Czech Mate

It was quite a thrilling match. The one that mattered yesterday, to decide which team it would be that goes in to the Quarter Finals along with Portugal in Group A.

It was a tough call. Was it going to be Turkey or would it be the Czech Republic that goes through. Last Euro's semi finalists were solid through qualification, yet it would be a close call.

The Czech's have injury worries. Absolutely no one can deny that. Rosicky out is probably one of the biggest blows for the Czech Republic. And because of this, the Czech team lacked teeth. They dont have the finishing powers to step up and win a game.

They have an ageing striker in Jan Koller, who though he scored, is way past his prime. I never considered Koller to be one amongst the best strikers in the world. This, and the fact that the Czech midfield isnt even close to what it once used to be, compounded their difficulties. There was a time when the Czech midfield meant players from the top clubs in Europe. In contrast, nowadays you have Marek Matejovsky who plays with recently relegated Reading.

Turkey won 3-2, with a brace from Nihat. The second of his two was an absolutely stunning goal, put past the hapless Petr Cech. Cech was responsible for the first of Nihat's goals, fumbling a routine cross. This goes to show that even the great Petr Cech is human.

The Czechs may have won had they had a little bit extra in them. The fact that Turkey split open their defence many times in the second half, showed the lack of a hunger on the part of the Czechs. I dont think they were quarter final material anyway, because of their limited attacking options.

Bruckner played very defensively in the second half against a Turkey side that was keen to score a goal. Here lies the difference that a gamble might've made. Van Basten took off his defensive players when France was searching hard for a goal and brought on Robben, a move that might have cost him the game, but didnt. He won the game, comfortably. Bruckner should've brought on Milan Baros to play alongside Koller so that Czech's could retain the ball better and pass it around.

When will coaches learn that playing defensively doesnt always win you a game?