Football: Russia scores four in Euro opener to defeat Czech Rep

The Czech Republic’s national football team was soundly defeated by Russia on Friday in the teams’ opening match at Euro 2012. The Russians were dangerous throughout, building on precision passes and clever plays that saw them routinely outpace the Czech defense. The Czechs played well in patches, dominating, for example, in the opening 15 minutes. Still it was Russia that scored twice in the first half.

The Czechs responded early in the second when Plašil sent a low ball to Václav Pilař who sidestepped Russia’s goalie and put the ball in the net. Soon afterwards, Rosický came close to getting an equalizer but Russian goalie Malafeev stopped his low shot. Russia then regained momentum and added two more to win 4:1.

Author: Sarah Borufka