Czech Olympic football hopes evaporate with England defeat

In football, hopes that the Czech Under-21 team could take part in a play-off for a place in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, evaporated on Wednesday night during a dismal performance by the England team against Italy. The Czechs were hoping England would win, clearing a way for a play-off between the third place teams in the ongoing European Championships for the Olympic place. In the event, Italy won 3:1 after some naïve English defending and the Rio places will go to Germany, Portugal, Denmark, and Sweden.

Author: Chris Johnstone