|
Preview:
One way or another, the Czechs have made an impact throughout the
history of the
World Cup. Prior to the end of the Cold War the former
Czechoslovakia had
appeared in 8 World Cup finals and were runners up in 1934 and
1962. In
1993 the country had split into two, yet Czech Republic retained much
of the athletic prowess, most notably in hockey and soccer. 1996
and 2004 saw two
very strong showing in the European Championship, and the nation enters
this
year’s World Cup ranked #2 in the FIFA World Rankings. Even
though the
point system doesn't necessarily represent the team's true odds, the
Czech side
indeed is a real contender, and the expectations back home are
enormous.
Nobody scored more goals in the European qualifiers than the Czechs, who can
score at will. The attack is led by Jan Koller, Karel Poborsky,
Liverpool's Milan Baros, and of course the captain and sparkplug Pavel Nedved,
who is expected to retire from soccer after the World Cup. The 34 year old Nedved
is one of the real stars of recent past, as evidenced by his European Footballer
of the Year award in 2003. He came out of international retirement in 2005
to help the Czechs qualify, and his first ever world cup will be one of the
stories to follow this summer.
Result: Group E action was as wild and unpredictable as any other
group, and
Italy
and
Ghana
emerged out of the fray to advance to the next stage. The Czechs were
able to flash their brilliance however, in a dominant 3-0 win over
United States.
|
