Czech football players complicated their progress to the round of 16 at the Euros in Germany. After two matches, they have only one point on their account, and they definitely have to score at the end of the group against Turkey. But a draw could be enough for them.
Against the favored Portugal, the Czechs unexpectedly took the lead and still held a tie in the setup. But in the end, after losing 1:2, they remained without a point.
They flew in against Georgia, which is weaker on paper, but despite a shower of chances, they only managed a 1:1 draw.
This means that in the group they can already finish second best and fourth at worst. The sure winner is still 100% Portugal.
The Czechs will be last if they get fewer points against Turkey than Georgia did against Portugal. But the second or third row is more likely. The Portuguese will be clear favorites against Georgia and can be expected to beat them.
In any case, it can be said that Tomáš Souček and spol. they have progress in their hands.
If they win over the Turks, they will finish second, which means an automatic ticket to the round of 16. The two best teams from each of the six groups advance directly.
However, the four best teams from the third places will also be waiting. And this is where the math gets complicated.
At the last two Euros, where the same system was played with 24 representatives instead of the previous 16, at least three points and a decent ratio of goals scored and conceded were needed to advance from third place. Overall, the worst advancing team was Ukraine with three points and a negative score of 4:5 at Euro 2020.
This year, however, it seems that even two points could be enough for third place. The Czech Republic would get into this situation after a draw against the Turks and Georgia’s maximum point against the Portuguese.
In principle, the point is that the Czechs – if they actually finish third with two points – leave behind at least two other third-placed teams.
They will certainly not succeed in the case of the teams from “dečka” and “ečka”, which have already collected three points, but there is hope in the other three groups. It’s not even science fiction.
In the last round, for example, it is enough for Scotland to draw with Hungary in “A” and Croatia in “B” with Italy, while Albania loses to Spain. In that case, a better score would help the Czechs.
In Group C, England is waiting for the currently two-point Slovenia and Denmark for the one-point Serbs.
The Czechs have the advantage of playing in the “efk”, so according to the schedule they will play the Turks on Wednesday at 21:00, i.e. after all the other groups have been decided.
So they will know how many points they need against Turkey, to which they can adapt their tactics.
What decides the table of third teams
1. Body
2. Score difference
3. Goals scored
4. Number of wins
5. Number of yellow and red cards (the fewer the better)
6. Position after qualification
2024-06-22 16:04:53
#Procedural #mathematics #Czechs #trouble #schedule #advantage
