A last minute goal from Joe Cole rescued a draw for England against the Czech Republic at Wembley.

ENGLAND

James: 5.0 – A good save from Baros early on but had no chance with the goal because of the deflection. Went AWOL in the second half when he came racing out of his area only to be beaten by Sverkos. Must give his defenders nightmares at times.

Brown: 7.0 - Beaten a little too easily by Sirl, who then passed for Baros to open the scoring. However, he scored an excellent header to equalise, for his first England goal, and attempted to get forward whenever he could.

A Cole: 6.0 - Unfortunately for Cole, Baros’s shot cannoned off the Chelsea man for the first goal. Got forward well to provide width but usually had to turn back and stall due to lack of options in the box.

Ferdinand:  6.0 – A solid performance by Ferdinand who must have been disappointed to lose the captaincy to Terry.

Terry: 5.0 – Terry must shoulder the blame for the first goal. Was turned far too easily by Baros, and not a captain’s performance.

Beckham: 6.5 – His set pieces weren’t up to their usual standards but he did manage to find one delicious corner from which Brown equalised. Offered little else, but once again provided an assist.

Barry: 5.0 - Early booking after a foul on Plasil was possibly his most notable contribution and the Villa man certainly didn’t look worth £18 million.

Lampard: 4.0 - A poor performance and Frank was booed off by a frustrated Wembley crowd. Gave the ball away, made some poor challenges and generally struggled to get involved.

Gerrard: 6.5 - Saw plenty of the ball and was one of England’s better performers but found himself stuck out on the left, in a position he really doesn’t favour. A decent shot tested Cech in the first half but left midfield is simply not his most best position.

Defoe: 6.0 - A tough night for the Portsmouth striker.  Looked a little lonesome up front at times but worked hard to find shooting positions and forced Cech into several good saves.

Rooney: 6.0 – Looked to get involved but was too often far too deep and despite some decent distribution never looked like scoring.

Substitutions

Heskey: 6.0 - Given the second half in place of Defoe and held the ball up well but that was about it from the big man.

Woodgate: 6.0 - Replaced Ferdinand but is unlikely to oust the Manchester United man from the starting lineup.

Joe Cole: 7.0 - Unlucky not to start and England missed his flair. Looked bright when he came on and managed to poke the ball home for a late equaliser.

Downing: 6.5 - He added balance and managed to put some balls into the box which may not sound much, but just goes to show how dismal England were.

Bentley: 6.5 - Replaced Beckham late on and it was from his corner that England managed to sneak a late goal.

Jenas: n/a

CZECH REPUBLIC

Cech: 6.5 - Relatively untroubled by England’s shooting and had little chance with either goal. Occasionally shaky handling and he flapped at a corner, but then again on a wet pitch and with a greasy ball, perhaps not to be unexpected.

Jankulovski: 7.5 - Simply sublime free kick to put the Czechs 2-1 up and was almost good enough to win the game for the visitors.

Rozehnal: 7.0 - An easy night really although he made a meal of it with some poor clearances, but still England couldn’t capitalise.

Ujfalusi: 6.5 – Uncharacteristically sloppy at times A poor challenge on Gerrard, almost gave away a penalty and he was beaten by Brown for the equaliser. Still, kept what little attacking threat there was in check.

Grygera: 7.0 – Only played the first half but had a comfortable evening and it’s doubtful he even broke into a sweat.

Vlcek: 6.5 - Looked a danger on the right flank but was replaced at half time.

Kovac: 7.5 - Slipped some great short balls through the England midfield up to his front men.

Polak: 8.5 - An classy display by the man of the match. Strong shot early in the second half almost put the Czechs back in the lead and left England chasing shadows in midfield.

Plasil: 8.0 – Played some neat balls up to Baros and a great midfield display, thoroughly outplaying his opponents.

Sirl: 7.5 – A lovely run to set up the first goal. Out-foxed Brown completely before finding his man Baros in the box.

Baros: 7.0 - Tested David James early on with a good shot that the England goalkeeper did well to keep out. Scored, via a deflection, but did well to turn captain John Terry and hit the shot which opened the scoring.

Substitutions

Pospech: 6.5 - Given the second half in place of Grygera and the full back slotted in well.

Jarolim:  7.0 – Came on at half time and helped maintain the visitors’ midfield superiority.

Sverkos: 6.5 - Replaced the goalscorer Baros at half time and looked bright. Almost embarrassed England by rounding James on the touch line but rushed his shot and missed.

Kadlac: n/a – A late substitute for the Czechs

Rajnoch: n/a - A late substitute for the Czechs

Ref From Gill Clark - goal.com

One of the most dramatic finales in Euro history saw Turkey progress with captain Nihat’s two goals in the last three minutes to sink the Czechs 3-2! They’ll face Group B winners Croatia in Vienna next Friday.

Turkish Coach Fatih Terim had enough confidence to name his team 24 hours before the game and made several changes, switching to a more attack-minded 4-3-1-2. After starting the last two games with striker Nihat Kahveci playing solo up front, with a midfield place freed by the injured Karadeniz, he included the scorer of the winning goal against the Swiss, Semih Senturk. Midfielder Mehmet Topal also kept his place instead of Tumer Metin, while Emre Gungor took over from Emre Asik. On the other hand, Czech Republic Coach Karel Bruckner opted for just one change to the team that lost 3-1 to Portugal and replaced Milan Baros with Jan Koller.

The match kicked off in a great atmosphere as an early effort came in from the Czechs with Reading’s Marek Matejovsky flashing the ball over the bar. The Czechs started as they meant go on, searching for Jan Koller as Marek Jankulovski’s corner sailed over his and everyone’s else’s head from their first corner.

A purposeful start from the Czechs saw them forcing the Turks back for the first five minutes as Jaroslav Plasil wasted a good opening by firing high. The first yellow card came in the fifth minute for Mehmet Topal as Anderlecht full back Jan Polak, who scored a goal in the qualifiers against San Marino, went down as if he was shot. Ten minutes in and Koller tried to get his head on a Jankulovski free kick in from the left.

With five strung across the Czech midfield the Turks found it hard to reach their opponent’s back four. Brazilian born Mehmet Aurelio became the second Turk to go into the book for a shove on Koller and referee Fröjdfeldt warned Emre Gungor for his over zealous tackling on Koller.

Terim’s team were constantly fouling Koller as they seemed nervous of the big striker as he won every challenge in the air. The Turks tried to hit back as on a breakaway but Tuncay Sanli long range volley did not worry to Petr Cech. Then back up the other end and Matejovsky, who along with Jankulovski had been the Czech’s hardest worker, forced Volkan to make a save low down with a shot from 25 yards.

On 34 minutes Turkish goalkeeper Volkan failed to stop a superb headed goal from Koller. The ball sailed past his right hand, after an exquisite pass from Juve wing-back Zdenek Grygera, following a great run down the right flank.

After the restart Jankulovski’s free kick again found Koller but he failed to keep the ball down after he won another of his personal battles with Servet. The Czechs were frustrating every attack by the Turks with their midfield immediately pressing the red shirts every time the reached the halfway line. It was not pretty but very effective.

Bruckner’s side finished the half strongest but were helped by a poor Turkish performance. With only two midfielders they couldn’t get a grip on the game and each attack broke down before it could develop into anything dangerous.

At the start of the second half Turkish Coach Terim decided to change things round and brought on Galatasaray midfielder Sabri Sarioglu for Senturk and Tuncay moved into the centre.

Two minutes in and Nihat took a free kick but the ball hung in the air and Cech held it easily. Nihat was again in the action as he tried an acrobatic volley with the outside of his right foot but it sailed over the bar. The Villarreal striker was the most persistent performer by a long chalk.

On 52 minutes Topal was replaced by winger Colin Kazim-Richards, the former Sheffield United midfielder now at Fenerbache. The rain continued to blast down in the stadium as play stopped for two minutes while two Turks went down injured. It looked bad for Gungor who was stretchered off.

With Turkish Coach Terim going wild on the sidelines trying to get a sub on, a ball crossed in from Sionko on the right was too much for Volkan and Jaroslav Plasil met it at the far post to double the Czechs advantage.

Eventually Emre Asik came on for Gungor as seconds before Arda Turan was shown the yellow card. The match started to run away from Turkey as the Czechs sat back and started to hit the Turks on the break. Asik was shown a yellow card after another terrible foul on Koller.

20 minutes from the end Polak hit the right post with a right footed blast after a cross from Sionko. The Czechs started to live dangerously and with 15 minutes to go the Turks went up the field and pulled one back after Turan’s right footed shot slipped past Cech, after Hamit Altintop’s perfect cross.

The Turks forced their sixth corner as the Czechs pulled all their players back but it was cleared up field. The Turks forced the ball back up and should have been level but a weak effort from Tuncay went past the post. On 83 minutes the dynamic Sionko went off to be replaced by midfielder Stanislav Vlcek.

With three minutes to go Cech made a wrong decision and the Turks equalised from Nihat’s pass into the net form a few yards out, following a centre from Altintop. The red shirts deserved it and over the last 20 minutes had showed great character and determination to get their just rewards.

A minute later with penalties looking more and more likely, what drama! Nihat again scored. What a turnaround. One of the most remarkable finishes to a game you will ever see, the captain sprung the offside trap to crash a brilliant right-footer over Cech and in off under the bar from 20 yards out.

With just a few minutes to go and now 3-2 to take the drama level even higher Turkey ‘keeper Volkan was sent off for a reaction shove on Koller and Tuncay took over in goal, but he was never tested as Turkey went through. An astonishing end to a dramatic second half.
Turkey: Volkan; Balta, Servet, Emre Gungor (Emre Asik 63), Altintop; Tuncay, Arda, Aurelio, Topal (Kazim-Richards 57); Semih Senturk (Sabri 46), Nihat

Czech Republic: Cech; Grygera, Rozehnal, Ujfalusi, Jankulovski; Sionko (Vlcek 84), Matejovsky (Jarolim 39), Galasek, Jarolim, Plasil (Kadlec 80); Koller

Ref: Fröjdfeldt (Swe)

Sent off: Volkan 91 (T)

Ref From channel4.com

Portugal took the advantage in Group A with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic. An end-to-end game saw them take the lead twice through Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo, but Inter target Ricardo Quaresma confirmed a vital victory and they move three-points clear at the top of the table. They now await the result of Switzerland’s encounter with Turkey knowing a draw would see them become the first side to secure their place in the quarter-finals.

Portugal started this game at the top of Group A on goal difference after both they and the Czech Republic picked up three points in their opening fixture. But while Portugal Coach Felipe Scolari was happy to keep the same starting XI, Karel Bruckner introduced Marek Matejovsky and Milan Baros at the expense of David Jarolim and Jan Koller to try and add more pace and creativity in attack.

A lively start saw both teams pushing forward, with Libor Sionko and Cristiano Ronaldo both having efforts charged down on the edge of the penalty area in quick succession.

It took just eight minutes for Portugal to open the scoring, though. A close one-two between Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco set the former through the Czech defence with Petr Cech charging out of his goal to smother the chance. The ball squirmed loose though and Deco scrambled home, ricocheting through the legs of Marek Jankulovski who was trying to cover the goal line.

The Bohemians tried to hit back straight away as a clever quick free-kick sent Jankulovski into the area on the right, but he sliced his shot wide on his weaker foot under pressure from Paulo Ferreira. Portugal continued to look the most dangerous though, as the Czech Republic’s attack-minded full-backs struggled to deal with their opponents’ quick breaks in wide positions.

The chances continued to come for both sides, with Petit failing to trouble Cech with a tame long-ranger and Baros heading over from a looping Zdenek Grygera cross.

But it was Sionko who found the equaliser for the Czech Republic in the 17th minute after earning a corner himself with some excellent work on the right wing. As Jaroslav Plasil drilled the resulting set-piece towards the penalty spot, the FC Copenhagen winger flicked the ball into the net with a brave diving header.

Jan Polak picked up the first booking of the game after 23 minutes, when he was penalised for a strong sliding challenge on Pepe. Portugal showed their speed on the break by striding straight up the pitch, with Deco fizzing a powerful shot just past the far post following a diagonal run from the left wing. It was clear that Scolari had instructed his players to shoot on sight as Cristiano Ronaldo forced a comfortable save from Cech with a similar effort soon after.

Sionko again came close from a corner, this time from the left-hand side. Ricardo came for the cross but couldn’t reach the ball, but luckily for the Portuguese goalkeeper, Sionko couldn’t find a teammate with his cutback from the back post and Pepe scrambled clear. However, Portugal were clearly having problems defending the Czech set-pieces.

Scolari’s team finished the half strongest and a succession of corners perhaps should have given them back their advantage, but Ricardo Carvalho’s heavy touch wasted his chance after a deflected Deco cross had found its way all the way through to the Chelsea defender at the far post. Almost immediately Cech was called into action to parry a powerful long-range drive from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo brought the half to the end with a trademark free-kick, but Cech anticipated well to gather the ball at his near post as Greek referee Kyros Vassaras blew his whistle for half-time after a relentless first period.

Paulo Ferreira came out for the second half with a bandage above his left eye after suffering a nasty cut in a clash of heads in the first 45 minutes. He continued to struggle to contain Sionko on the wing, and the Czech player broke into the penalty area but Baros couldn’t get on the end of his slid pass across the six-yard box.

Some quick close passing on the edge of the Czech penalty area saw Nuno Gomes scramble his way free for a shot, but he couldn’t get the ball out of his feet and the tame shot was easy for Cech to catch. The former Fiorentina striker seemed determined after the break and he caught David Rozehnal, who hesitated on the ball at the back, and forced a corner as he attempted to power in high at the near post.

Cech was certainly the busier of the goalkeepers in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, stopping a Simao snapshot with an outstretched leg, before gathering a miss-hit Cristiano Ronaldo volley from the edge of the area.

But Portugal were nearly made to pay for their vulnerability on set-pieces again, as Tomas Ujfalusi flicked on another Plasil corner and Baros came agonisingly close to tapping in at the far post. The Czechs found themselves behind almost immediately in the 63rd minute though, as the referee played the advantage in favour of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo drilled Deco’s squared pass home with a low shot that left Cech helpless.

The Czech Republic tried to hit back straight away from a crossed free-kick, but Ferreira blocked Grygera’s acrobatic half-volley at close range after Ricardo had failed to deal with the initial ball into the box.

Bruckner decided to change things around with a substitution as the Bohemians chased their second equaliser of the game. Midfielder Matejovsky made way with Anderlecht striker Stanislav Vlcek coming on to add support for lone-forward Baros, who has looked isolated around the Portuguese penalty area.

The Czech Republic introduced their third striker just five minutes later, when holding midfielder Tomas Galasek made way for Koller as Bruckner rolled the dice and shifted to an attacking 4-3-3 formation. His opposite number Scolari responded immediately by bringing on another centre-back in the form of Fernando Meira to deal with the added aerial threat of Koller, taking the place of midfielder Joao Moutinho.

The substitutions continued, with Portugal skipper Nuno Gomes making way for Hugo Almeida as Cristiano Ronaldo took the captain’s armband and Ricardo Quaresma replaced Simao on the wing.

Sionko came close to hitting another equaliser with seven minutes remaining, but Ricardo was equal to his header from the penalty spot and tipped the ball over the crossbar. Koller nearly got lucky when Ricardo and Pepe came close to getting in each other’s way, but the Sporting goalkeeper judged the bounce well.

Portugal continued to live dangerously, especially with high balls into their penalty area and Ricardo flapped again but Polak was unable to find room for the shot. The Czechs were hit on the counter though as Cristiano Ronaldo was set free behind the opposition’s back line before squaring the ball for substitute Quaresma to tap in and secure a potentially decisive win.
Czech Republic: Cech; Grygera, Ujfalusi, Rozehnal, Jankulovski; Polak; Matejovsky (Vlcek 68), Galasek (Koller 73), Sionko, Baros; Plasil (Jarolim 85)

Portugal: Ricardo; Bosingwa, Pepe, Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira; Petit, Moutinho (Fernando Meira 75); Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco, Simao (Quaresma 80); Nuno Gomes (Hugo Almeida 79)

Ref: Vassaras (Gre)

Ref From channel4.com