Czech Republic reach World Cup after 20-year wait
The hosts made a dream start, taking the lead just three minutes into the match when Pavel Sulc unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box following a corner.
KATHMANDU: The Czech Republic have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in two decades after defeating Denmark 3-1 on penalties in a dramatic play-off final in Prague.
The hosts made a dream start, taking the lead just three minutes into the match when Pavel Sulc unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box following a corner.
Denmark pushed hard for an equaliser and found their breakthrough in the 72nd minute, as Joachim Andersen headed home from a free-kick delivered by Mikkel Damsgaard to make it 1-1.
The game remained finely poised and moved into extra time, where the Czech Republic regained the advantage. Captain Ladislav Krejci’s effort took a deflection off Denmark defender Alexander Bah before finding the net.
However, Denmark responded once again, with Kasper Høgh scoring a late header in the 111th minute to level the match at 2-2 and force a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, Denmark struggled. Rasmus Højlund struck the crossbar, while two other attempts were missed, leaving Christian Eriksen as their only successful scorer.
The Czech Republic, by contrast, were clinical. Tomas Chory, Tomas Soucek and Michal Sadilek all converted their penalties to seal victory.
The result sends the Czech Republic to their first World Cup since 2006, while Denmark miss out on qualification for the first time since 2014.
