then Marek Jankulovski burst in between Jaap Stam and Giovanni van Bronkhorst but misfired from 15 metres.

Bouma boost
So it was against the run of what little play there had been when the Netherlands took a fourth-minute lead. Pavel Nedved brought down Heitinga as the Dutch right-back advanced, Arjen Robben's free-kick was delicately flighted to the far post where Bouma was inexplicably unmarked and the PSV Eindhoven defender made no mistake with the header.

Seedorf shots
Clarence Seedorf twice went close to doubling the lead, grazing the outside of the post from a free-kick and shooting wide after good work by Edgar Davids and Ruud van Nistelrooij. Petr Cech also needed to be alert to gather Robben's well-struck effort.

Van Nistelrooij on target
Further disaster struck for the Czechs on 19 minutes. With Van Nistelrooij making his way back from the Czech area having had a penalty appeal turned down, Davids regained possession and fed Robben on the left. Van Nistelrooij, in behind the defenders but also behind Robben, was ideally placed to receive Robben's low cross which he duly converted.

Koller converts
But just as life was taking on a distinctly orange hue, the Dutch shot themselves in the foot and their captain Phillip Cocu was to blame. His square pass along the halfway line was intercepted by Milan Baroš, who raced into the Dutch area, bamboozled Stam and teed the ball up for Koller who did the rest.

Davids denied
Brückner immediately threw on Šmicer to allow Nedved to take up a more central position, but the closest we came to another goal in the first half was at the other end, as rasping drives by Seedorf and Heitinga flew fractionally over the bar and another by Davids struck the base of the post.

Goalkeepers in action
The second half began where the first left off, Davids feeding Andy van der Meyde whose cross was blocked by the diving Cech and Nedved then finding Karel Poborský whose powerful shot was well saved by Edwin van der Saar.

Crucial stop
Robben was still causing problems on the Dutch left, tricking his way past Martin Jiránek before crossing for Van Nistelrooij who looked set to score, but his downward header rebounded to safety off the body of the Czech goalkeeper.

Defensive change
Paul Bosvelt came on for Robben to widespread surprise and neutral disappointment, as the youngster had illuminated the game. Marek Heinz, who had scored the winning goal against Latvia on Tuesday, came on for the Czechs and almost instantly set up a great chance for Šmicer but a flying Van der Saar turned the shot away for a corner.

Baroš leveller
However the Dutch keeper had no chance 19 minutes from time as Koller chested down Nedved's cross and Baroš blasted the equaliser into the roof of the net. Cech then saved with his legs again as Ven der Meyde went close to restoring the Dutch lead.

Late winner
Heitinga, booked for a foul on Nedved in the first half, was then cautioned for a second foul on the same player and from the free-kick Nedved's piledriver caused problems for Van der Saar who eventually cleared, before Nedved went even closer, rattling the bar from 20 metres with Van der Saar beaten. Then came Šmicer's coup de grâce, scoring from close range from Poborský's pass.