Czechs survive Latvian scare

Strikers Milan Baros and substitute Marek Heinz spared the Czech Republic’s blushes with two second-half goals to give them a 2-1 win o...

Strikers Milan Baros and substitute Marek Heinz spared the Czech Republic’s blushes with two second-half goals to give them a 2-1 win over debutants Latvia in their Euro 2004 Group D match on Tuesday.

Latvia, the 500-1 outsiders playing in their first major tournament, can still look on the result as a great achievement after holding the lead for 27 minutes after scoring in first-half injury time.

Heinz struck the winner in the 85th minute after Baros hooked the ball over keeper Aleksandrs Kolinko and defender Mihails Zemlinskis cleared the ball straight to Heinz who steered it home. Baros rifled the equaliser in the 73rd minute from a Karel Poborsky cross after the Latvians had shocked the Czechs with a brilliantly fast and simple counter-attack finished by striker Maris Verpakovskis on the stroke of halftime.

Story continues below this ad

Baros had hung on to the ball too long after a fine crossfield break when he could have passed to the lurking Pavel Nedved on the right and lost it on the edge of the box.

The ball was played back into Czech territory down the left where striker Andrejs Prohorenkovs ran to the goalline and his low cross eluded covering defenders and keeper Petr Cech to reach Verpakovskis, who turned it in from less than a metre. The Czechs had far more of the ball but rarely found the right touch when in sight of goal.

The Latvians gave away a string of corners as the Czechs, seeking to get an early breathrough, pinned tham back but the final ball always went Latvia’s way. (Reuters)