Czechs floor Hungary in Budapest

The Czech Republic will play Italy in the UEFA European Futsal Championship semi-finals on Monday in Debrecen after coming from four goals down to beat Hungary and take second place in Group A.

Spirited crowd
In front of a spirited crowd of 7,006, Hungary tore into their opponents, the fire in their bellies incinerating any butterflies in their stomachs. There had been chances at both ends, though, before Zoltán Dróth spun in from the left on six minutes, his cheeky shot darting low into the left-hand corner of Tomáš Meller's net.

Lódi rampant
Czech captain Martín Dlouhý went close shortly afterwards, while Hungary goalkeeper Zoltán Balász needed to be canny to keep out Radek Polášek's effort. Mihály Kozma's men were swiftly rewarded, Zsolt Gyurcsányi pulling the ball back for Tamás Lódi to thunder home in the tenth minute. Lódi was to hammer another one off the bar later on.

Hungary ascendant
Gyurcsányi picked out Lódi to score his second of the night five minutes into the second half, and it looked to be game over when Dróth intercepted with the Czechs playing Marek Kopecký as a flying goalkeeper, lifting the ball into the unguarded net from the halfway line. However, almost immediately, Lukáš Rešetár's shot beat Balász and the comeback was on.

Flying goalkeepers
With Kopecký and then David Frič playing as increasingly cavalier flying goalkeepers, the Czechs then terrorised Hungary. Dlouhý set up Michal Belej to snatch another one back, and was then on hand to make it 4-3 as a shot cannoned into his path of Lódi. Frič then exploited a tussle in the area to equalise while nominally in goal.

Breathless finale
The Czechs planted a foot in the quarter-finals when Kopecký's ball from the right was headed home by Dlouhý. Incredibly, Hungary then struck back as they fielded their own flying goalkeeper, Gyurcsányi snapping up a second chance after his own effort hit the post. However, with seconds left, Kopecký made it 6-5 after Balász saved but could not clear his lines.