Speaking of the expansion of the World Cup and the European Cup, many people believe that the addition of a large number of weak teams after the expansion will lead to a serious decline in the level of the group stage, and the strong dialogue can only wait until the top 8 or even the top 4 are produced. If there is any major cup with a higher group stage level than the final, it must be the European Championship. Before the expansion of the European Championship, there were only 16 participating teams, and there were often death groups in the case of close strength, but in the final, it is possible that one of the teams is a dark horse. 2004 is a typical example, and in the European Championship in which the conservative dark horse Greece won, a classic confrontation with ups and downs was born, the czech republic versus the Netherlands in the group stage.
The match was the second round of Group D, with the Netherlands drawing 1-1 with Germany thanks to Van Nistelrooy's goal, and the Czech Republic beating Latvia, the weakest newest in the group, 2-1, and the winning side of this match will take the initiative in the promotion.
Look at how luxurious the two squads are, from the goalkeeper to the striker, almost all of them are the world's top stars.
Both sides started the line-up.
Czech Republic
Goalkeeper: Cech
Defenders: Jankulovsky, Ujfalusi, Gilanek, Grigella
Midfielders: Nedved, Galasek, Rossiki, Bobowski
Forwards: Barosh, Kohler
This Czech team is very strong, the veterans Nedved, Poboski, Kohler have not yet fully passed the peak, and the younger generation of Cech, Rossiki, Barosz and others has grown rapidly and is reasonably configured.
Czech lineup.
Netherlands
Goalkeeper: Van der Sar
Defenders: Van Bronckhorst, Bauma, Stam, Heytinga
Midfielders: Davis, Seedorf, Koku
Forwards: Robben, Van Nistrum, van der Meide
In terms of individual ability alone, the Netherlands is above the Czech Republic. The Netherlands is one of the strongest teams in the world during the 98-00 period, and the two stops in the top 4 of the competition are more due to psychological qualities. At the European Championship in 2004, some players aged and their strength declined. But centre-forward Van Nistelrooy is at its peak, and the rise of young junior Rowen has ensured the vitality of the attacking line, making the Netherlands still the world's top team to be reckoned with.
Dutch line-up.
As soon as the game began, the two sides launched a fierce confrontation, and the pace of the game was so fast that the audience was dazzled. In the 4th minute, Holland opened the scoring with a free kick by centre-back Bauma. In the 18th minute, the Dutch anti-offside successfully extended the score with Robben assisting Van Nistelrooy. But just four minutes later, Koku's pass error was cut off by Barosz, who assisted Kohler to pull a goal back. The two sides then faced each other fiercely for a long time, and Both Petr Cech and Van der Sar made wonderful saves. In the 71st minute, Nedved's diagonal cross from the left side of the box, Kohler stopped the ball to Baros, who met the ball and fired a furious shot into the goal. In the 88th minute, Heinz's long-range shot was saved by Van der Sar and Bobowski received the ball and crossed Smitchell, who pushed the empty goal to score. In the end, the Czech Republic staged a big comeback, beating the Netherlands 3:2 to qualify for the first place in the group.
Commenting on the performances of the managers and main players of both sides, let's talk about the Czech side first.
Head coach Bruckner tactical adjustments are timely and resolute, right-back Grigera does not play well, and after the right side defense is penetrated by the Netherlands, he decisively replaces him with Smichel to strengthen the midfield scramble.
In terms of players, Nedved is worthy of the iron man, not only running around the field at both ends of the attack and defense, but also violent long-range shots and diagonal passes on the flanks can give the other side a great threat. With a long-range shot hitting the post, Barosh's equaliser also came from Nedved's diagonal pass. Although Kohler is 202 tall, he has a strong ability to control the ball under his feet, and can not only threaten the opponent's goal with a header when bombing at a high altitude, but also use it as a fulcrum in the penalty area to meet his teammates, and his shooting skills are also good. Barosz was amazing, the first goal was his long run after the ball was under the strict defense of Stam to Koehler to complete the assist, and the second goal was received by Kohler's ferry. Petr Cech made three key saves in the match, especially when he magically saved Van Nistelrooy's close header when he was 1-2 behind, preserving the Czech Republic's hopes of reversing the victory. Bobowski's assist on the third goal was very unselfish, and he could choose to shoot himself against Van der Sar, but he crossed to the better-placed Smichel, ensuring a turnover for the Czech Republic.
On the Dutch side, head coach Ed Vaucat clearly had an unshirkable responsibility for the Netherlands' defeat, and with 30 minutes left in the game, Bosviert replaced Robben with a one-goal lead to strengthen the defense. This substitution made the Dutch left-wing offensive disappear, and once the Czech right defensive line was lifted, it could be recklessly pressed on the offensive. I believe that fans who have watched the game will feel that this substitution is simply incredible.
In terms of players, the Dutch attack basically revolves around the center Van Nistelrooy, the 28-year-old Van Nistelrooy is in a good state, the king of the box, grabbing points or taking the ball in the box can always bring great threat to the opponent. In addition to scoring the second goal, there was a header that almost broke the goal, and a foul on Ujfarusi in the box, but unfortunately the referee did not award a penalty. At that time, the young player Robben did not appear on the right side to stage the audience's familiar inside cut and shoot, but in the left side of the bottom cross, Robben, who completed two assists, was also one of the best players in the Netherlands. Davis is clearly past his peak, and although he has completed an indirect assist and a long-range shot at the goalpost in this game, and is also actively fighting in midfield, he can feel that his physical fitness and sense of position are much worse than before. The Netherlands eventually lost to the Czech Republic, which has a lot to do with the Czech players running more actively. Stam's form has also dropped a lot from the 98 World Cup, and he is obviously powerless against the tall and strong Kohler and the dexterous Baros. Although Van der Sar made several wonderful saves, this time the performance was obviously not as good as Cech. The most direct culprits of the Netherlands losing are two, one is Koku, who lost the first goal due to a passing error, and if there is no such mistake, the netherlands, which leads by two goals, is in a good situation. The other was right-back Heytinga, who received a red card, who was a time bomb, and in the World Cup final six years later, he was given a red card that led to the Netherlands losing the title 11 out of 11.
Although both teams eventually stopped in the semi-finals, the aging of players such as Nedved, Bobowski and Kohler after Euro 2004 caused the Czech Republic to withdraw from the ranks of European powerhouses. But the old fans will never forget that in the summer of 2004, they brought a confrontation that made all the fans passionate.