Czechs fall in Switzerland, Schick scored a goal of hope, Soucek missed a penalty

After losing 0:4, the Czech Republic fell to the last place in the Nations League and had to win against Switzerland to stay in it. A draw or a win for the Swiss would mean that the home team would stay in the elite group and the Czechs would be relegated. Coach Šilhavy’s selection faced a difficult task.

Compared to the match against Portugal, four changes were made to the starting line-up. The Czechs started the match as follows: Vaclik – Coufal, Kúdela, Zima, Jemelka – Souček, Kalvach – Černý, Barák, Vlkanova – Schick.

The Czech national team could have taken the lead at the start of the match when Soucek got a header after a corner kick by Cerny, but he headed into the middle of the goal where Sommer was standing. Then Schick led the action, breaking free and finding Jemelka, who just missed.

Vlkanova got a shot right after that, which hit the crossbar. The Swiss goalkeeper would have no claim. After 20 minutes Schick got a pass to Cerny who shot on the ground, a great save by Sommer.

The first more dangerous action for the Swiss came in the 29th minute when Shaqiri sent a centre into the whitewash. Freuler found himself on the small whitewash and sent the home side into the lead. But that was not all. Not even a minute had passed and the second shot came for the Czech Republic. Embolo got to the ball after a bad play and shot through Vaclik for the second time.

In the 42nd minute, after a centre by Jemelka, the ball reached Coufal, who hit the bar from a volley. Just before the end of the half, the Czech national team scored a goal. Zima found Schick in the whitewash, who made no mistake and sent the ball into the net. The first half ended 2:1 for Switzerland.

At the start of the second half, the Czechs made a double change with Kudel and Vaclik coming on for Havel and Stanek. Vaclik had a problem with his right shoulder, so the coaches pulled him out as a precaution.

The 60th minute of play was approaching and the Czechs were combining well around the Swiss goal. They had their opponent pinned down but could not burn through the defense. In the 59th minute, there was a great chance for an equalizer.

Schick was fouled in the whitewash, Elvedi was shown a yellow card and a penalty was awarded. Captain Soucek was up for it, but his shot to the bar was caught by the goalkeeper. It was the second penalty missed by the national team in a row.

In the 70th minute, Zima tried to push Schick out, but the opposing defence intercepted the pass and went on a quick counter-attack. However, Zima blocked Switzerland’s shot, making up for his poor play. Moments later, Switzerland scored their third goal of the game. However, it was disallowed because the shooter Vargas was offside.

In the 78th minute, Switzerland threatened again. Switzerland’s captain Xhaka shot from outside the box, but his shot just missed the target. The Czechs failed to get a chance that would have led to at least an equaliser. In the 81st minute, Zima led a similar action to the first Czech goal, but this time his pass was caught by Sommer.

A minute later, after another centre into the penalty area, Schick got a header, but it was just over. The Swiss knew that the Czech Republic couldn’t do much more, so they combined calmly towards the end of the match and didn’t rush anywhere. A couple of unsuccessful centres by the Czech team and one Swiss shot ended this match, which unfortunately the Czechs lost 1::2

The Czech team’s effort cannot be denied. In the first half there were chances on the Czech side, several times the Swiss were saved by the bar. However, the two goals that were conceded helped them to win.

Switzerland secured their place in the elite group of the Nations League with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic. The Czechs are relegated with just four points. The relegation also complicates their upcoming qualification for the EURO, as they dropped from a possible first to second place.

Source: UEFA