Narodni tym. Which simply means “the national team”.
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The calendar (French time)
June 14: Czech Republic v Scotland, 3 p.m., in Glasgow
June 18: Czech Republic v Croatia, 6 p.m., in Glasgow
June 22: Czech Republic v England, 9 p.m., in London
The first two of each group as well as the four best thirds qualify.
The team that should play
Thomas Vaclik – Jan Boril, Ondrej Celustka, Pavel Kaderabek, Vladimir Coufal – Tomas Soucek, Tomas Holes, Jakub Jantko, Vladimir Darida – Matej Vydra, Patrik Schick.
Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, effective on 1er January 1993, the Czech Football Federation inherits the seat of the Czechoslovak Federation in FIFA and UEFA… as well as the title won in 1976. The Czechs have played the Euro three times since their independence. Their best result was a final in 1996.
The coach: Jaroslav Silhavy
Czechoslovak international between 1990 and 1991 (4 caps), Jaroslav Silhavy spent his entire career as a defender, then as a coach in his country, where he skimmed the benches of the main clubs (Viktoria Plzen, Slovan Liberec, Dukla Prague and Slavia Prague ). With a reputation as a technician focused on an offensive game, at 59, in 2018, he led a selection in small form after the failure of the qualifiers for the Russian World Cup.
Jaroslav Silhavy was able to restore colors and a playing identity to Narodni tym, whose last convincing result dated back to a quarter-final of the Euro lost against Portugal in 2012 (0-1). During the qualifiers, the coach offered himself a prestigious victory against England (2-1), which will stand again on the road of the Czechs during this final phase.
A player : Tomas Soucek
In the early 2000s, the Czech Republic had incredible talents with its “little Mozart”, Tomas Rosicky, the unmissable Pavel Nedved (Ballon d’Or 2003) and the unclassifiable Karel Poborsky. Less known and less talented, the current generation has nevertheless seen the emergence of a young midfielder in recent months: Tomas Soucek. He is the handyman of his selection: collector, organizer, passer, scorer.
At 25, this large size (1.92 m) has taken on a new dimension since his arrival at West Ham United in January 2020. With the Hammers, the surprise team of the season in England, he has established himself as the one of the references to his post. Far from being a precocious talent, Tomas Soucek went on to try out for Czech D2 and D3 clubs after his years of training at Slavia Prague. Faced with financial problems, the capital club ended up giving it a chance during the 2015-2016 season. The beginning of a slow but irresistible ascent.
VSit happened at the Euro
At the start of Euro 1996, nobody saw the Czechs in the final, starting with the first concerned. So striker Vladimir Smicer has set his wedding date for June 21, two days after the end of the last group match. Against Russia, it was he who scored the 3-3 goal, synonymous with qualifying for the quarter-finals … and a problem with the agenda.
Fortunately, the future RC Lens player had the presence of mind to plan a withdrawal date a week later. But after the qualification against Portugal, the player is worried and asks to be able to make an express return trip to Prague in case of victory against France. Vladimir Smicer gets the approval of his trainer, Dusan Uhrin. On Friday, he says “yes” at 11 am, ships the meal immediately, and takes the plane back to England at 4 pm.
The interested party told the sequel to the Made in Lens site in 2016. “ I spent my wedding night with Patrik Berger, in London, since we shared the same room. They kept telling me : “But do you know how many girls would dream of spending that night in Berger’s room? ” [Rire] Afterwards, Uhrin nevertheless told me that my marriage had perhaps cost me my tenure in the final against the Germans. ” Entered 88e minute, Smicer will have a front row seat during extra time to see Oliver Bierhoff score the golden goal for Germany.
1er May 2004, the European Union welcomes nine new members, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia. But unlike their neighbors, the Czechs have still not adopted the single currency: we already pay in euros in Bratislava, when the crown is still in use in Prague. If the question of joining the euro often comes up on the table, polls indicate that the Czechs remain hostile to it, starting with Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Nicknamed the “Czech Trump”, this wealthy businessman campaigned in 2017 on an anti-corruption and anti-euro theme.
The Czech Republic and the Eurovision Song Contest, it’s not really a great love affair. Since its first participation in 2007, the country has subscribed to eliminations in the semi-finals. In 2018, Mikolas Josef raised the level a little with an honorable sixth place. The glasses-suspender look and the chorus of his song Lie to me had their little effect.
In the Czech Republic, the meal often starts with a light beer (such as the famous Pilsner Urquell) which is readily served with cheese or pieces of breaded cauliflower. For the main course, the vepro knedlo zelo, the traditional local dish, is further proof of the overwhelming love Czechs have for meat. This is a roast pork served with cabbage and dumplings of bread. Each piece of meat is seasoned with onion, garlic, pepper and cumin.
