Demon Holeš, great stoppers and Vaclik’s breakout save. Read the player ratings from the duel against the Netherlands

The Czech Republic managed its eighth final perfectly. It defeated the Netherlands 2: 0 and sensationally advanced to the quarter-finals. An excellent team performance supported by great individual quality. The player of the match was Holeš, who made the biggest contribution to the victory. The defence also played at a high level, while the unmistakable Schick was on the attack. How did the rest of the line-up perform?

Tomas Vaclik – 8

He alternated strong moments with weaker ones. Fortunately, option number one prevailed. He made a bad run at the start of the game, didn’t hit the ball and Dumfries had a great chance. But his shot into the open net was well blocked by Kalas. The communication between Vaclik and the stoppers didn’t work at all. In the first half he covered a dangerous centre by Dumfries.

His star moment came at the beginning of the second half. Malen escaped the defence and rushed our goalkeeper alone. Vaclik, however, was able to find his key and managed this crucial moment of the match. This was the decisive moment that completely turned the whole game in our favour.

Vladimír Coufal – 8

Very confident defensively. The opponent created practically nothing through his side. He took the ball well and won a lot of personal duels. He was also active going forward. He created a good opportunity for Soucek, but he missed. The only blemish on his performance was receiving a yellow card for a foul after a poorly played direct kick. That was really unnecessary.

Tomas Kalas – 9

The best performance of the tournament. Absolute world class. He blocked practically all the Dutch chances with his body. He won header duels, took balls cleanly. Defended the dangerous Depay well. He did what was expected of him. Kalas was once again a defensive stalwart.

Ondřej Čelůstka – 8

Kalas’ stopper partner also played great. Absolutely flawless in the air. He too saved his best performance for the eighth round. His increasing performance is definitely a surprise. If he has a more dominant teammate next to him, he can play very well. And he’s clearly proving it at the Euros.

Pavel Kadeřábek – 8

The question was how the replacement for the gutted Boril would handle it. A month without match practice, he didn’t even get playing space in preparation. But Kadeřábek showed what a great player he is. Against the dangerous Dumfries, he didn’t have it easy at all. Except on one occasion, he defended him admirably. He didn’t give up, he won the header. One of the best players on the field. His performance was a world away from that of Boril. He was loudly calling for a place in the starting lineup for the upcoming games.

Tomas Holeš – 10

This season has been a dream come true for him. He won the title with Slavia. He played in the quarterfinals of the Europa League and scored a goal for the famous Arsenal. And now he has helped the national team reach the quarter-finals of the European Championship. The clear player of the match. In midfield with Soucek, he eliminated the opponent and kept him at bay.

He won a lot of duels, took the ball away very well, and made the opponent’s game very frustrating. He added 2 stellar moments in attack. After a rehearsed action, he scored a goal from a corner and scored the opening goal of the eight finals. At the end of the match he ran into the surprised opponent’s defence, out-speeded it and fed the ball into a great chance to Schick, who capitalised on it and definitely decided the match. Hat tip.

Tomas Soucek – 9

Our captain didn’t shine so much in the offense, but it wasn’t necessary. His tasks were different. Once again he gave his absolute best. He won a lot of personal duels, took away countless balls from the opponent, practically erased Wijnaldum, dominated the midfield. He even had one interesting chance. After a hopeful centre by Coufal, he missed with his head. Soucek put in another world-class performance and was instrumental in the Czech Republic’s triumph over the Netherlands.

Antonín Barák – 7

He was another forced change. He replaced the injured Darida as an offensive midfielder. He coped with this difficult task perfectly. He was constructive, managed to speed up the action, give the Czech game momentum, and avoided unnecessary losses. He could have topped off his excellent performance by scoring a goal. However, De Light knocked his shot over the Dutch net at the last moment. Barak definitely surprised and was much more useful to the team than Darida. His performance definitely earned him a spot in the starting lineup for the quarterfinals.

Lukáš Masopust – 7

The best performance of the tournament. Backwards perfect. Together with Coufal he dominated the right side and didn’t let his opponent do anything. He also played much better offensively than in the previous matches. He was more creative, more direct and avoided unnecessary losses. He could have had an assist on the goal, but his pass to Barak was not ideal. He did his best and played a great game.

Petr Ševčík – 7

He got a chance to replace the lackluster Jankt. Ševčík also played better than his predecessor. He gave the team calmness, looked for surprising solutions, tried to play forward all the time, was creative. Thanks to him, the team was more confident and dominant on the ball and had a better construction of the game. He didn’t shine as much as the others, but that doesn’t detract from his solid contribution to the team. It was a nice performance.

Patrik Schick – 9

4 games 4 goals. Second best scorer in the tournament. His efficiency is incredible. He proved his reputation as a cannonballer in the eighth round. He hustled, helped the team in combination, helped the team greatly in defensive standard. He saved his star moment for the end of the game. Holeš dribbled through the Dutch defence, played the ball to Schick, who with a quick shot gave Stekelenburg no chance. 1 chance, 1 goal. Schick’s chic again.

Jankto, Král, Hložek, Krmenčík and Sadílek didn’t play enough minutes to be evaluated.