Vlček takes heart from Slavia reverse

SK Slavia Praha captain Stanislav Vlček refused to leave the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium totally disheartened despite the convincing nature of Sevilla FC's 4-2 victory in UEFA Champions League Group H.

Experienced gained
Slavia had beaten FC Steaua Bucureşti 2-1 a fortnight ago but it was a different story against their fellow tournament debutants as the Czech side were caught out repeatedly at the back by an increasingly rampant home team with Frédéric Kanouté in unstoppable form. However Vlček understands experience is hard-won in this most demanding of competitions and his optimism stems from a belief that Slavia can, and will, draw strength from their reverse at the hands of the double UEFA Cup-winners.

'Exceptional side'
"Sevilla are an exceptional side when they play that well," explained the 31-year-old, whose goals eliminated AFC Ajax in qualification. "I remember myself and the coach warning that sooner or later, based on the videotapes we'd watched, they would start to convert the many chances they have been creating but not taking in recent games. Of course I'm unhappy that we lost and that we conceded four goals, but we are not only new to this competition, we also have a pretty young and inexperienced side."

Learning curve
He added: "It's a fact that the majority of Sevilla's goals came from our mistakes in midfield or at the back and that is something you do not get away with at this level. I believe we have the capacity to learn and apply what we learn to the next few games. As for me and my fellow strikers there is no excuse against a side like Sevilla when you miss chances. We worked and scored twice but when they had a chance they finished it while we did not."