Gamble pays off for Czech Republic

It cannot have been a very pleasant speech that Pavel Vrba delivered to his Czech Republic charges at half-time during Friday's game against Croatia. The Czechs needed at least a point after their opening-day loss to Spain, but – at 1-0 down and suffering – they looked to be heading for a heavy defeat.

"I told them to play football, because without that we couldn't compete against Croatia, because they were strong," the coach recalled. "We were hiding and not linking up or putting together moves. We were getting into difficult situations and kicking the ball into space aimlessly."

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Those words did not hit home immediately – the Czechs went 2-0 down – but they battled back, Milan Škoda's header making it 2-1 before fellow substitute Tomáš Necid scored an 89th-minute penalty to level matters at 2-2. "We started to play more simply and we put the pressure on," a relieved Vrba added. "The introductions of Tomáš Necid and Milan Škoda helped us do that. They paid off."

Necid came on with four minutes to go, and persuaded fellow penalty-taker Vladimír Darida to let him have the chance to earn the Group D point at the end. "I just told Vláďa that I was going to score," the 26-year-old forward said. "I decided immediately to put it under the crossbar. I don't know whether it was the safest option. You remember Jan Oblak during the Champions League final – he stayed in the middle for five penalties."

Tomáš Rosický gave the Czech fans credit for his side's rally in Saint-Etienne. "I was encouraging them to show their commitment during the match," he said. "The team responded well. Both the fans and ourselves had a good time and – how can I put it? – we felt a connection. We have to be very grateful today for their support and their sheer numbers. We hope we'll have the same support for the Turkey match."

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However, the midfielder may not be on the pitch on Tuesday after sustaining an injury that could curtail his UEFA EURO 2016. Vrba did not enjoy fielding speculation about how badly hurt Rosický was. "I'll leave that to the doctors," he said. "Tomáš said he has some problems with his hamstring and we will see if it keeps him out for a long time or not. Right now I can't tell you exactly what the injury is."

Captain or no captain, the show must go on; the Czechs are not exactly sparkling, but their fate remains pretty much in their own hands.