Czech Republic – South Africa

The teams that lose in the first round will fight for the victory

The Czech Republic national team fought its way to the World Cup in North America with hard-fought battles. In the European qualifying playoffs, the Czechs beat worthy opponents Ireland and Denmark. The start of the World Cup for the squad led by the veteran Miroslav Koubek proved just as tough, but they failed to secure a favorable outcome this time. The Czech team played against one of Asia's strongest representatives - the Republic of Korea. Koubek's tactical plan for the match was obvious: use the height advantage, crosses, and set pieces. In the second half, it paid off when Ladislav Krejci headed the ball after a throw-in. The Koreans played more versatile, acted actively and variably, which allowed them to quickly level the score, and near the end of the match to score the decisive goal. Considering that in the final round the Czech Republic has to play the tournament hosts, the second-day match against South Africa takes on special significance. One point for reaching the playoffs will certainly not be enough for the European team, and thus the African side must be defeated. Bookmakers have identified the hosts as favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.77 on their victory. South Africa was already considered one of the weaker African teams before the tournament began. The South African players could have faced even bigger trouble in the match against Mexico, but the World Cup hosts seemed to fear their own pace for much of the game. For example, in the second half, when South Africa were reduced to ten men and later nine, the Mexicans seemingly deliberately handed the ball to their opponents and, in the end, almost paid for it. Otherwise, South Africa made mistakes at the slightest pressure. The team's discipline clearly leaves much to be desired, as shown both by the lapse that led to the first goal and by the two red cards. In the first case, the defender could have avoided committing a last-ditch foul. In the second, a hand to the head of an opponent could obviously have been avoided. If the Czech team's class had been a little higher, one could safely bet on their victory. Since as recently as last autumn the Czechs lost to the Faroe Islands and had a different coach, it is wiser to bet on at least two goals in the match.