Heinz means business

'Special motivation'
"I have bad memories of my German spell as I ended up watching many games from the stands," Heinz said. "I do not blame anybody for my failure. However, it is true that I had special motivation to show what I could do on Wednesday." Indeed, Heinz also set up the winner for Milan Baroš and was named Carlsberg Man of the Match.

Valuable contribution
He is now preparing for Sunday's quarter-final against Denmark, having been pivotal for his nation in Portugal despite playing only 67 minutes in the UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifiers. He scored the winner against Latvia and it was his shot, parried by Netherlands keeper Edwin van der Sar, that led to Vladimír Šmicer's clincher in that game. "I have a huge appetite to play at this tournament and cannot wait for the Denmark match," he said.

Miserable spell
The 26-year-old has experienced success in continental competition before, as with fellow forward Baroš he was part of the Czech squad that reached the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final. It was after that tournament that he left SK Sigma Olomouc for Hamburg, but he scored only five league goals over the next three seasons.

Back home
After Kurt Jara's appointment in 2001, Heinz's chances started to decrease and he was loaned to DSC Arminia Bielefeld in spring 2003, only to be relegated. After that, he opted to leave Hamburg one year before his contract expired and join Baník.

Career revived
Within a season, he had been crowned the Czech league's top scorer with 19 goals as his new club won the championship and he was back in the national team after a two-and-a-half year absence. There have even been whispers that he could be on the move again - with Sporting Clube de Portugal linked with the striker after his performance against Germany at their Estádio José Alvalade home.

Free-kick shock
Understandably, Heinz is flattered by the interest. "I have read about it," he said. "Why not? The stadium is superb and the climate pleasant." However, he is not about to fool Sporting by posing as a set-piece specialist. "It is not my speciality at all," he admitted. "I have only scored goals like that at youth level. I wanted to cross the ball, but my team-mates persuaded me to shoot."

Mother's pride
If he does have a speciality, it is in leading quick counterattacks. "The Germans had to go forward and it suited us well," he said. "We had a lot of space in their half and we managed to profit from it. I am happy to help the team. My mum cried when she phoned me after the game." It was Germany who were doing most of the crying, though.