“I am satisfied. The start of the qualification did not go well for us, now we have returned from zero to eighty, because we still have a playoff ahead of us,” coach Jan Suchopárek told ČT sport.
“Today, the weight of responsibility was felt on the players, it went against us for a long time. But we continued to play dynamic football, but after the first goal, it fell from them. Goalkeeper Horníček kept us at 0:0. If Lithuania had taken the lead, who knows how the match would go well,” said the coach.
The home team, strongly supported by the sold-out Malšovica Arena, created a great territorial advantage, but they conquered the opponent’s goal in vain for the entire first half.
The Lithuanians soon indicated that their breaks were dangerous, Kaušinis hit the side net with a sharp shot. The Czech team already had another chance. Although Sejk jumped the highest, he did not aim his head exactly.
Chaloupka’s shot was sent by Kiriejevas only in front of him, but none of the Czechs could reach the ball. Daněk then prepared a promising position for Sejko, who shot only at the goalkeeper.
The lionesses won all five of their previous matches, now they needed to beat the Lithuanians by at least a goal. Five minutes after the break, however, the visitors created their best chance until then, and goalkeeper Horníček made a key save after Remeikis’ shot.
The Czechs then decided with a double strike. After Sejko’s cross, Daněk opened the scoring with a header. Three minutes later, Daněk pushed out Jurásk, who broke free and finished right at the post.
“It was very challenging, but we executed the plan and created chances. I still believed that we would score a goal. It fell a bit with luck, then the match was in our hands. I don’t score goals with my head, so it really counts,” said Daněk .
Sejk also secured the win. His first shot was not valid due to offside, but then he used a pass from Harušťák and closed the score with a shot on the ground.
“The team lost a lot of points at the beginning, so then they had to catch up and the goal was a playoff. The fantastic atmosphere in Hradec helped us. I believe that we will eventually advance to the championship, we would feel at home in Slovakia,” said FAČR chairman Petr Fousek.
“We expect that we will meet a strong opponent in the play-off. However, we have now shown that we have great quality. I believe that we will advance to the Euros,” added Daněk.
Coach Jan Suchopárek’s men had to win, a draw would not be enough for them to move ahead of Wales to second place in the table.
First place in the group and direct promotion to the tournament were secured in advance by the Danes, who beat Iceland 2:0 in the end.
The winners of the nine groups and the three teams with the best balance in second place advance directly to the EC. As an organizer, Slovakia is certain to participate.
The other six teams from the second positions will go to the play-offs, in which they will compete for the remaining three places in the tournament. The draw is drawn on Thursday, and will be played on November 11 and 19.
“Of course there are more options for the playoffs. I certainly wouldn’t want Belgium, but if we want to go to the Euros, we have to beat anyone. We tried it two years ago, it’s also a matter of luck. I really hope that the team is hungry enough to fight for the championship and we will get there,” said Sejk.
