Football coach says Czechs ‘collapsed’ in last fifteen minutes of Turkey match

Czech coach Karel Brückner has said that his team ‘collapsed’ in the last 15 minutes of their group A match against Turkey in Geneva on Sunday, putting an end to the Czechs’ Euro 2008 hopes. The Czechs were leading 2:0 until the 75th minute of the game when Turkey scored to get back into the match. According to Brückner, his team were then unable to ‘cope’ with the pressure – an error by goalkeeper Petr Čech allowed Turkish captain Nihat to level the scores three minutes before the end. And then, in the final minute, Nihat scored a second, sealing the Czechs fate. The match was Karel Brückner’s final game in charge - he announced he would be standing down after the European football championships earlier this year. Turkey now join Portugal in the quarter-finals of the competition, where they will play the winners of group B.

Author: Rosie Johnston