Dovalil decision pays dividends

The Czech Republic and Germany were the winners on the opening day of UEFA European Under-17 Championship Group A, defeating Serbia and Montenegro 2-1 and Germany 4-0 respectively. Czech coach Jakub Dovalil said a half-time switch of Radim Řezník for Martin Holek allowed his team to get the better of Sasa Medin's Serbia and Montenegro, with Tomáš Necid claiming two second-half goals following a scoreless first period. Meanwhile Germany’s Bernd Stöber and Belgium chief Eric Abrams agreed that Lionel Gendarme putting through his own net in the third minute was crucial. uefa.com rounds up the reaction from the four coaches.

SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO 1-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
Sasa Medin, Serbia and Montenegro coach
I want to congratulate the Czechs for winning. We saw a game of two halves. In the first half we were the better team with some good chances, but we didn't score. In the second half the Czechs were the better team and they scored two goals. A very important moment was a chance for [Veljko] Vuković at the beginning of the second half before the first Czech goal - that was a big influence on the final result. I think the Czechs can contend for first place in this group.

Jakub Dovalil, Czech Republic coach
We always seem to have a problem with any first game, we were asleep in the first half. We were very, very bad and Serbia and Montenegro were the better team and we could have been one or two behind. But at half-time we had a discussion and made a change for a more technical player, not just playing long balls, and that was the decisive moment of the game. We scored one wonderful goal and the second was lucky. Then Serbia and Montenegro increased the pressure so we were worried. I know [Necid] and know I often have to wait until the second half for a great performance!

BELGIUM 0-4 GERMANY
Eric Abrams, Belgium coach
We began well, had a good chance to score, and the counterattack gave the first goal to Germany. The second goal came too quickly! Then they really dominated, and we suffered a lot in midfield. Toni Kroos is an excellent player, and he was only born in 1990. We had lots of problems because we couldn't pressure them in the midfield. This meant I had to make some changes and play with two defensive midfielders, but the second half did not give us many more opportunities. They defended their advantage well and had a good game. They deserved to win; they were very strong. We didn't see the real Belgium, the one that qualified in Poland, four or five key players were not at their best, and against a team like Germany that creates problems. Maybe some of my players had too much respect, I don't know.

Bernd Stöber, Germany coach
We deserved to win. Scoring early was the best thing that could have happened. Then we started playing better, giving no chances to Belgium, but also without really dominating. We needed to score a second to feel comfortable, and the third naturally followed. I did not tell my players to slow down in the second half. We didn't want to defend the result, we wanted to play positively.