Czechs celebrate emphatic win

The Czech Republic kept their UEFA European Futsal Championship dream alive with a stunning victory against plucky Slovenia.

Deserved victory
The Czechs took the second qualifying spot in Group A to earn a semi-final date with Ukraine on Saturday. It was no more than Michal Striz's men deserved in Caserta after two wins out of three and a narrow defeat at the hands of hosts Italy.

Captain back
It was also no surprise that Stríz's side were boosted by the return to fitness of captain Roman Mareš, after a knee injury had ruled him out of their second group match. The Czechs raced into a two-goal lead through Martin Dlouhý and Tomáš Sluka this evening but the Slovenians yet again showed their fighting spirit.

Horvat again
As in previous matches when the odds have been stacked against them, Darko Krizman's men raised their game. Tomislav Horvat, one of the brightest players of the competition so far, twice went close before finally making a chance count in the ninth minute. However, Vit Blazej extended the Czech lead six minutes later by pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area.

Five more goals
There was to be no shock in the second half, as the Czechs ran away with the game, scoring five more times in ten minutes. However, Horvat added his second of the game, and fourth of the competition, in the 33rd minute.

Anxious wait
Mareš capped his return to the side with two goals in the 37th minute and he is sure to be a key man in Saturday's fixture. The last Czech goal went to Sluka but the final whistle still did not bring absolute relief for Striz's men.

Celebration on hold
The match in Caserta finished before the tie in Aversa, and the Czech players gathered together to wait for the final result between Italy and Russia. When news came through of Italy's last-gasp win, scenes of jubilation were the order of the day for Striz and his men.

Happy to be through
"I am delighted we have qualified for the semi-finals," Striz said. "I knew that winning this game would give us a good chance of qualifying." On the matter of facing Ukraine, he refused to get carried away. "The most important thing is that we have reached the semi-final. That is all that matters."