The epet Arena in Prague hosted the all important World Cup qualifier between Czechia and Denmark a couple of nights ago.
Denmark were the side fancied to win with a fine attacking unit and so they started at a good pace. Czechia on the other hand were well organised in defence and also had the teeth to bite when the opportunity arrived.
No wonder, Pavel Sulc gave the hosts the lead with a ripper of a strike from the edge of the box, which stunned the Danes no end, but a fightback ensued. Denmark held most of the possession and were eventually rewarded by an Anderson goal in the 72nd minute, thus pushing the game into extra time.
Ladislav Krejci got Czechia ahead once again in extra time, but yet again the Danes equalised through Høgh in the 111th minute, which hurled the match into a penalty shootout.
It was anybody’s game now as tension gripped the Arena in Prague. The Danes facing a partisan crowd looked nervy as the inform Czechia goalkeeper Matej Kovar stopped Anders Dreyer’s effort. Denmark’s star Rasmus Højlund, then hit the cross bar and it was all over when Mathias Jensen’s shot sailed over for good.
The Czechs were into the World Cup after 2006, while the Danes were going home. A good team, which had promised so much failed to deliver when it really mattered.
Success, no doubt, is all about handling pressure and staying calm in tricky situations.
Czechia, just did it better than the Danes.
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